Skip to content

Current Quarter Drop

The Current Quarter Drop process allows students to drop classes using the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Form during the Late Course Drop Period.

Overview and Timeline

Several University of Washington policies affect when and how you can drop classes. Each quarter, during the Unrestricted Drop period, you may add and drop classes with no restrictions until the end of the second week of the quarter. After that, during the Late Course Drop period, you may drop one class, using Register.UW, between the 3rd week and the last date of instruction for the quarter.

To drop more than one class during the Late Course Drop period, you may use the Adviser-Assisted Drop Process. Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back. The form will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. on designated dates for each quarter.

CQD Dates for 2025-2026

CQD Dates 2024-2025

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Full Term Jun 30 Jul 6 Jul 7 Aug 15
A-Term NA NA Jun 30 Jul 16
B-Term NA NA Jul 31 Aug 15

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Oct 1 Oct 7 Oct 8 Dec 15

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Jan 12 Jan 18 Jan 19 Mar 13

Unrestricted Drop Period Late Course Drop Period
Start Date End Date Start Date End Date
Apr 6 Apr 12 Apr 13 at 8 a.m. June 5 at 5 p.m.

How to Drop a Class by Period

Weeks 1 & 2 Week 3 – Last Day of Instruction Finals Week+
Unrestricted Drop Period
Add and drop classes via Register.UW with no restrictions until end of Week 2.
(Tuition Forfeiture period begins the start of Week 2)
Late Course Drop Period
Use your Quarterly Drop for one (1) class per quarter via Register.UW, or the Adviser-Assisted Drop form for two (2) or more classes
After the Last Day of Instruction
Use the Former Quarter Drop process instead

Unrestricted Drop Period

Through the second week of the quarter, you can add and drop freely using Register.UW.

These drops will not show up on your transcript. You will be charged a $20 Change of Registration Fee for all registration changes made on a single day during this period. Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back.

Late Course Drop Period

Between the first day of the Late Course Drop Period and the Last Day of Instruction, you have two options for dropping classes.

How to Use Your Quarterly Drop

You may drop one course per quarter using your self-serve Quarterly Drop via Register.UW. To use your self-serve Quarterly Drop, follow the same instructions as for the Unrestricted Drop Period.

How to Use the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Process

If you have already used your self-serve Quarterly Drop, or if you know you want to drop more than one course, you will use the Adviser-Assisted Drop process.

With the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Process, you will submit a form that sends an email to your adviser(s), as well as a copy for you. You will connect with your adviser(s) to discuss what you want to do, and the adviser(s) will then communicate with the registration team on your campus to drop the classes. Submitting the form does not automatically drop your courses. You must connect and communicate with your adviser(s).

Current Quarter Drop workflow
Current Quarter Drop workflow

Before You Begin the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request Process

  • Review the tuition forfeiture policy when considering dropping — you may not get all your tuition back.
  • Decide which classes you want to drop, and get their SLNs (5-digit code) in Register.UW.
  • Review the following conditions and provisions that you must agree to as part of this process.
  • For F-1 or J-1 international students with an I-20 or DS-2019 form, your international student advising office will also receive a copy of your Adviser-Assisted Drop Request. You will work with them to get advice on the impact of your drop request on your F-1 or J-1 status.
  • For NCAA athletes, Student Athlete Advising Services will also receive a copy of your Adviser-Assisted Drop Request. You will work with them to ensure that your drop request complies with NCAA academic requirements.
  • You have the option to notify your instructors of course(s) dropped through the Current Quarter Drop-Adviser Assist process by providing your instructor’s name and email. They will receive a courtesy copy of your drop notice from your campus registration team when the course has been dropped.

Start a Late Course Drop Process

Use either of these processes if you need to drop classes after Week 2 of the quarter.

Current Quarter Drop Conditions and Provisions

If you intend to drop courses, you must read, understand, and acknowledge the following provisions of the Current Quarter Drop policy. These provisions will be included in the Adviser-Assisted Drop Request form.

Agency
Students take full responsibility for any ramifications from choosing to drop classes.
Funding Status
Changing your registration can have a negative impact on funding status depending on the student’s personal circumstances.
Timeline
The Current Quarter Drop (self-serve Quarterly Drop via Register.UW and Adviser-Assisted Drop Request) may be used during Week 3 to the last date of instruction for the current quarter.
CQD Step 1
The student may use the self-serve Quarterly Drop for (1) one class for the current quarter via Register.UW prior to submitting a request for additional drops.
Deadline
The student must submit the request form by the established deadline in order to be considered and processed by the campus registration team by the last date of instruction of the given quarter.
Advising Discussion
When contacted, students are responsible for discussing with their academic, program, degree adviser(s) and/or advising team to proceed with the drop process.
Advising
The adviser reviewing the drop request does not decide on the ability to drop the class(es). Rather, they advise the student on academic history and make sure the student has evaluated the risks and consequences associated with dropping classes during the current quarter.
Approval to Drop
When advising steps are completed and the adviser(s) forward the request to the registration team, the student is authorizing the respective campus registration team to drop the identified classes.
Drops are Final
Classes dropped from a student’s schedule may not be reversed.
Change of Registration Fee
The $20 fee will be assessed for any Drop (and Add) changes in a given day. Students completing a complete withdrawal will not be charged the $20 Change of Registration fee.
Tuition Refunds
The timing of when classes are dropped will determine whether different tuition refund policies will be applicable. The student is responsible for reviewing all of Student Fiscal Services’ deadlines and policies, and following the separate procedures related to the tuition refund processes.
Transcript Notation
Dropped classes will carry an annotation of RD for Registrar Drop on the academic transcript. The credits and GPA points associated with the RD dropped class(es) will not appear on the academic transcript, but the class abbreviation, class number, and the annotation RD will appear. The RD annotation cannot be removed.

Registration Errors

It is possible to encounter a registration error when you attempt, but are unsuccessful, to complete a change to your registration.

Troubleshoot and Resolve Errors

The following are common registration errors along with an explanation and instructions to resolve the error.

Error Messages while Adding a Course

Error Messages while Adding a Course

The course section you want to register for is offered through UW Continuum College/Professional and Continuing Education. Please contact their registration office for assistance by phone 206-543-2310 or email c2reg@uw.edu. You can also review the Fee-Based Program FAQs.

You can only add a course using Register.UW until the end of the third week of the quarter. If you see this message and you need to add a course or register for the quarter for the first time, you need to ask your instructor to complete and submit the Late Add Petition form.

This message means that you are trying to add two sections of a course that are the same type (like two Lecture sections or two quiz/lab sections). This is only allowed in rare cases, such as some Special Topics courses. In order to register for a course that has a lecture and a quiz/lab section, you must add a section of each type.

Courses with Lab and/or Quiz sections require you to register for the Lab or Quiz section at the same time you register for the Lecture section.

