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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 – second 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

ACCESS Program

The ACCESS Program at the University of Washington allows Washington state residents aged 60 and older to audit one or two university courses per quarter on a space-available basis. The program is a great opportunity to take full advantage of the extraordinary resources of the campus, the outstanding faculty, and the diverse student population.

ACCESS is governed by Chapter 28B.15.540 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).

ACCESS Program Information

  • ACCESS students attend classes on an audit basis as a non-matriculated student. Auditors may not participate in class discussions, take tests, or submit papers.
  • ACCESS programs are also available at University of Washington Bothell and University of Washington Tacoma. For additional information, review UW Tacoma Access Program and UW Bothell ACCESS Program. However, UW Bothell and UW Tacoma ACCESS students may submit an ACCESS registration request form.
  • A transcript is not maintained for ACCESS students.
  • Registration begins the third day of the quarter and for up to two weeks after. Students may not be registered prior to the third day of the quarter. This should NOT be confused with the third day of the course.

Autumn 2025 ACCESS Registration Dates

ACCESS Registration Step Date/Time
ACCESS Registration Request Period begins
The ACCESS Registration Request form opens for submission		 Monday, August 25, 2025 at 8 a.m.
ACCESS Registration Begins
ACCESS registration requests are processed		 Friday, September 26, 2025 at 8 a.m.
ACCESS Registration Request Period ends
Deadline to submit an ACCESS Registration Request		 Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 5 p.m.
ACCESS Registration Ends Friday, October 10, 2025 at 5 p.m.
ACCESS Fees & Payments Due Friday, October 10, 2025 by 5 p.m.

Course Registration

Step 1: Check Course Offerings

Course information is available in the University Time Schedule. The UW no longer offers a paper catalog of course offerings.

  • Select the quarter and year: A list of schools and departments will be displayed.
  • Select the department and course abbreviation: A listing of available courses will be displayed.
  • Schedule Line Number (SLN): Each course section has a five-digit SLN. Students with a UW NetID can click on the SLN to view course details such as the most current space availability.
  • Registration Restrictions: Take note of any special registration restrictions, such as no auditors or an entry code requirement which is noted with a “>” symbol next to the SLN.
  • Department contacts: Course specific questions or entry code requests must be directed to the department or instructor. Department contacts may be found in the UW Office Directory and specific instructors may be found in the UW Directory.
  • Question Section (QZ): Lecture sections (LC) may include a QZ section. ACCESS students will need to be registered for both sections but do not actually attend the QZ. Please include an open quiz section on the registration request form.
  • Class Selection: ACCESS students may submit up to five (5) class options, in the order of preference.
  • Class Limits: ACCESS students are limited to two (2) classes maximum per quarter. ACCESS students must indicate their limit preference of one (1) or two (2) classes.

Course Limitations

ACCESS students may NOT enroll in the following courses:

  • English 100, 101, 102 | Math 098
  • UW Professional & Continuing Education (PCE) and other courses associated with fee-based programs
  • Asian Languages & Literature language courses
  • Studio, laboratory courses, and honors sections
  • Sections with a restriction of No Non-Matriculated, Auditors, and/or ACCESS students in the quarterly Time Schedule

Enrollment Restrictions

  • FRENCH and ITAL courses: Only FRENCH and ITALIAN courses taught by full-time faculty are open to auditors with instructor approval. Please email the Language Programs Director for approval at the email address indicated in the Time Schedule.
  • DANISH, FINN, NORW, and SWED courses: Only 300-level DANISH, FINNISH, NORWEGIAN and SWEDISH courses are open to auditors with instructor approval. Please email the instructor or the office of Scandanavian Studies to discuss participation.

Step 2: Course Entry Codes

An Entry Code is a 5-digit number used for course registration, if required by the course. Entry codes are obtained from the instructor or department, can only be used once, and must be provided on the ACCESS registration request form when necessary.

Courses that require entry codes

  • 500 level courses always require entry codes.
  • Courses which are full require an entry code to overload the class. It is up to the department’s discretion to overload their courses.
  • Courses with a “>” symbol next to the SLN on the Time Schedule require an entry code.

Step 3: Submit Completed ACCESS Registration Request Form

The ACCESS Registration request forms open approximately one month before registration begins and is the only way to register for ACCESS courses.

Returning ACCESS Students UWNetID New & Returning ACCESS Students

Returning ACCESS students who know their UWNetID +password

Registration Form – Returning

First-time ACCESS students and those who do not remember their UWNetID or password

Registration Form – New

Step 4: Payment & Fees

  • Payment is due by the tuition deadline which is the third Friday of the quarter.
  • Credit/debit card and web check payments can be made in the Accounts section of MyUW. UW NetID
  • Students cannot pay until they have been registered. Payment cannot be accepted ahead of time and/or with the registration request form.
  • Contact Student Fiscal Services at 206-543-4694 with questions regarding payments.

