PATH Class Search & Registration

How does PATH Change W&M's Registration Structure?

For degree-seeking undergraduate students, there are a few key changes to the structure of registration. For fall and spring semesters, registration begins with building a cart and setting registration priorities and alternative course options for those course selections. After the cart-building period closes, PATH will register students into courses, taking into account priority group, social class, and registration priorities they assigned to their courses. Student schedules will not be immediately available to view; the date schedules will be released to students will be listed on the When to Register and Academic Calendar webpages. Following this, an add/drop period will open for students. More information is available on the Registration Structure page.

For graduate students, there are no significant structural changes to how registration operates, but all students will utilize PATH as their registration system.

[New!] Add and Drop Courses

Undergraduate students will add and drop courses in "real-time" through PATH starting with the initial add/drop period. Graduate student registration events are always in "real-time."

Information and videos about how to add courses, drop courses, and use the conditional add/drop feature is available on the Add/Drop Courses page. 

Course Registration Waitlist 

Starting with the add/drop period for the Fall 2024 term, undergraduate students may be able to add themselves to a course waitlist in PATH if the course is full. Waitlists will be available on most, but not all, undergraduate Arts & Sciences course subjects.

When a seat becomes available in a course with a waitlist, the first student on the waitlist receives an email to let them know that they can register for the course. If that student takes no action within the notification window or decides to remove themselves from the waitlist for the course, the next student on the waitlist will be offered the open seat. 

More information and a PATH Waitlisting Guide can be found on the Course Registration Waitlisting page. 

Build Your Cart & Set Your Priorities 

For degree-seeking undergraduate students, PATH allows you to select courses and assign a registration priority to those courses in a non-timed environment. After the cart setting period has closed, PATH will evaluate student course selection priorities in multiple "rounds" of registration while maintaining existing social class and priority groups. 

Review the Carts & Registration Priorities webpage for more detailed information. A PATH Quick Start Guide (pdf) for building a cart and setting registration priorities is available, as well as a Primary & Alternative Carts How-To Video and a Setting Registration Priorities How-To Video.

Please note: For information about when carts will open and add/drop periods, please review the When to Register page.

Navigating PATH Course Search

The Course Search function is live and ready for you to explore. Familiarize yourself with the system and its features. Note that PATH Course Search replaces current course search tools at W&M. The Open Courselist and Banner Search for Classes have been retired.

Try out the new PATH Course Search to learn the parameters and functionality. You can search for courses using any of the following criteria: 

• CRN
• Course Subject
• Course Title
• Instructor
• Level
• Campus/Location
• Time/Day
• Excluded Time/Day (new feature!)
• Course Attributes - including COLL and various other attributes
• No- or Low-Cost Course Materials (new feature!)

Email to Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students 4/17/2024

Subject: Add/Drop Opens April 18 at 7:00 a.m.

Dear Students,

As you know, add/drop opens in PATH tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. By design, PATH includes a Shock Absorber when elevated registration activity is detected. Students are placed in a queue in the order of course submission. It may take several minutes for path to process your registration due to high volume.

Do not refresh or exit the page. This lag is designed to preserve your registration order. Student registrations will be processed in the order they were submitted to PATH.

Add/Drop video tutorials are available demonstrating the two-step submission process, as well as information about course registration waitlisting.  

To provide additional support this evening (Wednesday, April 17) and answer questions related to add/drop and registration waitlisting:

• University Registrar’s Office staff will be in the Sadler Center from 5:15-7 p.m.
• The [[w|registrar]] email account will be monitored until 9 p.m.
• University Registrar staff will be available via phone and email beginning at 6:45 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, April 18.

Additionally, we know that you have questions and concerns following the transition to the PATH registration system. We are scheduling an open forum for students to meet with representatives from the University Registrar’s Office, Information Technology, and Arts & Sciences. We will provide additional information about the open session once the details are finalized.

Thank you,

Alana Davis

Alana R. Davis (she/her)
Associate Provost and University Registrar
William & Mary

Email to Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students 4/15/2024

Subject: Initial Schedules Now Available in PATH

Dear Students,

Initial fall schedules are now being loaded into PATH. The Office of the University Registrar offers our sincere appreciation for your cooperation as we transitioned to this new system. Your participation in our educational outreach, incredibly thoughtful questions about the process, and overall careful construction of initial registration carts helped to make this as smooth a transition as possible.