Courses with Lab and/or Quiz sections require you to register for the Lecture section at the same time you register for the Lab or Quiz section.

Undergraduate students are limited to 19 credits during Registration Periods I and II. You can add additional credits during Registration Period III and the Late Add Period. The limit is 30 credits per quarter.

Please reach out to the department offering this course. If they want to allow you to register for more than the maximum credits allowed for the course, they will need to register you or give you an entry code to register yourself.

You cannot register using Register.UW for two courses that meet at the same time or for courses with overlapping meeting times.

If you want to replace a course that you have already registered for, you must use Register.UW to drop the course and add the new one at the same time. If you want to register for two courses that have overlapping meeting times, you have to register for one of the courses first, and then submit the Time Conflict section of the Registration Transaction Form [PDF] and email the completed form to the Office of the University Registrar at regoff@uw.edu so they can add the second course for you.

If you make too many adds, drops, and changes using Register.UW in a quarter, you use up all of your registration transactions in the database. Email the Registrar Student Services team at regoff@uw.edu to ask them to remove old entries.

If this happens again during the same quarter, you will have to see an academic adviser. They will email regoff@uw.edu if they approve more transactions for you.

When a student makes excessive registration attempts over a short period of time, Register.UW will lock that student out for 24 hours.

This is due to concerns about Registration Tampering and Abuse.

The system lockout is automatic and cannot be undone by the Office of the University Registrar or anyone else. You must wait 24 hours until Register.UW removes the lockout.

Tampering and Abuse
A student who tampers or attempts to tamper with the registration records of another student, including but not limited to dropping courses and adding courses, may be subject to disciplinary sanctions as defined in the Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121).

Registration Abuse

  • The registration system is provided for the sole express purpose for students to register themselves into sections. Any use of the registration system other than for this purpose is considered abuse of the system. Such abuse includes, but is not limited to, buying or selling one’s seat in a class, or otherwise registering for a section that one has no intention of taking.
  • To help conserve University resources and ensure the registration system is available to all, students are locked out of Web Registration after a specific number of excessive submission attempts and/or transactions are made per day. This threshold is sufficient for students’ regular use and should not interfere with typical use. The use of robots and other automated tools to submit registration requests is expressly forbidden.
    • If you are having trouble adding a particular course on your registration page, please make sure you are reviewing any error messages you are receiving for the course and address those errors first prior to repeatedly clicking the “Update Schedule” button, as excessive clicking behavior will also result in being locked out of the registration system.

    System Abuse
    Because use of scripts, robots, or other automated queries can adversely impact University network and computing resources and interfere with equal access to registration, such automated querying of registration-related resources is expressly forbidden. Violators may have their access to University network and computing resources terminated and may be subject to action by the University under applicable law, regulation, or policy, including but not limited to, discipline under any applicable University conduct code.

Error Messages when SLNs are Closed for Registration

Error Messages when SLNs are Closed for Registration

The University tries to make sure students have up-to-date information on section availability. But certain systems can have a delay during peak registration times. This can mean that a webpage shows a section as open, but by the time you actually try to register, the section may already have closed. This is not because of errors, but because of the large number of transactions that happen every minute.

You can check the University time schedule or MyPlan for other open sections of this course.

The University tries to make sure students have up-to-date information on section availability. But certain systems can have a delay during peak registration times. This can mean a webpage shows a section as open, but by the time you actually try to register, the section may already have closed. This is not because of errors, but because of the large number of transactions that occur every minute.

If you are using Notify, please be aware that the system is incredibly popular. Many students are receiving the same notification as you are. Even if you respond right away after receiving a notification of an opening, someone else may already have beaten you to the open seat.

Error Messages for Departmental Requirements and Course Restrictions

Error Messages for Departmental Requirements and Course Restrictions

Some course sections restrict registration by class standing and/or major. This can be for one registration period or for all of them. You can see these registration restrictions in the notes for the course section in the Time Schedule.

Some courses require you to have completed prerequisites before you can register for them. A course with a prerequisite will have the word “Prerequisite” in the title bar in the Time Schedule, or it will be noted in the course view in MyPlan.

You can add a course section if you are currently registered for, but have not completed, the prerequisite. However, some departments will drop you from the course needing the prerequisite if you do not satisfactorily complete the prerequisite. This will happen by the third calendar day of the quarter. Courses where this will happen will have the words “Prerequisites (cancellation in effect)” in the title bar in the Time Schedule.

This message means you have entered an invalid entry code, or one that has already been used. You can only use an entry code one time. You may need to obtain a new entry code from the department offering the course.

If the department allows it, an undergraduate student can repeat a course once. You are considered to have already taken a course once if you took it and received a numerical grade, an I, CR/NC, or S/NS. If you dropped or withdrew from a course, or did not get a grade in it, it does not count as having taken it already for repeats. You should contact the department offering this course. They will determine if you can retake this course and will register you directly if you can.

Error Messages based on Student Category

Student category can be defined as one of the following:

  • UW Seattle student
  • UW Bothell student
  • UW Tacoma student
  • Undergraduate
  • Postbaccalaureate
  • Professional School student
  • Graduate Student
  • Non-Matriculated Student
  • Graduate Non-Matriculated Student
  • International Student
  • Student Athlete
Error Messages based on Student Category

It is before your registration date.
Find out more about registration periods and registration dates at the links below:

There are restrictions on registering at another UW campus than the one you were admitted to (your home campus).

There are restrictions on registering at another UW campus than the one you were admitted to (your home campus).

You can only take a maximum of 15 credits per academic year (autumn quarter through summer quarter) on a campus other than your home campus. You can petition to waive this requirement by contacting the registration team at your home campus. However, even if the petition is granted, that does not mean the unit offering the course has to let you into the course if you do not meet all other requirements or the course section is full.

There are restrictions on registering at another UW campus than the one you were admitted to (your home campus).

If you are an admitted first-year undergraduate student, you must complete 25 credits on your home campus before you can register for a course at another campus. (Note that UW Professional and Continuing Education courses are not considered home campus courses.)

You can petition to waive this requirement by contacting the registration team at your home campus. However, even if the petition is granted, that does not mean the unit offering the course has to let you into the course if you do not meet all other requirements or the course section is full.

There are restrictions on registering at another UW campus than the one you were admitted to (your home campus).

If you have completed or are in the process of completing 45 or more credits, or are a post baccalaureate student, you cannot register for a course at another campus until you have completed 15 credits at your home campus.

You can petition to waive this requirement by contacting the registration team at your home campus. However, even if the petition is granted, that does not mean the unit offering the course has to let you into the course if you do not meet all other requirements or the course section is full.

You cannot register for this course right now because you are enrolled in a fee-based program through UW Continuum College or UW Professional and Continuing Education. Matriculated students in state-funded programs have priority for these courses during Registration Period I. You must wait until Registration Period II.