Helpful Tips and Notes

  • Check the Time Schedule on Registration Day: Many students add and drop courses during the first week of the quarter and enrollment numbers fluctuate. A course previously thought closed that needed an entry code may become available.
  • Register only for courses you plan to attend Students are responsible to pay the registration fee even if eventually withdrawn, and because the STF is based on the number of credits registered for, do not register for more classes than you plan to attend.
  • Drop a course: ACCESS students who choose to drop their course(s) may do so by contacting the ACCESS Program team.

Student Fees

Student Fees

ACCESS students may enroll for a maximum of two courses per quarter with a registration fee of $5.

Some departments impose course fees and in most cases, the student is responsible for paying the fee. ACCESS students are encouraged to check with the department regarding course fees and how it applies to Auditors. Additionally, the Office of the University Registrar may provide an explanation of these additional fees.

ACCESS students will also pay the tech fee, which is an additional fee of approximately $4 per credit in addition to the registration fee. The STF allows registered students access to computer labs, technology resources, and certain campus-wide services funded by the Student Technology Fee Committee. For example, an ACCESS student auditing a 5 credit class will pay approximately $25 per quarter with both fees.

ACCESS students DO NOT pay SAF and are therefore not entitled to participate in or receive student pricing for UW programs and/or services that are funded by the Services and Activities Fee Committee.

SAF funded programs include, but are not limited to, ASUW & GPSS events or services, Universal U-Pass pricing, Student Publications, Student Loan Fund, Husky Health Center, recreational sports programs, the IMA, childcare, Student Legal Services, Ethnic Cultural Center, Husky Union Building (HUB) facilities, and UW CARES.

ACCESS Program Resources & Guidelines

Resource and Guidelines

ACCESS students registered for courses may request a Husky Card in the Husky Card Office located on the ground floor of Odegaard library next to the By George Cafe. Husky cards do not require renewal, however, a replacement fee is charged if it is lost.

Active Husky Card Benefits

Through the Student Conduct Code, Huskies hold themselves to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and accountability. The University of Washington expects ACCESS students to be informed of the Student Conduct Code and to conduct themselves as a responsible member of the UW community. The office of Community Standards & Student Conduct (CSSC) administers the Student Conduct Code.

ACCESS Students have formed a Registered Student Organization (RSO), ACCESS Student Resource Group (ASRG), to enhance the academic and social experience of ACCESS students and to create opportunities for ACCESS students to help the educational and service goals of the University and its greater community. ASRG sponsors informal meetups, a Facebook Group, and special lecture events. For questions or comments, contact the ASRG RSO.

ACCESS students may create a UW NetID. This optional service is a username which allows registered students login access to certain computers on campus & web resources and establish a UW email account. Some courses which use Canvas for class readings will require UW NetID access. Students may reset a forgotten UW NetID password by visiting UW NetID Recovery. UW-IT administers services related to UW NetIDs.

Registration Periods

Period I – Continuing Students

Registration Period I is designated for continuing students (students who are currently enrolled and registering for the next quarter).

You are considered a continuing student if you meet ALL the following criteria:

  • Currently enrolled at the UW,
  • Registering for the next quarter* or taking advantage of UW’s one-quarter-off policy,
  • Remaining on the same campus (Seattle, Tacoma, or Bothell),
  • Remaining in the same degree level (i.e., undergraduate to undergraduate) or degree level program (i.e., graduate to graduate)

*To retain your continuing student status, you do not need to enroll in summer quarter as long as you enroll for the following autumn quarter.

Your registration start date is based on your completed credits as of the Thursday before the first day of Period I registration. You may register using Register.UW on, or after, your registration start date and make changes to your schedule.

Go to Period I Registration Dates

Understand How Registration Dates are Calculated

Period II – New and Returning Students

Registration Period II is primarily for newly admitted students and returning former students. You may register on, or after, your registration start 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 UW Academic Calendar.

Period III – All Enrolled Students

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 UW Academic Calendar.

The following students are restricted from registration until specified dates:

  • ACCESS Students are registered only by the OUR Registration Team on the third (3rd) day of the quarter. They cannot register themselves.
  • Tuition Exemption Program – UW Employees register on the third (3rd) day of the quarter.
  • Tuition Exemption Program – Washington State Employees register 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

After the Late Add Period, students can no longer add courses through Register.UW and will need to submit a Late Add Petition to make changes. View the Late Add Petition Information webpage for more information.

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

Transcript FAQs

Parchment FAQs

Parchment FAQs

The term E-Transcript refers to any transcript that is delivered to the recipient in an electronic format instead of being printed and mailed to the recipient. The availability of specific E-Transcript delivery options depends on the individual institution. This means that some institutions may offer one or more options for delivering your transcript electronically and other institutions may not offer any electronic options.