What will you see in PATH?

• Courses in your Cart with a black check are the courses for which you were successfully registered.
• Courses in your Cart with a blue shopping cart are courses for which you were not registered.

Why didn't I get all of my requested courses?

• PATH Registration does not process registrations with errors. This includes:
  • Holds
  • Prerequisite errors
  • Instructor Permission errors
  • Field of Study restrictions
  • Time conflicts
• One section of a course may be full, while another has seats available. PATH did not automatically select the available section for you unless you selected it as an alternative option when building your cart. You may select seats in the open section when add/drop begins at 7am on April 18.
• PATH maintained priority registration (social class seniors go before social class juniors and so on) and tiered enrollments (seats reserved by social class).

What if I want to see my schedule in a traditional format?

• Though you may not make any registration changes in Banner, you may still view your schedule by following these steps:
  • Log in to Banner Self-Service.
  • Select the Student tab.
  • Select Student Records.
  • Select Student Profile.
  • Select the correct term from the drop-down menu in the upper left (above your photo).
  • Registered courses appear in a box on the right side.

What are my next steps?

• Waitlists will be visible in PATH by 3pm on Wednesday, April 17.
• Add/drop opens in PATH at 7am on Thursday, April 18.  Refine your fall schedule during the add/drop period.
  • Field of Study restrictions will be removed.
  • Waitlist will be in effect. You will be able to place yourself on the Waitlist when add/drop opens, and notifications to register from the Waitlist will begin April 23.
  • There are no maximum capacity overrides.
  • PATH has a built-in load monitor that preserves registration attempts. If you see a spinning wheel when add/drop opens on April 18, PATH is not crashing. It is managing the load on the server and will process registration attempts in the order submitted. Do not resubmit (or panic!).
• Once Add/drop opens: if you are registered for courses which you do not wish to take, please drop them and allow others to enroll. If you place yourself on a Waitlist that you no longer wish to be on, please remove yourself from the Waitlist.
• An extensive library of resources addressing FAQs and explaining add/drop and waitlist is available on the University Registrar PATH site.
• University Registrar staff will be available in Sadler from 11:30am-1:30pm, Monday - Thursday of this week. We are also available, as always, via email at registrar@wm.edu or in the office (Blow Hall 240)

Did we meet initial PATH goals?

• Primary Goal:  Alleviate the strain registration placed on Banner and avoid mid-registration system failure. PATH remained stable throughout cart building.
• Goal: Reduce student stress by shifting registration to an untimed environment.  PATH allowed a full week for cart building.
• Goal: Gather data for Deans and Departments about student priorities and course needs to better address gaps in the schedule and plan for future enrollments.  PATH provided comprehensive data including student cart selections, prioritizations, and alternatives.

Email to Degree Seeking Undergraduate Students 3/21/2024

Dear students,

There’s a new registration process for Fall 2024 so please take a few minutes to become familiar with this information:    

Add Classes to your Primary Cart in PATH March 27-April 2. The schedule of classes will not change during this time so you can build your Primary Cart on March 27 (and set it and forget it!) or closer to April 2.  If you do not build a Primary Cart by April 2 the next registration opportunity will be on April 18 (beginning of add/drop). Administrative staff do not have the ability to create or adjust your registration cart.

Do Not Use the ‘Create a New Cart’ Function and create one called ‘Primary’.  When you log into PATH on March 27 a Primary Cart will appear. 

Resolve holds and Primary Cart registration errors by April 2: PATH will allow you to add classes to your cart if you have a hold or are missing the required pre/co requisites, the course requires instructor permission, or there is a time conflict with another course in your Primary Cart. You must resolve your holds before carts close otherwise your cart will not be processed.  If you do not resolve course errors those courses will not be processed.

Connect With Us! UReg staff will be available in our office (Blow 240) along with pop up locations (and zoom).  Look for dates and times in the ‘Connect With Us’ section on our PATH page. 

View Your Schedule April 15: Your fall schedule will not be available to you until April 15.  Starting April 3, PATH will evaluate student course priorities from Primary Carts. UReg staff will work with A&S dean’s office staff to add additional seats and possibly move classrooms to maximize student priorities. Your schedule will be available in PATH on April 15.

Registration Waitlist: Max capacity overrides will no longer be used (Instructor overrides are still being used). You will be able to see A&S courses with a waitlist starting on April 17.