You cannot register for this section right now because you are enrolled in a fee-based program through UW Continuum College, or UW Professional and Continuing Education or because you are a non-matriculated or graduate non-matriculated student that registers through UWC2/UW PCE. Matriculated students have priority for these courses during Registration Period I and II. You must wait until Registration Period III.

You are a student who is enrolled in a self-sustaining program where registration is completed for you by your program or departmental adviser. Please contact your adviser directly to register. Contact information for all UW departments can be found in the UW Office Directory.

You are not eligible to register. The information below can help you understand why and what you need to do.

Undergraduate, Post baccalaureate, or Professional School students who were away from the University for more than one quarter (excluding summer quarter) or withdrew from one quarter and did not attend the next one cannot register. You must submit a Returning Student Request Form to become eligible to register again.

Graduate students who did not apply for on-leave status or maintain continuous enrollment by registering (excluding summer quarter) cannot register. If you want to resume studies in your previous graduate program, you must submit a reinstatement request to the Graduate School.

Alumni: Once you have graduated from the University, you will either need to enroll as a non-matriculated student through UWC2 Registration Services (206-543-2310 or c2reg@uw.edu) or apply for matriculated student status through the appropriate admissions office.

You cannot register this quarter because the Graduation Plan approved by your College/School has expired. Contact your academic adviser to either submit a graduation application or file a graduate plan extension request.

You cannot register this quarter because you have applied to graduate for a quarter that is earlier than the one you are trying to register for.
If you need to register for this quarter to complete your major, minor, or degree, you must contact your adviser so they can move your graduation application to another quarter.
If you are planning to graduate or have already graduated, but want to take more courses after graduation, you must enroll as a non-matriculated student. You do this through UW Continuum College/Professional and Continuing Education. Contact their registration office for assistance with registering for courses after graduation by phone 206-543-2310 or email c2reg@uw.edu.

Error Messages while Dropping a Course

Error Messages while Dropping a Course

You cannot drop this course section because you have already dropped one class this quarter. You can only drop one class each quarter using Register.UW. To drop more classes, you must use the Adviser-Assisted Drop process.

You cannot drop this course section because that would completely withdraw you from the quarter, and the deadline to do that on Register.UW has passed. You must use the Adviser-Assisted Drop process.

When a course has a Lab or Quiz section, you have to drop the Lab or Quiz section and the main Lecture section. You cannot drop one and keep the other.

If you are trying to change to a different Lab or Quiz section, but keep the Lecture section, you can do that one of two ways (depending on when in the quarter it is):

  1. You can add the new Lab or Quiz section directly on Register.UW; or
  2. You will need to complete a Registration Transaction Form [PDF] and email it to the Office of the University Registrar at regoff@uw.edu.

When a course has a Lab or Quiz section, you have to drop the Lab or Quiz section and the main Lecture section. You cannot drop one and keep the other.

Error Messages while Changing a Grading Option

Error Messages while Changing a Grading Option

You can only register for up to 20 credits of S/NS using Register.UW. To request an exception to the 20 credit S/NS change limit, send a request to petition@uw.edu. Learn more about requesting a Grading Option Change exception.

Prepare to Register

Continuing Students

Students who are continuing, registering from one quarter to the next (excluding Summer quarter), may register beginning at 6am on their Priority Registration Date.

New, Transfer, Grad, Professional, Returning Students

Confirm Your Plan to Enroll

New Undergrad & Transfer Students Graduate & Professional Students Returning Students*
1. Access the New Huskies website
2. Accept admission offer
3. Pay the Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD).
1. Access the Enrollment Confirmation System (ECS)
2. Accept admission offer
3. Pay the Enrollment Confirmation Deposit (ECD).
1. Access the Enrollment Confirmation System (ECS)
2. Accept re-admission offer.
*Returning students, those with an absence of more than one quarter (excluding Summer quarter), must first complete the Returning Student process.

Enrollment Confirmation Acknowledgement

Following successful acceptance of admission or readmission offer and payment of the ECD, students receive an Acknowledgement of Confirmation (AoC) via email.

New Undergrad & Transfer Students Graduate & Professional Students Returning Students
1. Follow New Huskies instructions to create a UW NetID**
2. Students must sign up for an Advising & Orientation Session (A&O) through First Year Programs (FYP)
  • A Private Access Code (PAC) and instructions are provided to create a UW NetID**
  • A Registration Date is provided in the AoC
  • Students should confirm their UW NetID** is active in order to register via Register.UW

Get help with forgotten UW NetID or password

**A UW NetID is required to access most University systems including registration resources – Register.UW, MyUW, and MyPlan.

Register for Courses

New Undergrad & Transfer Students Graduate & Professional Students Returning Students
Registration is completed during the Advising & Orientation Session (A&O) Students register via Register.UW on registration date indicated in the AoC.
Registration Resources
Students register via Register.UW no earlier than Registration Period II
Registration Resources

Immunizations

All first-time, matriculated students must provide proof of immunity to certain diseases. Hall Health Center administers the UW Immunization Requirement program. Visit the UW Immunization Requirement website for instructions on how to submit the required UW form and any additional documentation.

Policies & Procedures

Registration Policies and Procedures

Policy reference for information on this page may be found in the UW Policy Directory in the following sections: Student Governance and Policies

Policies & Procedures

Policies & Procedures

Students pursuing a baccalaureate degree are expected to make satisfactory progress toward the attainment of that degree and are expected to enter a major and graduate after completion of a reasonable number of credits and quarters. The satisfactory progress policy looks at a student’s total credits, but when counting quarters, only regular academic-year quarters – autumn, winter, and spring – are considered. The courses and credits taken during summer quarters count towards degree requirements and are included in the credit total. Summer quarters are not included toward satisfactory progress quarter total and, thus, do not count against the number of quarters students may complete before the satisfactory progress credit limit is enforced.

The 105-credit rule

Undergraduates must declare a major by the time they have completed five (5) academic-year quarters and earned 105 credits or a hold will be placed on their registration until they either declare a major or meet with an adviser and receive a pre-major extension. The hold is placed on the student record when five (5) or more academic-year quarters and 105 or more credits have been completed. Transfer students who are admitted to the University with 105 or more credits are expected to declare a major before their second quarter at the UW, or obtain an extension from an adviser.

Students will be granted a pre-major extension if their adviser decides the student is pursuing a reasonable goal, and has a good chance of gaining admission to their intended major.

If an adviser feels that a student’s choice of major is unrealistic, they will deny the request for an extension. The student will not be allowed to register for subsequent quarters until a reasonable degree plan is presented. The intent of the rule is not to drop a student from the University but to encourage them to meet with an adviser and plan for an attainable goal.

Students will receive a warning letter from the University as they approach five (5) academic-year quarters and 105 credits, without a declared a major. Students who complete five (5) academic-year quarters and 105 credits and are still a pre-major, will not be able to register for the next quarter. To avoid registration delays, the student should meet with the appropriate adviser at least one quarter before completing five (5) academic-year quarters and 105 credits.

