Fall 2023 CS Enrollment Information

Please note that this enrollment policy is for Ithaca based courses only. If you have questions regarding courses that are taught at the Cornell Tech campus, please send an email to Monica Patten.

Our goal is to accommodate as many students as possible. We anticipate that many of our courses will be able to accept most, if not all, students who would like to enroll. Due to high demand, direct enrollment in some* CS courses is restricted to CS affiliated students only. Non-affiliated students will be able to add themselves to a waitlist via Student Center during the add/drop period. There will be no waitlist option for 1000, 2000, 3000, or 7000-level CS courses. Keep in mind that adding yourself to the waitlist does NOT guarantee you a spot in the course.

CS 1000 - 3000 course information:

  1. If you are seeking course information about a specific class, please check the roster notes.
  2. Unless otherwise noted in the roster notes, enrollment is open to all students on a first-come first-serve basis.
  3. There is no wait list option for any 1xxx-3xxx level CS course. 
  4. Discussion section swaps must be done online via Student Center. You may only swap into a discussion section that still has seats available. 
  5. For specific course descriptions, see the Courses of Study. 

CS 4000 - 5000 level course information:

  1. These courses have waitlists during add/drop only. See Waitlist FAQ section for details.
  2. Preference is given to CS affiliated students. Please check roster notes for specific course information and restrictions. 
  3. 5000 level co-meets are restricted to CS MEng students. Other students must add themselves to the waitlist during the add/drop period. 
  4. Graduate and Professional students must take the 5xxx version of a course if the course is required for your degree program.
  5. ​To swap from the 4xxx to the 5xxx course please fill out the University online add/drop form during the add/drop period, not during pre-enroll.

CS 6000 level course information:

  1. Please see roster notes for specific course information and restrictions. 
  2. CS 6000-level courses are reserved for PhD and Masters students. 
  3. Some 6000 courses are restricted to CS PhD and CS MS including those that are offered in both Ithaca and at Cornell Tech.
  4. Undergraduates, MEng and MPS students will need to add themselves to the waitlist during the add/drop period.
  5. Enrollment in a 6000 course is at the discretion of the instructor and the department and is not guaranteed even if seats are available.

 

CS waitlist FAQs

If a course is restricted, students should get on the waitlist as soon as the add/drop period begins, even if the class is not yet full (see item #1 below.) The add/drop period for the Fall 2023 semester is from August 14th, 2023 to September 5th, 2023. *NOTE: Students can only waitlist for a course total of 8 credits at a time.

Q. How do I add myself to a waitlist?

A. Bowers CIS students may add themselves to the waitlist via Student Center during the add/drop period. Wait-lists will NOT be open during pre-enrollment. To know if a course will have a waitlist, go to the “Select classes to add - Enrollment Preferences” page in Student Center. If the course will have a waitlist, you will see a “Wait list if class is full” checkbox here. Check that box to join the waitlist.

If you are a non-Bowers student or if you suspect that the class is or will be full, be sure to check the "Wait list if class is full" checkbox BEFORE proceeding any further in the enrollment process. There will be no other opportunity to add yourself to the waitlist once you pass this screen, and you will then have to start over from the beginning in order to do so. Once all of the classes you are requesting have been added to your shopping cart, click “Finish Enrolling” to complete your enrollment request. 

Q. Who should get on the waitlist?

A. Non-CS students who would like to enroll in a course restricted to CS-affiliated students should add themselves to the waitlist if they fall into one or more of the categories below. Please note that these categories are listed in no particular order, and they do not necessarily dictate a student’s priority in the waitlist queue:

  • Undeclared students who have applied to the CS major but have not yet been officially affiliated (typically freshmen or sophomores)
  • Undeclared students with no major as of yet who are unlikely to major in CS, but need CS courses as preparation for their intended major
  • Advanced students (i.e. juniors and seniors) with a non-CS declared major who wish to minor in CS
  • Advanced students (i.e. juniors and seniors) with a declared major that is not CS, but who need CS classes as a requirement of that major or for general background
  • Graduate students wishing to take CS courses
  • All students wishing to take a course that is restricted to a certain population in which they do not meet the requirements for (i.e. restricted to CS majors only, seniors only, etc.)

Q. In what order will students be admitted to a class from the waitlist?

A. A student’s place in the queue and/or priority order will not be determined by the date and time that a student signed up on the waitlist. Rather, it is based on other circumstances, with priority typically being given to majors and upperclassmen. But please note that we cannot disclose your place in the queue.

If/when space becomes available in a waitlisted class, enrollment permission numbers (PINs) will be sent to students via email based on the priority order described above. Please note that enrollment PINs are intended only for the student to whom it was emailed. If students do not plan to use the enrollment PIN they were sent, we ask that students discard the PIN and remove themselves from the waitlist for the class so that a spot may be opened for another student. GIVING YOUR PIN TO ANOTHER STUDENT IS A VIOLATION OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY. Violating this policy will result in severe consequences.

Q. When will students admitted from a waitlist be sent their PIN?

A. PINs are sent out every Tuesday and Thursday (except for holidays) during the add/drop period, until all courses have reached capacity.

Q. The course has both a 4xxx and a 5xxx version. Which section should I waitlist for?

A. All graduate and professional students should waitlist for the 5xxx version of the course. Due to new NYSED guidelines, any courses below a 5xxx level will not count towards your degree program. If you add yourself to the 4xxx waitlist, you will not be issued a permission number (PIN). All undergraduate students should waitlist for the 4xxx version. Undergraduates will not receive a PIN for a 5xxx level course unless they are taking the course for future M.Eng credit. 

It is important to note that adding yourself to the waitlist does not guarantee that you will be admitted to the class.

Last updated: April 26th, 2023