Add/Drop Begins in PATH on April 18 at 7:00 am ET. Major restrictions will be removed at this time. This will be the first time you can add yourself to a waitlist.

Max Hours: You will be able to add up to 30 credits to your Primary Cart but will only be able to register for up to 16 credits now. Most students may register up to 18 credits beginning August 27, 2024.

Graduating in May or August 2024? You will not be able to build a Primary Cart for fall if you have submitted your candidacy for graduation in Spring or Summer 2024. Contact us if your intention is to graduate and take additional courses in the fall (registrar@wm.edu) or if you need to change your date of graduation (degreeaudit@wm.edu).

Find Your Resources: Refer to the PATH information page for detailed information about the overall process, PDF instructions on cart building, course prioritization strategies, the registration waitlist and new features of the PATH course search tool.

We know this is a lot of new information so please let us know if you have any questions. 

Email to Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students 2/27/2024

Subject: Summer and Fall Registration Update

Dear Undergraduate Students, 

You recently received an email from me about the new PATH registration system. I am excited to follow up with more details about how cart building and course registration will work.

Summer Registration Update

Undergraduate degree-seeking students will have two weeks to register for summer 2024 courses in Banner Self-Service. You will be able to register for summer courses beginning 8:00 a.m. on March 18 through 11:59 p.m. on April 2. Summer course registration will reopen in PATH at noon on April 16. If you are planning to register for a fall course that requires a summer prerequisite, be sure to register for the summer course during this two-week window.

New PATH Registration 

Beginning in spring 2024, all students will register for fall 2024 courses via PATH. This registration system is not part of Banner and allows you to build a registration cart and prioritize your course selections outside of a timed environment. An introduction to the PATH registration system and resources about building a registration cart can be found on the University Registrar PATH webpage. PATH is available to use now to search for courses. Summer and fall classes are now viewable. 

Registration Carts

You will begin by creating a registration cart between March 27-April 2. Instead of registering for your courses individually, you will build your preferred and alternative schedules by placing courses in a registration cart and prioritizing the options. You are not limited to a particular timeslot during this cart building period; the same course options will be available whether you build your cart on March 27 or April 2. After the cart building period closes, the PATH system will process registration selections in priority group and social class order. Registration processing will take place April 3-April 12, and you will not have access to your schedule during this time. Your schedule will be available to you in PATH on April 15. Add/drop and waitlist availability begin on April 18.

Interested in Learning More?

A registration timeline, a guide to building your registration cart, and a guide to automated waitlist are now available on the University Registrar PATH webpage. Video tutorials will be added before cart building begins on March 27. Additionally, the Office of the University Registrar will hold in-person and online sessions for demos and questions in advance of and during the cart building period. The session schedule will be posted on the University Registrar PATH  website by March 6.

Alana R. Davis (she/her)
Associate Provost and University Registrar
William & Mary

Email to Undergraduate Business Majors & Minors 2/22/2024

Subject: UG Business Student Registration for Fall in PATH 

Dear Undergraduate Business Students, 

You recently received an email from me about the new PATH registration system. I am excited to provide more details about the specific registration period set aside for all business majors and minors.

New PATH Registration 

Beginning in spring 2024, all students will register for fall 2024 courses via PATH. This registration system is not part of Banner and allows you to build a registration cart and prioritize your course selections outside of a timed environment. An introduction to the PATH registration system and resources about building a registration cart can be found on the University Registrar PATH webpage. PATH is available to use now to search for courses. Summer and fall classes will be viewable on February 26th. You will be able to log in to PATH beginning March 4th.

BUAD Course Subjects

Business majors and minors will be the first cohort to use this new system. You will begin by creating a registration cart between March 4th – 7th. You are not limited to a particular timeslot during this cart building period. After the cart building period closes, the PATH system will process registration selections in the order listed below, as determined by the School of Business, during the week of March 11th. Only BUAD course selections will be processed during this time. Any non-BUAD course selections you add to your cart will be ignored during the BUAD registration process. You will not be able to see your schedule until your BUAD course schedule becomes available to you in PATH on March 18th. 