The 210-credit rule

The University’s satisfactory progress policy requires students to complete their undergraduate degree programs within 30 credits beyond the minimum required for the degree. Because most degrees require 180 credits, students generally must complete their programs by the time they earn 210 credits. The timing for enforcement of this policy is as follows:

  • Freshman/first-year: For a student who first matriculates at the University on a freshman/first-year application the satisfactory progress policy is enforced after a student has completed 12 academic-year quarters, not including summer quarters, at the University.
  • Transfer: For a student who first matriculates at UW on a transfer application, the satisfactory progress policy is enforced after the student has completed
    • Twelve (12) quarters at the University if the student enters with less than one year of college work (less than 45 credits transferred from another institution).
    • Nine (9) quarters at the University if the student enters the University with more than one year of college work and less than two years (more than 44 and less than 90 credits transferred from another institution).
    • Six (6) quarters at the University if the student enters UWS with two or more years of college work (90 or more credits transferred from another institution).

Undergraduates who have completed over 210 credits will be notified by email the third week of the quarter that a block is being placed on their registration due to lack of satisfactory progress. Students ineligible to graduate will be permitted to register for succeeding quarters only if they receive approval from their department and college after filing a graduation plan.

Students receiving satisfactory progress registration blocks should immediately contact their departmental academic adviser to file a graduation application or to initiate a satisfactory progress appeal.

Postbaccalaureate Students

Postbaccalaureate students are expected to be either preparing for admission into a degree program, seeking an additional baccalaureate degree, or working toward a certificate. Students admitted as “postbaccalaureate undeclared” must declare a major by the time they have earned 30 credits beyond the last degree. Once a degree objective has been declared, students must make progress toward that degree as evidenced by courses satisfactorily completed. College advisers may grant extensions beyond the 30-credit limit.

Excessive Course Repeats and/or Drops

The Committee on Admissions and Academic Standards may terminate a student’s enrollment when having demonstrated lack of academic progress as evidenced by excessive course repeats, course drops, or University withdrawals and cancellations. A student may be reinstated with the approval of the college and the Committee. Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students may be reinstated in consultation with the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMAD).

Regularly admitted students may audit a course by completing the following process. The audit option can be changed after the registration period has begun through the end of the second week of the quarter.

  1. Students must first register for the course.
  2. Complete the Registration Transaction Form [PDF] [UoW 2127] (Section 2) to change the course to “Audit”.
  3. Obtain approval from the instructor to audit the course and provide initials on the form indicating such.
  4. Submit the completed form to the Registration Team.

Limitations

  • Audit status cannot be changed via tools such as MyPlan.
  • Course prerequisites must be met.
  • Permission to audit is ordinarily granted for lecture classes only.
  • Attendance in courses as an auditor is based on the consent of the instructor and space availability.
  • Auditors may not participate in class discussion or laboratory work and course registration may be canceled at the discretion of the instructor.
  • Audit credits count in the calculation of fees and are included in the billing on a fee statement.
  • Auditors, except ACCESS program students, pay standard tuition and fees.
  • A $20 change of registration fee will be charged starting the second week of the quarter.
  • Audited courses and credits for audited courses do not appear on a student’s permanent record/transcript.
  • Courses may not be changed to or from audit registrations after the 10th calendar day of the quarter.

  • Students who do not attend regularly scheduled class meetings during the first week of the quarter are subject to being dropped at the discretion of the teaching department to allow enrollment space for other students.
  • Affected courses should be identified in the Time Schedule and/or posted in departmental offices.
  • Students should not assume that departments will automatically drop them from the courses for lack of attendance.
  • Students who are not attending class should drop the course through the registration system.
  • Students who are registered for a course section but do not attend will be assigned a failing grade by the instructor.
  • Students may not attend a University course in which they are not officially registered after the first two weeks of the quarter.
  • An instructor may allow a student to attend their class only if the student’s name appears on the official class list from Office of the University Registrar.
  • A faculty member may attend informally with the approval of the instructor.

With departmental approval, regularly admitted and currently enrolled students may “challenge a course” by special examination to gain credit without being enrolled in specific courses.

  1. For independent study.
  2. For work completed with private teachers.
  3. For work completed in unaccredited institutions if a formal examination is deemed necessary by the chair of the concerned department(s). (In some cases, credit may be validated without an examination. Students who wish to validate credit should inquire at the Office of Admissions.)

Restrictions

  • Credit examination cannot be granted for a course in which a student has been previously registered.
  • All credits earned by examination are counted as extension credit and if earned at the UW, are included in the 90-extension-credit maximum that may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree. Transfer extension credit is limited to 45 quarter credits.
  • Credit is not allowed by examination if the grade earned is less than 2.0. Grades earned are not included in the GPA.
  • Credit by examination is not granted for a course for in which the student would not be eligible to receive credit if the course were taken in residence, e.g., SPAN 202 if credit already awarded for SPAN 203.
  • No student is permitted to repeat any examination for credit.
  • No student shall receive credit by examination for lower-division courses in the student’s native language.
    • Some language departments have more restrictive policies. Consult the individual language department for details.
  • Credit by examination is not acceptable for application toward an advanced degree in the Graduate School.
  • No student is permitted to take more than two examinations in 3-, 4-, or 5-credit courses, or more than three examinations in 1- or 2-credit courses in one day.

A student who wishes to qualify for credit by examination must apply to the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) for a certificate of eligibility no later than Friday of the second week of the quarter. The student presents the form to the instructor and chair and/or dean for signed approval. It is then returned to the OUR for processing. Signed forms and payment of $30 for each course to be challenged must be submitted by Friday of the second week of the quarter.

Examinations administered by the Office of Educational Assessment (OEA) are given during the fifth week of the quarter. Examinations administered by the department should be completed by the seventh week of the quarter. If the student plans to take more examinations in a given quarter than allowed, an additional day may be permitted and arrangements made with the OEA.

Freshmen/First-year, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and post-baccalaureate students enrolled at one UW campus may register for courses at another UW campus beginning in Period 2 registration.

Eligibility

  • Freshmen/First-year: Once admitted, freshmen/first-year must complete 25 credit hours on their home campus before registering in courses on other UW campuses. (UW Professional & Continuing Education courses are not considered home campus courses.)
  • Sophomores, juniors, and seniors: All students with a class standing from sophomore to post-baccalaureate, must complete 15 credits on their home campus before cross-registering.
  • Non-matriculated: Students may not register cross-campus except for summer quarter. This includes non-matriculated students taking courses under the staff or Washington State Tuition Waiver.

A maximum of 15 credits per academic year (autumn quarter through summer quarter) may be taken on a campus other than the home campus.
A maximum of 45 credits taken through cross-campus registration may be counted toward the degree.

