- Waitlisting Information
- How-To Videos
- Frequently Asked Questions
Waitlisting Information
The University strives to provide students with access to courses. However, factors such as room size can limit the number of spaces available in a course. Academic departments may also restrict certain courses to a particular year level or degree program. If no spaces are available to you, that course will appear as “Full” in Carleton Central.
For courses that are currently full, you may be able to join a waitlist. If the course section has a waitlist enabled, the Registration Error Message will contain the word “waitlist” (e.g. Join Waitlist). By joining the waitlist, you are placing yourself in a queue for the next available space in the course. If a waitlist is not available, you are encouraged to continue to try and register for the course as space may become available as students make changes to their registration, or you may choose to select an alternate section.
How-To Videos
These short videos will walk you through all of the important processes when waitlisting.
How to Join a Waitlist | Carleton Central How-To (YouTube)
How to Find Your Position on a Waitlist | Carleton Central How-To (YouTube)
How to Remove Yourself from a Waitlist | Carleton Central How-To (YouTube)
How to Register for a Waitlisted Course When Notified | Carleton Central How-To (YouTube)
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are frequently asked questions about waitlists.
- What is a waitlist?
A registration waitlist is a queue of students who are waiting to register for a filled section of a course. The first student on the waitlist is notified via email when a space becomes available. If the student does not register for the section within 24 hours the next student on the list will be notified.
Note that joining the waitlist does not guarantee a space in the class. Course prerequisites and restrictions may apply in order to join a waitlist.
- How do I know which courses are waitlisted?
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Only selected courses have waitlists available. To determine whether the course has a waitlist, search for it in the Search for Courses page and check its “status” in the Search Results page. If the course section is full and does not have a waitlist enabled, the course status will be “Full”. If the course section has a waitlist enabled, the course status will either be “Waitlist Open” or “Waitlist Full.”
- How do I join the waitlist?
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On the Add or Drop Classes page in Carleton Central enter the Course Reference Number (CRN) of a course section that has an OPEN waitlist in the Add Classes Worksheet, and press the Submit button.
If the course section has an open waitlist the Registration Error Message will be “This course is full but you may join the waitlist.” (If the course section does not have a waitlist enabled, the Registration Error Message will be “This course is currently full but you can keep trying to register as spaces may become available”). Select Waitlist from the Action drop down menu and press the Submit button.
If a space in the class becomes available, the first student on the waitlist will be notified via their Carleton email. The student will have 24 hours (including weekends) to register in the course section. If the student misses the deadline, they will be removed from the waitlist and priority will be offered to the next student on the list. It is your responsibility to routinely check your email.
Please note that like courses, waitlists can also become full. If the waitlist is full for a given section, you will not be able to put yourself on the waiting list. You must meet the course prerequisites and restrictions in order to be allowed to join a waitlist.
- What if the waitlist is full?
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Like courses, waitlists can also become full. If the waitlist is full for a given section, you will not be able to put yourself on the waiting list. Try joining the waitlist at a later time as somebody may drop their space on the waitlist.
- How do I know my position on the waitlist?
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At the bottom of the Student Timetable page click Detail Schedule. If you have successfully joined the waitlist the Status of the course section will be “Waitlist” and your Waitlist Position will be displayed below.
- A spot has opened up for me. How quickly do I need to register?
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You have 24 hours (including weekends) to register in the course section. Waitlist e-mail messages will include a registration deadline. If you miss the deadline, you will be dropped from the waitlist and your spot will be offered to the next student on the list. You will NOT receive a notification of this action. If you are still interested in the course, but have missed the 24 hour deadline, you must re-add yourself to the waitlist, provided that the waitlist is not full. It is your responsibility to routinely check your Carleton email.
Please note that if you are currently registered in the maximum number of credits allowed for your program, you will need to drop an alternate course to accommodate your registration for the waitlisted course. Failure to do so will result in unsuccessful registration (“Registration in this course exceeds the total number of credits you are allowed for the term” error message).
- What if I missed my deadline to register?
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If you miss the deadline, you will be dropped from the waitlist and your spot will be offered to the next student on the list. You will NOT receive a notification of this action. If you are still interested in the course, but have missed the 24 hour deadline, you must re-add yourself to the waitlist, provided that the waitlist is not full. It is your responsibility to routinely check your Carleton email.
- A spot has opened up for me. How do I register for the course?
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Now that the space has become available for you, you need to register in the course. Please proceed to the Add or Drop Classes page on Carleton Central. To register, you will need to choose “Registered” from the Action drop-down list and click on the “Submit” button.
Please note that if you are currently registered in the maximum number of credits allowed for your program, you will need to drop an alternate course to accommodate your registration for the waitlisted course. Failure to do so will result in unsuccessful registration (“Registration in this course exceeds the total number of credits you are allowed for the term” error message).
- How do I remove myself from the waitlist?
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If you no longer require your space on the waitlist, please proceed to the Add or Drop Classes page on Carleton Central to remove yourself from the waitlist by selecting “Drop (Financial)” and clicking “Submit”.
We strongly encourage you to remove yourself from all waitlists once you have finished your registration out of consideration for other students.
- When is the last day to join a waitlist?
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The last day that students may join a waitlist is two days prior to the first day of classes. For example, if classes begin on September 5, the last day to join the waitlist would be September 3.
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