Preparing for course registration

UBC Okanagan offers a variety of courses to choose from. Make sure you have considered all factors before your registration date and time.

Do you have questions about registration? Watch one of our registration webinars for the upcoming academic year

These sessions covered:

  • Tips for registration:
    • How to plan your courses
    • How & when to register
    • Best UBC tools and resources to use
  • Transfer Credits
  • General degree planning tips
  • And FAQs

Choosing courses

When choosing your courses for your upcoming year of study, remember the following considerations:

Degree requirements

You do not need to complete your degree requirements within your first year but you do need to know what the requirements are and plan to meet them before graduation.

First-year requirements

Refer to the first-year planning guide specific to your degree program to help you select courses for your first year.

Major, minor, concentration, or specialization requirements

Explore your options within your selected program. If you are a first-year student, you won’t be required to declare a minor, major, concentration, or specialization before you register, but you still need to take the necessary first-year and second-year courses in preparation. Consult the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar and declaring majors section for more information.

Winter Session

Winter Session runs from September to April and is divided into two terms.

Term 1 is from September to December.

Term 2 is from January to April.

Summer Session

Summer Session runs from May to August and is divided into two terms.

Term 1 is from May to June.

Term 2 is from July to August.

Credits per session

For the Winter Session, students in most UBC Okanagan programs can register in a maximum of 18 credits per term (six courses), or 36 credits for the entire session. This is a very heavy workload and is not recommended. If you are considering six courses in one term talk with an Academic & Career Advisor. Most students take 15 credits per term (five courses), or 30 credits for the entire session.

Many students also take fewer than five courses per term, allowing for time to work, enjoy leisure activities, or study. It’s up to you on how many credits you take. Keep in mind that there is a minimum number of credits you need to be registered in to qualify for on-campus housing, student loans, and scholarships.

For the Summer Session, students in most UBC Okanagan programs can take a maximum of 12 credits (four courses). You are not required to take any credits during the summer.

Students at computers

An insider’s guide to a stress-free registration

We all know how overwhelming it can be to register for courses, but registration doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are some tips on how to make your registration a breeze.

Read the blog post

Registration tips & tricks

Dropping courses

Be aware of drop/withdrawal deadlines – drop courses as soon as you know you do not want to take them. Your fellow students are waiting for the chance to grab an open seat. The first drop deadline allows you to drop without financial penalty or any notation on your transcript.

After that, you will have to pay for at least part of the course and you will see a “W” on your transcripts.

As drop/withdrawal deadlines approach, assess your ability to meet your obligations, if you feel overwhelmed, it may be wise to adjust your course load or discuss your concerns with an Academic & Career Advisor.

Full courses

If a course you want to register for is full, you have a few options.

Online waitlists: Some courses have waitlists. That means you can register for the waitlist on the Student Service Centre (SSC). These waitlists look like sections of a course, but they will say “waitlist” or “WL.” It is still your responsibility to monitor the course for an available seat and add yourself to the course. Certain departments will block a course once it becomes full. If a course is blocked and has a waitlist available, add yourself to the waitlist and you’ll be notified by email if you’ve been moved into the class as space becomes available. Check the section comments for more information.

Note: Waitlist sections are included in your total registered credits for the term.

Check the course schedule regularly: You’ll be surprised at how many people make changes to their schedule all summer, and if someone drops a course while you’re on the system, you can register.

Try to find another class: Try using the course search function on the UBC Course Schedule to find another suitable course if you cannot get into the one you want.

Blocked or restricted courses

Blocked course: If a class is ‘blocked’ it means that seats in the class are currently not available. If the course has a waitlist section, register yourself in it. Also, check the SSC frequently for open seats. Sometimes you will see a course is blocked but has seats still available. You will need to add yourself to the waitlist if you want to eventually get into the course.

Restricted course: Some seats in courses may be reserved for students in particular programs or year levels. If you’re not sure if you might be included in that restriction, try to register for the course. Many courses have restricted seats (reserved) and general seats (anyone can register in a general seat) – if there are general seats available you should be able to register in the course.

Register through the SSC

Log into the SSC and start browsing the Course Schedule. In the Course Schedule you will be able to create worklists, which will give you a good idea of what your schedule will look like in the coming year. Be aware that one-hour classes are actually 50 minutes and one-and-a-half hour classes are actually 80 minutes. The extra 10 minutes gives you time to get to your next class.

When it comes time to register for your courses, you can go into your worklist and select “Register All.” As long as there is still space in the courses, you meet prerequisites, and it hasn’t been blocked you will be registered into the course.

Note: Although every effort is made to ensure the course schedule is as accurate as possible at the time of publication, changes to the course schedule are sometimes necessary after publication.

These changes will not be reflected in any worklists you have already made. Always review your worklists a few hours before your registration time so you can update them to reflect any schedule changes that may have occurred since your worklist was initially developed.

For more information on course registration, view our step-by-step registration guide.