Prerequisites

All registration restrictions (e.g., class standing and entry codes) still apply. However, prerequisites taken at home campus may not be recognized by Register.UW. In that case, contact the department offering the course.

Petitions

Individual petitions for waivers of the credit requirements may be considered by a student’s home campus registration team. However, the approval of such a waiver does not obligate the campus unit listing the desired course(s) to grant special consideration for course admission.

Summer Quarter

All students (including non-matriculating students) may cross-register during the summer quarter and they may register Period I. Freshmen/first-year, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and post-baccalaureates must complete the required number of home-campus credits first.

Graduate Students and Graduate Non-Matriculated Students (GNM)

There are no restrictions on graduate students registering in courses cross-campus.

Policy reference for information on this page may be found in the UW Policy Directory in the following sections: Student Governance and Policies

  • Undergraduate or professional students registered for 12 or more credits are considered full-time students.
  • Graduate students registered for 10 or more credits are considered full-time students.

It is important to note that differing criteria and standards for full-time enrollment exist for eligibility in certain programs. Consult the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) for its requirements on satisfactory student progress. The tuition schedule does not reflect full-time credit requirements for loan deferments, teaching assistantships or other programs.

Immunization Requirement

All first-time, matriculated students must provide proof of immunity to certain diseases. (Exception: Students in certain Health Sciences programs.)

Hall Health Center administers the UW Immunization Requirement program. Visit the UW Immunization Requirement website for instructions on how to submit proof of immunization.

Health Sciences Immunization Program

Certain student groups entering a health sciences program at UW are required to submit documentation of a number of completed vaccinations at least two months before starting classes. Hall Health does not administer this vaccination program. Please check the Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP) for information on immunization requirements and documentation for health sciences academic programs.

The Late Add Petition is available after the Late Add Period has ended (last day to add a course through Register.UW) and remains open through the last day of each quarter. Late Add Petitions are only permitted during the quarter for which the course is offered.

Late Registration and Late Add Petition

Mathematics

All incoming freshmen/first-year are required to take the Mathematics Placement Test if they plan to take any of the following math courses:

  • MATH 111 Algebra with Applications
  • MATH 120 Pre-calculus
  • MATH 124 Calculus with Analytic Geometry
  • MATH 144 Calculus for the Biological Sciences

Most students interested in science, engineering, business, and medicine take math their first quarter.

Placement Test Options

  • Intermediate Mathematics Placement Test Students who intend to start college mathematics with MATH 120 Pre-calculus or MATH 111 Algebra with Applications. The Intermediate test provides the opportunity to place into MATH 098, 111, or 120.
  • Advanced Mathematics Placement Test Students who intend to start college mathematics study with the first quarter of a calculus series. Also, students who earned A and B grades in a solid three- to four-year program of college-preparatory mathematics—including pre-calculus, math analysis, and/or calculus—you should take the Advanced test. The Advanced test provides the opportunity to place into MATH 089, 111, 120, 124, or 144.

The Department of Mathematics provides additional information on placement testing.

Foreign Language

Most students need to take one year or more of college foreign language to complete their degree. For instance, students graduating from the college of Arts and Sciences need to complete the third-quarter level of foreign language. Students in certain majors, such as international studies or French, need to complete more than a year. Students in Business Administration and Engineering, however do not have a foreign language requirement for graduation. Students uncertain whether or not to take a foreign language, or required to take one, should consult an adviser at during Advising and Registration session.

Undergraduate students are limited to 19 credits during Registration Periods I and II to allow all students a chance to develop a basic schedule. Additional credits may be added during Registration Period III and the Late Add Period. The limit is 30 credits per quarter.

A hold will stop students from registering, getting a copy of their transcript or diploma, or both. A hold, which can prevent registration and/or the release of a transcript or diploma, may be placed on a student record.

Students may have a registration hold placed on their records by Student Fiscal Services, Housing and Food Services, and/or the Office of Student Financial Aid due to an outstanding financial obligation.

Students may have holds placed preventing them from registering and/or to receive a transcript or diploma for non-financial reasons by academic and support services’ units and the Office of the University Registrar. Some examples of these holds might be for reasons related to academic standing processes, related to Student Code of Conduct investigations, or due to fraudulent records being provided by students to institutions and employers.

Students should receive written notification from the department placing the hold on the student record. This hold will appear as a Notice in MyUW, as well. Students are responsible for keeping their mailing address current.

The Washington State Legislature passed HB 2513/SB 6140 prohibiting the use of withholding transcripts and registration as a means to collect funds owed to the UW except for debt related to unpaid tuition fees, room and board fees, or financial aid funds owed. Starting June 11, 2020, all registration and/or transcript/diploma holds related to funds owed, beyond those purposes previously noted, were removed from student records. For example, registration and transcript holds for lab, technology, athletic, or recreational equipment; parking or transportation fines; library fines; or health services fines are no longer allowed to be used to collect funds from students.

Removing a Hold

A hold is not removed until the student resolves the problem which caused the issuing department to place the hold on their record. A department may place a financial hold if a student owes money and has not paid. For instance, students owing tuition and fees, funds to Housing and Food Services, or as a result of receiving financial aid. The hold will remain on the record until the student pays for the debt that is owed. A department may also place an academic hold on a student record. For instance, once a student has completed 105 credits at the University, the Office of the University Registrar will place a Registration hold until the student has either declared a major area of study or has requested a pre-major extension.

Students should log in and check Notices in MyUW to verify what unit has placed the hold and use the contact information to reach out to that unit with questions. Students will typically be presented with a phone number and/or an email address to contact.

Students are limited by the number of course SLNs that can be added, dropped, and changed via registration during each quarter. If during the registration process, the “Registration Capacity Reached” message is received by a student, this indicates the database record of quarterly registration activity has reached its capacity. For a student to be able to add more courses to their schedule, they must contact the Registration Team to request removal of the inactive entries.

A student who receives the same message again, in the same quarter, after the Registrar Student Services team has given them back additional registration transactions must meet with their academic adviser. Their adviser will need to contact the Registration Team to request more transactions.

Registration can be accessed via Register.UW. All students at the University of Washington who remain in good standing and comply with other rules and regulations, with no outstanding financial obligations, are guaranteed the opportunity to register each quarter as long as they maintain continuous enrollment – not including Summer quarter. Continuation must be in the same classification (e.g., undergraduate, post-baccalaureate (fifth-year), graduate, etc.). Once a student earns a baccalaureate degree, they must apply for admission as a post baccalaureate (fifth-year), non-matriculated or graduate student.

Registration Eligibility Exceptions

  • students under disciplinary action
  • students with a registration hold
  • students not meeting their departmental continuation policies
  • students not meeting the university’s academic satisfactory progress policy
  • students with an outstanding debit on the tuition and fee account. Students must resolve any unpaid fees in order to register.

