Using waitlists

A waitlist helps students get open seats in closed classes; it won't guarantee a seat, but will wait for one to open up.

Administrators who can make changes to closing limits can manage department waitlists.

Questions about lists.

How does a waitlist work? Prior to waitlists, when a closed class reopened, students could only get into the class if they were lucky enough to register at the moment the seats opened up—and only during their access period. By contrast, as students drop classes the waitlist system fills those seats automatically with students on its waitlist, and can do this outside of student access periods.

When are waitlists available? For administrators, the system is activated when the RC screen turns on a few weeks before registration begins. For students and instructors, lists are active from the start of registration through the fourth class day (second class day in summer), if they've been turned on by the department. After the fourth/second day, students need approval to add a class.

How do I get to my department's waitlists? Administrators can get to their lists through UT Direct » Academic Services » UT Registrar Waitlist System, where they can choose lists from any department which grants them RC access.

What can staff do with waitlists? You can see lists, turn lists on and off, remove students, email a list roster, track activity on and changes to a list, and track a student's activity on all lists for one semester. You can't add students to a list. Students must add themselves.

What can faculty do with waitlists? They can see lists for every class they teach, but can't work with lists in any other way. Instructors can see their class waitlist by clicking on the unique number in CLIPs , then by selecting the "see waitlist" link under the CLASS SET-UP section of the Navigation Menu located at left side of page.

What can students do with waitlists? They can join up to two lists per course, and can have up to four active at any one time. On a personalized page called See My Waitlists, students can see their place on each list they're on, see system notices, drop from their lists at any time, and can choose 'swap classes' to drop from their schedule if added to their waitlist classes.

Why should I turn a list on or off? A list isn't available to students unless it is on. You can turn a list on any time after the RC screen for its class becomes available. Turn a list on if your department wants a list offered for registration. Turn a list off if your department manipulates seatcounts to manage enrollment during orientation or in FIGs, since opening seats will add students from the list instead of the intended group. Such lists can be turned on again later, after enrollment commitments have been addressed.

• While on, a list ranks students in the order they joined the list. If a seat opens in the class, it is filled by the first qualified student on the list.
• While off, registration is suspended until the list is turned back on, or until all students are removed from the list. When a list without students is turned off, registration acts normally: an opened seat is filled with whomever registers next.

Can I work with lists on the mainframe? No. While you can see waitlist information on your RC screen, you can only work with them in UT Direct.

Can I still put a student directly into a class? Yes. You can put a student in a class with a PF1 override in NRTTVR. They will be dropped from the waitlist if they had joined it before the override.

Why won't anything happen to a class after I increase its seatcount? The seats won't fill up right away, because waitlisting changes group seatcounts overnight. Check the class tomorrow morning.

Why can't I see all my depts in the waitlist system pulldown menu? The pulldown shows all of your authorized depts. If one does not appear, talk to your departmental contact.

What can I do after clicking on Turn On/Off Waitlists?

• To turn a list on or off, mark its radio button at right, then click the Save Changes button at bottom. Off lists go gray; on lists turn yellow.
• To turn lists on or off for an entire page, use the This Pg Only radio buttons at bottom, then click Save Changes. On pages turn yellow, while off pages go gray.
• To see more uniques, either click the Next Page link at bottom, or jump to a unique by typing it into the Start At Unique box, then clicking Go.
• To see a waitlist from any of these pages, click its unique number at left.

How do I stop using a waitlist? To turn a list off completely, first turn it off, then drop each student from the list. When a list with no students is off, registration occurs normally: an open seat goes to the next person to register.

What can I do after clicking on a unique number?

• To turn this list on, click Turn List On in the left navbar.
• To see more students, use the page links at bottom to go to the Next page, or jump to a specific page number. After page one, use the Prev link to go back to a previous page. The bottom bar will tell you when you are at the Start or the End of a list.
• To see a student's waitlist activity, click the student's eid.
• To drop students, check the boxes next to their name and click the Drop Checked Stds button. (A popup will ask you for confirmation. Once confirmed, the page will show you the number of students dropped, and the system will alert them by email and tell them to contact the department.)

What are some things I can do at the See a List page?

• To email a list from the See a List page, click Email List in the left navbar. To send a message, check its box, then click the Send button. (You'll be asked to confirm your choice.) Once sent, you'll get a confirmation by email. Student emails list UT Austin Registrar as the sender, and they will not be able to reply directly to you.
• To restore a student dropped by mistake from See a List, click Restore Std to List in the left navbar. At this page, enter a valid student eid, then click the Restore button. The page will show you the place on the list to which it restored the student.

How do I make sure the student is restored? Click Go Back to List in the left navbar, and see the change for yourself.

What else can I do in the system?

• To see changes to a current list, click Track Chgs to List.
• To track a student on a list, click the student's eid.
• To track a student on all lists this semester, click Track Std Activity.

How can a student join a list? When registering for a closed class, students will get the chance to join a waitlist, so long as its department has turned the list on, and the student is registered for at least one class.

How does a student leave a list?

• The student can drop herself from her See My Waitlists page;
• You can drop the student with notification from your See a List page;
• The system can drop the student through oblits, zaps, or withdrawals; or
• The student can make it into the class.

How does a student on a list get into its class? During registration, if a registered student drops the class, a student on the waitlist will be added to the class. Nightly, the system fills as many leftover seats as possible.

Can a student get stuck on a list? Yes, in a number of ways.

• By a turned-off list;
• By a full or cancelled class;
• By a change to reservations by the department; or
• By a schedule conflict with time, maximum hours, or duplicate class

What's a swap class? This is a class on a student's schedule that they have chosen to drop if they get in to a waitlisted class. As an example, a student might join a waitlist for a closed morning section of a course, enroll in an afternoon section, and choose it as a swap class. If the closed class opens and the student gets in, the swap class drops. In this way the student saves a seat in the course and a chance at a better one. Swap classes are chosen when joining a list during registration, or later on the student's See My Waitlists page in UT Direct.

How can I get training in this system? Call us at the number below or sign up for our "Registration & Registration Services: Everything You Need to Know" class via UT Learn.