This option, when presented on the order screen, means that the school from which you are ordering your transcript is capable of delivering transcripts in a PDF file format and the school you have selected to receive the transcript is participating in the Parchment and is able to receive PDF transcripts electronically from us.

This option, when presented on the screen, means that your transcript will be created as a PDF document and we will then notify the intended recipient that it is ready to be downloaded. This method is generally used when you have designated an individual or other non-educational institution who is not a participant in our network as the recipient.

This option represents one of the fastest methods for delivering your transcript to the receiving institution. Using this option normally means that once the sending school has completed the processing of your order, it will be delivered much faster to the receiving institution.

In addition, we will send you an email confirming the delivery so you will know immediately that your transcript has been received. With traditional “First-Class Mail”, there is no way to confirm that your transcript has been received.

Normally the receiving institution must still do additional work on your information before it actually appears in their student records system. For this reason, you might call the admissions office and they may still respond that your transcript is not in their system. However, if we have sent you an email acknowledgment, then you can rely on the fact that your transcript is in the possession of the receiving institution but possibly still being processed.

Your email acknowledgment from us is similar to a delivery confirmation from the U.S. Post Office on an Express Mail or Priority Mail package. It is also like confirming delivery of a FedEx or UPS package by tracking it online.

Once your order is entered into our system, any of the following situations could be affecting the delivery of your transcript:

  1. All transcript orders require some form of authentication or authorization. If you were not originally authenticated by the sending institution at the time your order was placed or your order was eligible for “Automatic Authorization” but we could not match the information you provided to information in the institution’s student records system, then your order may be waiting on you to send in a signed Authorization Form. If this is the case, we will be sending you a reminder notice and a copy of an Authorization Form.
  2. It is possible that you have an outstanding obligation to the institution and this is preventing your order from being processed. If so, you should have received an email from us telling you about this problem and how to correct it.
  3. If you entered any of the student identifying data incorrectly (such as Social Security Number, date of birth, or student name) the institution’s staff may be having trouble locating your records.
  4. If you attended the institution prior to the time they began maintaining electronic records, then it is possible that you are given this option because you entered your from/to attendance years incorrectly on the order screen and the institution will be unable to complete your order electronically. This “PDF Delivered Electronically to Recipient” option only appears on our screens when both the “Attended From” and the “Attended To” years on the order form are later than the first year of electronic data maintained by the institution.
  5. If the email address that you entered on your order was incorrect or if your email provider is blocking our emails to you (mysupport@credentialssolutions.com), then you will not receive our notifications about problems with your order and will not receive our authorization reminder forms. If you never received your order receipt email from us, then there may be a problem with the email address you provided and you should contact Parchment Customer Support & Chat.
  6. If you selected a “Hold for Grades” or “Hold for Degree” option on your order (if the institution offered such an option), then your order will typically not be completed until this information has been posted at the end of the term.

The third party PDF is encrypted for security purposes. The encryption cannot be removed.

When submitting the PDF to an application service, not all services will allow for an encrypted PDF to be uploaded. In this circumstance the PDF would need to be printed, scanned, and then uploaded to the application service. PDF transcripts viewed electronically are recognized as official documents.

A printed copy of a PDF Transcript will be considered “unofficial” and will display the words “PRINTED COPY” on all pages of the PDF.

You may check the status of your order by going to Parchment Order Tracking and clicking the “Check the Status of My Order” link. You will need your original order number as well as the Student ID number or Social Security number that you entered on your order.

Transcript Type Transcript Fee per transcript Printing Fee
per transcript		 Shipping Fee
per recipient
PDF Delivered to Recipient $11 – –
PDF Delivered to College/University $11 – –
PDF Downloaded by Third-Party $11 – –
Printed – First Class Mail $11 $2.40 $0
Printed – FedEx to 48 states $11 $2.40 $23
Printed – FedEx to Alaska/Hawaii $11 $2.40 $30
Printed – FedEx International $11 $2.40 $53

Transcript FAQs

Transcript FAQs

No. This service has been discontinued on all three campuses. By using the Parchment ordering system, which operates 24/7, it will actually be faster to order, pay, and now track delivery of your transcript order using Parchment’s ordering service. This not only provides faster service to you, but allows us to provision transcripts while all three campus registration teams are currently not in the office and working in a tele-work environment.

Grades are explained on the UW Grading system webpage. Here is a sample UW transcript [PDF].

Varies based on quarter & how quickly grades are received & how quickly the Credentials Team is able to process grades & degree applications.

This information is explained on the UW Grading system webpage

Students can choose to order their complete academic history or, if they attended as an undergraduate & as a graduate level/professional student, a record that lists only the graduate/professional level coursework.

Holds may be placed by the office of Community Standards and Student Conduct and the University Registrar, but will not be placed for financial debts owed to the University. Log into MyUW to check Notices on individual holds.