Registration Limitations
Registration accessed via Register.UW is not available:

Students looking to enroll in these courses and programs should contact PCE Registration or call 206-543-2310.

Undergraduate students may repeat a course once with the approval of the academic department offering the course. Courses considered to have been taken once include any with a numerical grade or those with grades of I, CR/NC, or S/NS. Withdrawn or dropped courses and courses with X or no grade reported will not count as the first taking of a course.

  • Grade & Credit: Both the original grade and the second grade are computed in the GPA but credit is counted only once.
  • Veterans receiving benefits must receive approval from the Office of Special Services before a course is repeated.
  • Registration: Students currently enrolled in a course and who register for the same course in the following quarter will have it counted as a repeated course.
  • Second Repeat: Taking a class for a third —or greater— time cannot be done via registration. A second repeat requires the department to register the student for the course. Grades in the third or subsequent takings will not be included in the grade-point average (GPA).

Departmental Restrictions

Effective winter quarter 2005, departments may restrict undergraduates from repeat registration into courses and may include:

  • allow registration only after Period I
  • allow registration only after the quarter has begun, or
  • requiring an Entry Code for a repeat registration

A student who tampers or attempts to tamper with the registration records of another student, including but not limited to dropping courses and adding courses, may be subject to disciplinary sanctions as defined in the Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121).

Registration Abuse

The registration system is provided for the sole express purpose for students to register themselves into sections. Any use of the registration system other than for this purpose is considered abuse of the system. Such abuse includes, but is not limited to, buying or selling one’s seat in a class, holding seats for another student, or otherwise registering for a section that one has no intention of taking. Additionally, the creation of any service that enables any of the above behaviors is strictly forbidden and constitutes a violation of this policy.

To help conserve University resources and ensure the registration system is available to all, students are locked out of Web Registration after a specific number of excessive submission attempts and/or transactions are made per day. This threshold is sufficient for students’ regular use and should not interfere with typical use. The use of robots and other automated tools to submit registration requests is expressly forbidden.

A student whose account is locked out for excessive use must wait until the registration system removes the lockout – within 24 hours. Please note that the repeated clicking of the ‘Update Schedule’ button results in requests being sent to the registration system and can result in a user being locked out. The Office of the University Registrar is unable to override a locked account.

System Abuse

Because the use of scripts, robots, or other automated queries can adversely impact University network and computing resources and interfere with equal access to registration, such automated querying of registration-related resources is expressly forbidden. Violators may have their access to University network and computing resources terminated and may be subject to action by the University under applicable law, regulation, or policy, including but not limited to, discipline under any applicable University conduct code.

Students may not register for two courses that meet concurrently or for courses with overlapping meeting times. Students who would like to replace a course already on their schedule with one that meets at the same time must use Register.UW to submit both the drop and add in a single transaction.

Conflicting Course Registration

If a student wants to register for both courses that have a time conflict, then the student must register for one of the courses with the time conflict first. To have the second, conflicting course added to their schedule, students must complete the Time Conflict section of the Registration Transaction Form [PDF] and email the completed form to the Registration Team.

  • Conflicts Less than an Hour/Week: Students must obtain verbal approval from both instructors to add a course that conflicts one hour a week or less.
  • Conflicts More than an Hour/Week: Students must obtain both instructor signatures on a Registration Transactions form, or provide emails from the instructors approving the conflict, for courses that conflict more than one hour a week.

Period I Registration Dates Spring 2026

  • Period I Registration dates run February 12 – March 1.
  • Period I is for Continuing Students. Registration Period Definitions.
  • Registration opens up for each group at 6 a.m. (PST) of the designated start date.
Who Can Register Period I Registration Start Date
Eligible Disability Resources for Students (DRS) students 1
Eligible Veterans and National Guard Members and their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents 2
February 12
Contracted ROTC students
Students with Graduating Senior Priority (GSP) 3
NCAA athletes
February 13
Graduate students
Professional students
February 17
Seniors [135+ credits earned/in progress] 4
Postbaccalaureates
February 18
Juniors [90-134 credits earned/in progress] 4 February 20
Sophomores [45-89 credits earned/in progress] 4 February 23
First-Year Undergraduates/Freshmen [0-44 credits earned/in progress] 4 February 25
  • 1 Eligibility is based on your disability accommodation for Priority Registration. Having a DRS accommodation does not mean you have been set up to register early.
  • 2 Eligibility is determined by information provided in the admissions application process.
  • 3 The Graduating Senior Priority application deadline is the Thursday before registration opens.
  • 4 Eligibility to register is based on earned credits (including transfer and AP/IB credits on your UW transcript), and current quarter credits in progress as of the day your registration time opens.

Period I Registration Dates Spring 2025

  • Period I Registration dates run February 13 – March 2.
  • Period I is for Continuing Students. Registration Period Definitions.
  • Registration opens up for each group at 6 a.m. (PST) of the designated start date.
Who Can Register Period I Registration Start Date
Eligible Disability Resources for Students (DRS) students 1
Eligible Veterans and National Guard Members and their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents 2
February 13
Contracted ROTC students
Students with Graduating Senior Priority (GSP) 3
NCAA athletes
February 14
Graduate students
Professional students
February 18
Seniors [135+ credits earned/in progress] 4
Postbaccalaureates
February 19
Juniors [90-134 credits earned/in progress] 4 February 21
Sophomores [45-89 credits earned/in progress] 4 February 25
First-Year Undergraduates/Freshmen [0-44 credits earned/in progress] 4 February 27
  • 1 Eligibility is based on your disability accommodation for Priority Registration. Having a DRS accommodation does not mean you have been set up to register early.
  • 2 Eligibility is determined by information provided in the admissions application process.
  • 3 The Graduating Senior Priority application deadline is the Thursday before registration opens.
  • 4 Eligibility to register is based on earned credits (including transfer and AP/IB credits on your UW transcript), and current quarter credits in progress as of the day your registration time opens.

Checklist to Withdraw

Students who are considering withdrawing from the University, whether currently enrolled or not, should review and complete the following steps in order to facilitate a smooth transition both leaving and returning to the University.

Academic Advising

STEP 1
  1. Consult with your academic adviser and discuss your plans to return.
  2. Review the Returning Student Reenrollment instructions if you plan to return to UW-Seattle.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled | Not Currently Enrolled

Drop & Withdrawal Dates-Academic Calendar

STEP 2

Review the Adding/Dropping Courses or Complete Withdrawal dates on the Academic Calendar to understand your options and corresponding deadlines.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled

Refund Information

STEP 3

Review the Drops, Withdrawals, Forfeitures & Refunds information from Student Fiscal Services to understand the financial ramifications or requirements.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled

Drop Courses via Register.UW

STEP 4

Review the Current Quarter Drop process.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled

Financial Aid

STEP 5
  1. Students receiving financial aid should consult with a Financial Aid counselor to understand the implications of withdrawing; especially if there is no plan to attend the subsequent quarter and have federal loans.
  2. Review Withdrawal and Refund information.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled | Not Currently Enrolled

Technology and Communications

STEP 6

Students not planning to return for the subsequent quarter should make arrangements to save any documents stored on any UW Google Suite or U Drive and set up forwarding on their uw.edu email address to a private email address.

