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Registration FAQs

General Registration Questions:

Banner Self Service Questions:

General Registration Questions
How do I audit a class?

Complete the appropriate form for a degree-seeking student (pdf), non-degree seeking student (pdf) or senior citizen (pdf).

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How do I withdraw?

Withdrawal from a course is possible until the Friday of the NINTH week of classes during the Fall and Spring semesters. Withdrawal is completed using the on-line registration system, as you would to drop/add a course.

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I'm over 60. Are there any special benefits for senior citizens?

Registering for Credit: In order to take courses for credit, students must apply to the Office of Undergraduate Admission (757-221-4223) for admission as an unclassified or degree seeking student and complete a Senior Citizen Exemption Form (pdf). Senior citizens may qualify for tuition waiver if they meet the following criteria:

  1. must be 60 or older
  2. a legal resident of Virginia
  3. have a taxable income that does not exceed $15,000 a year

Register on the same schedule as unclassified students.

Registering to Audit Courses: It is not necessary to apply for admission if courses will only be audited. Students who are 60 or older and legal residents of Virginia may qualify for a tuition waiver to audit a class regardless of income. Space availability of a class will be determined after tuition paying students have been accommodated.

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I'm an employee. How and when can I register for classes?

Employees who wish to take advantage of the tuition waiver benefit must register for courses through the Office of the University Registrar, Blow Memorial Hall, Room 124. Employees may register for undergraduate courses, as well as graduate courses in Arts and Sciences, Marine Science, and Education. Some courses require permission from the instructor, and many graduate courses require admission to a degree program. Consult the course listings and/or graduate program director(s) for details.

The Tuition Waiver Form (pdf), must be (1) completed by the employee, (2) signed by the employee's supervisor, (3) signed by the Personnel Office, and (4) returned to the Bursar's Office. Employees who are non-degree seeking students may register on the schedule with unclassified students.

An Application for Virginia In-State Tuition Privileges (pdf) must also be completed by the employee and submitted to the Registrar's Office prior to the first day of classes in order to qualify for in-state tuition status. Employees who register for graduate courses are subject to taxes on the cost of the course. Failure to submit the domicile application will result in an out-of-state classification.

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Questions about Banner
Can an instructor register me for a class?

No! The instructor may provide you an override to allow you to register for the class. It is your responsibility to register via Banner Self Service once the instructor has granted you the override. Registration must take place during the registration period (Priority Registration, Schedule Adjustment or Add/Drop).

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How do I search for a class?

From the Registration Menu, Select Look Up Classes to Add. You must enter a Subject, and then you can add any additional criteria to narrow your search. Select Class Search at the bottom of the screen, and your search results will display. If it is your time to register, the search results will have a box to the left of the course that you may check. Once checked select Register at the bottom of the page, and the system will register you for the marked courses, assuming you meet the requirements for the courses.

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Where do I see the max enrollment for a class?

From the Registration Menu, Select Look Up Classes to Add. You must enter a Subject, and then you can add any additional criteria to narrow your search. Select Class Search, and your search results will display. When the results display, they will show you the maximum allowed enrollment (column titled CAP), current enrollment (column titled ACT) and seats remaining (column titled REM) If there is a letter C to the left of the course, the course has reached its maximum enrollment and is now closed.

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How do I know if a class has closed, or how many seats are open?

From the Registration Menu, select Look Up Classes to Add You must enter a Subject, and then you can add any additional criteria to narrow your search. Select Class Search, and your search results will display. When the results display, they will show you the maximum allowed enrollment (column titled CAP), current enrollment (column titled ACT) and seats remaining (column titled REM) If there is a letter C to the left of the course, the course has reached its maximum enrollment and is now closed.

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How do I register for a closed class when I have an override?

In order to register for a class that is closed, select the function Add/Drop Courses from the Registration Menu. Enter the five digit Course Reference Number (CRN) for the course(s) you want to register for on the Add/Drop Classes worksheet. Use the tab key to move from one CRN space to another. Enter numbers carefully and confirm your entries. When you select Submit, you are registered. (You will see the course status "Web Registered" next to the course.) You will NOT receive an additional confirmation.

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How do I add myself to a Waitlist for class?

When searching for classes to add, if you find that a course is closed and you see that this class has a waitlist option available (there will be numbers in the WL Capacity and WL Remaining columns), you can add yourself to the waitlist by clicking the "Add to Worksheet" button at the bottom of the page.  Type in the CRN for the course and press the Submit Changes button.  In the Action box, select the Waitlist option from the drop-down menu and press the Submit Changes button to add yourself to the waitlist.  This will add your class in a "WAITLIST" status to your Current Schedule. If the instructor decides to allow you into the course, you will receive an email from the instructor letting you know that you can now register for the course.  At that point, you must select the "Web Dropped" option to drop the waitlisted course from your Current Schedule and press the Submit Changes button.   Now you can add the course by typing in the CRN for this course in the CRN box and press Submit Changes to add the class.

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What is the hold "Internal – Does Not Stop Reg"?

This is an administrative hold placed by the registrar's office that does NOT prevent registration. Once the Registrar's Office has individually validated each student's record, the hold will be removed. It is for the internal use of the University Registrar's Office only.

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How do I know when it is my time to register?

Undergraduate students are broken out into "social class" and are assigned a Time Ticket. The assignment of social class Time Tickets will be placed on the Registrar's website. You can check your Time Ticket by selecting Check Your Registration Status from the Registration Menu.