1. Senior majors
2. Senior minors
3. Junior majors
4. Sophomore majors
5. Junior minors
6. Sophomore minors

Please note:

• Business MAJORS will be limited to 12 credits in BUAD subjects only (though you should put more than 12 BUAD credits in your cart)
• Senior business MINORS will be limited to 9 credits in BUAD subjects only (though you should put more than 9 BUAD credits in your cart)
• All other business MINORS will be limited to 6 credits in BUAD subjects only (though you should put more than 6 BUAD credits in your cart)

A&S Course Subjects

March 26th – April 2nd will be your opportunity to create a registration cart and prioritize your course selections for non-BUAD subject courses. That schedule will be viewable in PATH beginning April 15th, with add/drop starting on April 18th.

Alana R. Davis (she/her)
Associate Provost and University Registrar
William & Mary

Email to All Students 2/14/2024

Subject: Introducing PATH for Course Registration

Dear Students, 

Welcome back to campus for the spring semester! I hope you enjoyed the break and that your semester is off to a smooth start. The Office of the University Registrar recognizes that successful course registration is essential to navigating your academic career and that it can sometimes be a stressful process. We are pleased to announce that this spring we will introduce a new registration platform and enhanced processes that will improve your registration experience. 

Introducing PATH Registration 
Beginning in spring 2024, all students will register for summer and fall 2024 courses via PATH. This registration system is not part of Banner and allows you to build a registration cart outside of a timed environment. More comprehensive information will be shared with you as we approach registration. 

An introduction to the PATH registration system and updates about project implementation and timeline can be found on the University Registrar PATH webpage. PATH is available to you now, and the course search feature is live. While you are not yet able to build your registration cart – that step will happen during registration later this spring – you may now see the class search feature. I encourage you to visit and familiarize yourself with the site. Please note that summer and fall courses will not be available until February 26th. When you explore the course search feature, you will be practicing the search function with current spring 2024 courses. 

As we approach summer and fall registration, the Office of the University Registrar will provide information about how registration will work, navigating the system, and what to expect during the registration period. The information will be comprehensive and will be available in a variety of formats, including video tutorials, PDFs with screenshots, and open sessions with UREG staff. 

Enhanced Course Search Features in PATH 

• Ability to exclude days and times from your search results
• Increased course attribute filters
• Ability to search for courses with low- or no-cost materials

Waitlist for Undergraduate Arts & Sciences Courses 
We’re also excited to add the Automated Waitlist feature for undergraduate A&S courses. Waitlist will be activated once undergraduate students have built their registration carts and students’ initial schedules are posted – just in time for add/drop for fall to begin on April 18th. For additional information, you can attend one of the open sessions with UREG staff mentioned above.  

We are hopeful that implementing PATH and the waitlist option will improve the course registration experience for all involved, and we look forward to sharing it with you this spring. In the meantime, please review the project website, begin exploring the new platform, and stay tuned for additional information. Please reach out to [[w|registrar]] with any questions you may have. 

Sincerely,  

Alana R. Davis
Associate Provost and University Registrar
William & Mary
(she/her)

PATH Overview

William & Mary has selected PATH by CourseLeaf as its new course planning and registration system. PATH is a web-based, mobile-friendly platform that seamlessly integrates with Banner and will fully replace the existing student registration system for undergraduate and graduate students. This innovative tool enables undergraduate students to rank their preferred courses in a flexible, non-timed environment during registration. Additionally, it offers valuable insights into students’ prioritized course data, benefiting the whole university by empowering departments with information and facilitating informed scheduling decisions. PATH provides a similar registration experience that students are already familiar with but with the benefit of an updated look and feel, improved search functionality, additional features, and enhanced messaging.

PATH is configured with the unique needs of W&M in mind. The course search interface includes W&M specific filters and keyword searches. Course details like the description, instructor information, related sections, and restrictions are clearly outlined and easy to navigate. When a student adds a course to their cart, they are notified of any potential conflicts or restrictions immediately, making it easy to resolve issues before they attempt to register. Additional features include the option to create a link to easily share search results with an advisor and a tool to “exclude times” from search results that will be especially beneficial for students planning their schedule with family, work, and other obligations in mind.

In PATH, undergraduate students will be able to review and request courses and select their course preferences in a ranked order during registration. After students have selected their preferences, registration will occur in multiple “rounds,” while maintaining the existing priority groups and social classes. A student's first preference is referred to as "round one," followed by their second preference as "round two," continuing until all undergraduate student preferences and alternates have been evaluated. This approach is designed to help students achieve the most optimal schedule possible.