UW NetID services, Google Apps, and other storage services will expire and be purged 10 days into the second quarter in which they are not registered.

IT Connect provides several resources with more information.

IT Connect: NetID Service Expiration
IT Connect: Change UW Email Forwarding
IT Connect: Google G Suite FAQ re: Leaving

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled | Not Currently Enrolled

Campus Housing

STEP 7

Students who reside in University of Washington housing must notify Housing & Food Services of their intention to withdraw per HFS Guides and Handbooks.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled | Not Currently Enrolled

International Visas

STEP 8

Taking time-off or leaving the University will have an impact on your immigration status. Please contact International Student Services if you are thinking about dropping your classes.

Applies to Students: International students on F-1 or J-1 visas

Disability Resources

STEP 9

Students receiving assistance from Disability Resources must reach out to DRS.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled | Not Currently Enrolled

Exit Indicator Survey

STEP 10

UW-Tacoma and UW-Bothell Students Only: Please fill out the Exit Indicator survey to help UW understand and address the reasons students take time off. If you plan to return, you’ll be offered personalized support when you come back.

Applies to Students: Currently Enrolled

Course Fundamentals

Add & Drop Entry Codes

Entry codes are five-digit numbers issued to students by academic departments as authorization to add or drop in restricted course sections.

  • Entry codes are one time use codes
  • All courses require an add code in order to be added beginning the 8th calendar day of the quarter.
Add Codes

Some courses require Add Codes that are available through the department offering the course. Courses requiring add codes are designated with the symbol > to the left of the schedule line number (SLN) in the Time Schedule.

Additional Stipulations

  • Departments reserve the right to require entry codes whether the course is so designated in the Time Schedule or not.
  • Directions on where to obtain an entry code are in the comment section of the Time Schedule listing, either as a comment after the course section or following the title of the course.
  • Contact the department offering the course if the registration system advises an entry code is required and the location for obtaining one is not identified in the Time Schedule.
  • Instructors may issue Add (Entry) Codes to students when a course is full which will allow registrations or overloads above the limit set by the department.
  • Once an entry code has been used, the registration system removes it from the list of viable codes and will not accept it again. Dropped sections which require an entry code to be added will require another entry code from the department in order to re-add the section.

Some courses require a Drop Code to remove a course from a student’s schedule. Students must obtain the drop code from the department offering the course.

Independent study courses such as 499, 600, 700, or 800 require students to first obtain a Faculty Number from the instructor or department.

Change Fees

Students can expect to be assessed a Change of Registration Service Fee for any registration changes which take place beginning the second week of the quarter.

Course Capacity

For reasons of public safety and instructional quality, course enrollment in each section will be limited to the approved classroom capacity. The Office of the University Registrar monitors course enrollments throughout the quarter according to the following guidelines:

  1. Through the first seven calendar days of a quarter, a student may add a section without permission unless the course is full or requires permission; then an add code is required.
  2. Beginning the eighth calendar day, add codes are required to add any course. The registration system will accept course overloads up to 115% of classroom capacity to compensate for expected course drops.
  3. The registration system closes for course adds at the end of the Late Add Period.

Course Co-Requisites

To register for a course that requires a co-requisite course, first register for that co-requisite course before registering for the primary course. Courses with co-requisites are identified in the comment section of the course listing in the Time Schedule. Courses with co-requisites cannot be dropped until the co-requisite is dropped.

Course Pre-Requisites

Certain courses require prerequisites in order to add that course to a schedule. These courses are identified by the word “Prerequisite” in the title bar in the Time Schedule. Prerequisites may be one or more courses, a minimum placement test score, or a minimum grade in a prerequisite course.

A course section may be added without having completed the course prerequisite provided the student is currently registered for the prerequisite course. However, departments may elect to have the course that required the prerequisite dropped from a student’s schedule if the student does not satisfactorily complete the prerequisite course. Courses subject to cancellation are identified by “Prerequisites (cancellation in effect)” in the title bar in the Time Schedule. In this case, the course that required the prerequisite will be dropped from the student’s schedule no later than the third calendar day of the quarter.

Placement Tests

Some courses have placement tests as prerequisites. Many of these tests can be taken directly through the department. Undergraduate Advising offers information about placement testing.

Understanding Prerequisites

A prerequisite may consist of a single course, multiple courses, placement tests, or a choice of courses or placement tests.

Because of space restrictions, prerequisites are written in the most concise way possible. Certain conventions have been used for consistency and clarity.

Prerequisite Conventions

Prerequisite Conventions

The main division of prerequisites is the semicolon (;), which divides required courses or groups of courses.

Example 1
Course: SPAN 401 The Morphological Structure of Spanish (5)
Prerequisite: SPAN 303; SPAN 323.
Translation: A student must take SPAN 303 and SPAN 323 before taking SPAN 401.
Example 2
Course: CHEM 317 Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (3)
Prerequisite: Either CHEM 165 or CHEM 312; either CHEM 242 or CHEM 347
Translation: A student must fulfill each of two prerequisites before taking CHEM 317:

  1. either CHEM 165 or CHEM 312, and
  2. either CHEM 242 or CHEM 347

A prerequisite may consist of two or more courses (or sets of courses) that a student may choose from. Such groups begin with the word “either” and have “or” before the last choice. Separate courses (or sets of courses) are divided by commas.

Example 1
Course: CHEM 237 Organic Chemistry (4)
Prerequisite: Either CHEM 155, CHEM 160, or CHEM 162
Translation: A student must take one of the following before taking CHEM 237: CHEM 155 or CHEM 160 or CHEM 162

A prerequisite choice may consist of more than one course. These groups are defined by the use of “and”.

Example 1
Course: CHEM 152 General Chemistry (5)
Prerequisite: Either CHEM 140 and CHEM 141, CHEM 142, or CHEM 145
Translation: A student must take one of the following sets before taking CHEM 152:

  1. CHEM 140 and 141 or
  2. CHEM 142 or
  3. CHEM 145

A course may have a combination of groups of choices and several prerequisites.

Example 1
Course: CHEM 241 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (3)
Prerequisite: Either CHEM 155, CHEM 160 and CHEM 161, or CHEM 162; either CHEM 224, CHEM 238, or CHEM 336
Translation: A student must take one of the following sets before taking CHEM 241:

  1. CHEM 155, or
  2. CHEM 160 and 161, or
  3. CHEM 162

As well, a student must take one of the following before taking CHEM 241: CHEM 224 or 238 or 336.