Graduate students register and are assigned Time Tickets according to dates specified by the graduate registrars. Check the Academic Calendars for dates and Check Your Registration Status to verify your Time Ticket.

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How do I know if I have holds that prevent registration?

You can check for holds that prevent registration by selecting Check Your Registration Status from the Registration Menu. The first item in the checklist will tell you if you have holds that prevent registration. You can also view your holds by going to the Student Records Menu and selecting View Holds. Notice that you will see the holds, dates, originating office and processes affected. If the hold prevents registration, you will see Registration listed under the Process Affected column.

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How do I change the credit hours on a variable credit course?

If you register for a course that is variable credit (ex. from 1.00 to 3.00 credit hours) you may select the number of credit hours you want. If you select a variable credit course, the system will automatically register you for the minimum number of credit hours allowed for this course. If you wish to take the course for more than the minimum number of hours allowed, you must go back to the Registration Menu and Select Change Class Options.

On the Change Class Options page you will see a selection box next to Credit Hours. In parenthesis, you will see how many credit hours a course can be taken for (ex. 2.00 to 3.00.) In the selection box, enter the number of credit hours you wish to take the course for. You only need to complete this step if you are taking the course for more than the minimum number of credit hours allowed. Select Submit Changes, and your changes will be reflected in your schedule.

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How do I select pass/fail?

Academic juniors and seniors may elect to take one course in Arts and Sciences or Education for undergraduate credit on a pass/fail basis during each full time semester. If you are a junior or senior, and want to take a course pass/fail, you can make this selection through Banner Self Service, available at myWM.

Changes to pass/fail can only be completed during the add /drop period (usually the first eight days of a Fall or Spring semester).

After you register for the course, you must either go back to the Registration Menu and select Change Class Options, or select the highlighted grade mode on the Add/Drop Worksheet, under Current Schedule, next to the class you wish to take pass/fail.  Selecting the grade mode hyperlink will take you to the Change Class Options page. You will see the courses you have registered for and a drop down box next to the words Grade Mode. Use the drop down box and select Pass/Fail. Select the Submit Changes button at the bottom of the page.

Your changes are NOT saved until you select the SUBMIT button.

This will change the course from graded to pass/fail. When you view your Student Detail Schedule, you will notice the grade mode is now listed as pass/fail. You can also view the grade mode on the Add/Drop Worksheet in the Current Schedule section as well. Students are responsible for checking their schedules to ensure they are correct by the end of the add /drop period.

*** IF YOU SELECT PASS/FAIL, LOOK AT YOUR SCHEDULE TO VERIFY YOU SUCCESSFULLY MADE THE CHANGE.***

If you encounter an "Instructor Permission Required" error while trying to select pass/fail, please contact the University Registrar's Office at 221-2800 for assistance with the pass/fail selection.

Courses taken on a pass/fail basis may NOT be used to satisfy proficiency, GER, minor or major requirements, except where courses are designated as pass/fail only.

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How do I find my W&M user ID?

Contact the Technology Support Center.

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How do I view my unofficial transcript over the web?

From the Student Records Menu, select Academic Transcript, then select the level and type of transcript. Then select Submit. Your unofficial transcript will display on the web.

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I'm getting an error that says a faculty member or administrator is looking at my record. What does that mean, and why can't I add classes?

Most likely you were in Banner earlier and did not log out properly. You should log out by using the Log Out icon and close your browser. If you wait 20 minutes before trying to re-enter Banner Self Service, you should be okay. If you continue to have problems in the Look Up Classes to Add, go to the Add/Drop Courses option and access the Look Up Classes to Add through the link at the bottom of the page. If you are still having problems, you may have a cookie remaining on your computer.

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How do I remove Cookies?

Microsoft Windows 98 and later:

  1. Quit Internet Explorer and quit any instances of Windows Explorer.
  2. In Control Panel, double-click Internet Options (or Network and Internet depending on your view.) If you choose Network and Internet, you then can select Internet Options.
  3. On the General tab, click Delete under Browsing History and then Delete Cookies.
  4. Click OK.


Firefox:

By default Firefox accepts all cookies, including cookies which would allow a site to recognize you effectively forever. If this doesn't suit you, you can tell Firefox to delete all cookies when you close Firefox.

  1. Select Tools > Options.
  2. Click the Privacy panel, and then click on the Show Cookies button.

Use The View Cookies Window window to view and remove cookies.

This window lists all cookies currently stored on your computer, grouped by site. You can expand the sites and select a cookie to display more information about it. You can also search for a site or a cookie name by typing in the search bar.

  • To remove a cookie from the list, select it and click Remove Cookie.
  • To remove a site's cookies, select the site and click RemoveCookie(s).
  • To wipe all cookies, click Remove All Cookies.

You may also contact the IT help desk at 221-help.

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Why am I not getting the Student Services Menu when I log on to Banner Self Service, or it tells me Access Denied?

It is possible that you are not set up with the Student Role in Banner. Please contact the Registrar's Office at (757) 221-2800 for assistance.

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What is a CPIP error and how do I get into Banner Self Service if I get this error?

If you receive an error that says "CPIP" please contact the Registrar's Office at (757) 221-2800 for assistance. The Registrar's Office will have to help you with registration until the error is resolved. We will contact IT and alert them to your problem with Banner Self Service.

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Registration Errors

If you have entered a CRN and have selected Submit, and are getting the message in red that says !Registration Error, please refer to the info on registration error messages in the registration instructions. These instructions describe the error and how to resolve it. Please be sure to read the error provided to you by the system (located next to the course).

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