Example 2
Course: ZOOL 438 Comparative Endocrinology (3)
Prerequisite: Either BIOL 202 or BIOL 102 with either ZOOL 301 or ZOOL 315
Translation: A student must take one of the following sets before taking ZOOL 438:

  1. BIOL 202, or
  2. BIOL 102 and ZOOL 301, or
  3. BIOL 102 and ZOOL 315

A course may have a combination of placement tests and courses as a prerequisite.

Example
Course: MATH 124 Calculus with Analytic Geometry I
Prerequisite: 2.5 in MATH 120, score of 68% on MATHPC placement test, score of 75% on MATHEC placement test, or score of 2 on AP test.
Translation: A student must take one of the following before registering for MATH 124:

  1. MATH 120 with a minimum grade of 2.5
  2. MATHPC placement test with a minimum score of 68%, or
  3. MATHEC placement test with a minimum score of 75%

Retaking a Course

Departments may restrict undergraduates from repeat registration into courses. Restrictions may include:

  • only allowing registration after Period I
  • only allowing registration after the quarter has begun, or
  • requiring an Entry Code for a repeat registration

Courses considered to have been taken once include any numerical grade or those with grades of I, CR/NC, or S/NS. Withdrawn or dropped courses and courses with X or no grade reported will not count as the first taking of a course. Students currently enrolled in a course, registration for the same course in the following quarter will be counted as a repeat registration.

A second repeat (taking a course for a third time [or more]) cannot be done using Register.UW. A second repeat requires the department to register the student into the course. Grades in the third or subsequent takings will not be included in the student’s grade-point average (GPA).

Sequence Courses

Departments may establish a registration priority for students enrolled in sequence courses. For example, students enrolled in a foreign language 101 course may have priority to register in the next course sequence (102) for the succeeding quarter.

Special Course Fees

The amounts charged for tuition and fees normally cover University charges for course registration. Some courses, however, have extraordinary expenses associated with them and in such cases, the University may charge additional fees in amounts approximating the added instructional or laboratory costs. Some departments do not charge auditors these fees.

Most course fees will be included in the quarterly tuition bill. Dropping a course with a course fee after the first week of the quarter will not remove the fee from any balance owed. Any adjustment to course fees after the first week of the quarter must be handled by the academic department offering the course.

Variable Credit Courses

Some courses such as independent study, thesis, and dissertation credits are offered for a variable number of credits (whole credits only).

  • Faculty Codes & credits are obtained by contacting the department in order to register for the course on Register.UW.
  • Beginning the third week of the quarter through the last day of instruction for the quarter, all variable credit changes require the signature of the instructor by completing the Changes in Variable Credits section of the Registration Transaction form [UoW 2127] and sending it to the Registration Team or submitting it in person – 2nd floor in Schmitz Hall.
  • Before the third week of the quarter, variable credit changes must be made by adding and dropping the course on Register.UW.
Register.UW Variable Credits
Register.UW Variable Credits

Period I Registration Dates Autumn 2025

  • Period I Registration dates run May 8 – June 22.
  • Period I is for Continuing Students. Registration Period Definitions.
  • Registration opens up for each group at 6 a.m. (PST) of the designated start date.
Who Can Register Period I Registration Start Date
Eligible Disability Resources for Students (DRS) students 1
Eligible Veterans and National Guard Members and their spouses, domestic partners, and dependents 2
May 8
Contracted ROTC students
Students with Graduating Senior Priority (GSP) 3
NCAA athletes
May 9
Graduate students
Professional students
May 12
Seniors [135+ credits earned/in progress] 4
Postbaccalaureates
May 13
Juniors [90-134 credits earned/in progress] 4 May 15
Sophomores [45-89 credits earned/in progress] 4 May 19
First-Year Undergraduates/Freshmen [0-44 credits earned/in progress] 4 May 21
  • 1 Eligibility is based on your disability accommodation for Priority Registration. Having a DRS accommodation does not mean you have been set up to register early.
  • 2 Eligibility is determined by information provided in the admissions application process.
  • 3 The Graduating Senior Priority application deadline is the Thursday before registration opens.
  • 4 Eligibility to register is based on earned credits (including transfer and AP/IB credits on your UW transcript), and current quarter credits in progress as of the day your registration time opens.

Registration Periods

Continuing Student Priority

Currently enrolled undergraduate students or undergraduate students who are quarter-off eligible, should register according to the following Course Add Periods.

Priority registration dates are based on

  • Number of completed credits.
  • Currently registered courses – as of two days prior to the first (1st) day of registration.

Graduating Senior Priority

Graduating seniors or post-baccalaureate students with a degree application on file may register on the second (2nd) day of Registration Period I for the final two quarters. Students who must postpone their graduation may save their priority quarters by not registering before their regular senior priority day. Students who have used their Graduating Senior Priority for two quarters will revert to regular senior priority.

Late Registration

Refer to Late Registration Policies and Restrictions for additional information.

Course Add Periods

Registration Period I

Registration Period I is open for continuing students currently enrolled or for students who completed the previous quarter. A “continuing student” is one who has registered at the same University of Washington campus in the same degree level (i.e., undergraduate to undergraduate) or degree level program (i.e., graduate to graduate) the preceding quarter, or preceding spring quarter, if registering for autumn quarter.

Registration Period I opens at 6:00 a.m. of the designated date. View the current quarter’s Registration Period I dates on the Academic Calendar.

Registration dates are based on your completed credits and credits currently registered for. You may register using Register.UW on, or after, your registration date and make changes to your schedule.

Registration Period II

Registration Period II is primarily for newly admitted students and returning former students. You may register on, or after, your registration date. Continuing students may register any day during this period.

Registration Period II opens at midnight. Newly admitted students register at 8:30 a.m. View the current quarter’s Registration Period II dates on the Academic Calendar.

Registration Period III

Registration Period III is from the first (1st) day of the quarter through the seventh (7th) calendar day of the quarter and is open to all students for adds and changes.

Registration Period III opens at midnight. View current quarter’s Registration Period III dates on the Academic Calendar.

The following students are registered by Registrar team members during Period III as indicated:

  • ACCESS Students are registered on the third (3rd) day of the quarter.
  • Tuition Exemption Program – UW Employees are registered on the third (3rd) day of the quarter.
  • Tuition Exemption Program – Washington State Employees are registered on the fourth (4th) day of the quarter.

Audit Grading Changes

You may change to or from the audit grade option through the last day of the second (2nd) week of the quarter by completing the Audit Grading section of the Registration Transaction Form [PDF] and sending it to the Registration Team.

Late Add Period

The Late Add Period is open to all students. All courses added during this period require an Entry Code or Faculty Number. A $20 change of registration fee will be charged for all registration changes made on a single day during this period.

View the current quarter’s Late Add Period dates on the Academic Calendar.