Registration Dates, Policies and Procedures

IMPORTANT: updated enrollment information is emailed to students in anticipation of registration and at the start of each semester (see email 10.7.24). Individual automated date/time emails are sent to each cohort approximately 4-5 days prior to the registration window. Some of that same information appears below.  All registration times for the year are published on the Academic Calendar or Summer Calendar. All students should see their advisor prior to making enrollment decisions. Please read the following information very carefully. 

Updated 10.7.24

Advising and Registration for Spring Semester 2025 and J-term 2025

Initial registration times will be set and sent to all students approximately 4-5 days prior to their registration window opening. Augustana is not able to control Google settings or how email displays on any device or phone. Therefore, students should not solely rely on the email notification for this information and need to be sure to look for their registration time in Arches under each future, available enrollment term. 

Generally, adding beyond the published caps in J-term courses are not approved, so students are encouraged to find an open section.  Add requests may be made using the online add form.  While some courses may have some remote learning component, all course will be taught in a face-to-face modality. As you choose the terms for registration in Arches, please be aware of this coding to help you find the correct term: 

• Spring Semester (20243SP)
• J-Term 2024-25 (20242J)

J term Registration for NEW, first-time students happens in over the summer through a curated course preference form and at their scheduled on-campus Orientation and Registration. See the Advising Office for more information. 

J-term Arches registration opens at the same time as fall semester registration. Generally, adding beyond the published caps in J-term courses are not approved, so students are encouraged to find an open section.  Add requests for J-term may be made using the online add form during periods when a student's registration window is open.  While some courses will have some remote learning component, a few courses might be travel courses or taught completely in-person. As you choose the terms to search for sections in Arches, please be aware of this coding to help you find the correct term: 

• Spring Semester (20243SP)
• J-Term 2023-24 (20242J)
• see your Arches report for your assigned time after you receive your automated date/time email

New first year and new transfer students should communicate with their first-year/transfer advisor to discuss any schedule changes once classes begin since your choices may impact future plans, scholarships, aid, or NCAA eligibility. 

Restrictions: All advisor restrictions remain in place unless previously cleared by your advisor. All students will need to "meet" with their advisor to lift restrictions prior to registration. Advisors may lift restrictions (advisement Complete button) through their secure Arches login at any time. If you have a hold from the business office or another department you will need to contact that office to inquire about removing the hold. Students should visit Arches for details. 

Registration Waves (applies to assigned registration windows only, not Open Registration periods): Continuing students are assigned to a set of registration day or registration "window" based on their cohort which will be open for one and a half days to register for the next semester. Transfer students are sorted into a cohort grouping that most closely approximates their classification based on their term of initial enrollment, credits transferred and total credits earned. All waves are assigned by legal last name and will roll into the registration system every 20 minutes on the first day of registration starting at 5 am and continue until 8 am. Registration groups will be flipped and rotated each semester to help create a balance. The registration waves matrix is updated each semester. Students will not be sorted according to credits or allowed to 'cut in line' due to credits. Students registration times are not adjusted to accommodate class time, exams, presentations, labs, personal plans, to accelerate graduation timelines, or other requests. Students may register anytime after their assigned time through the end of the window for their grouping. Students must complete all registration processes during this window, including submitting any online add/permission forms during this time period. Faculty may act on those requests (approve or deny) outsides of those windows. Students who submit an add online form outside of their assigned window will automatically have their forms denied and they may submit a new form during the next period of open registration.

Missing your registration time:  Students who do not complete their enrollment or miss their registration window for any reason will need to register during the open registration times published on the Academic Calendar. Times are not adjusted or rescheduled. Students concerned about seats or section availability should consult with their advisor, potential instructors, and department chair for options for adding over the cap during an open registration period or planning for alternative coursework. 

Open Registration: After the first set of registration windows are complete, the college makes several open registration windows available to all students. Changes in enrollment for future terms may be made during any of these times according to the dates on the Academic Calendar. Online ad forms are accepted during these periods.  

Courses Requiring Permission or Pre-Enrollments: Any departments seeking to pre-enroll students into courses, such as senior inquiry, must complete online add forms for each student. Students seeking to enroll in courses requiring permission will need to complete the online add form after their registration window opens. 

Electronic Add form:  For courses you are not able to add through Arches, such as independent or directed study, courses requiring permission, courses where you have not met the prerequisites and courses that are full and do not have a wait list, you may submit an electronic add form AFTER your registration window has opened and before your window closes. This form opens at 8:00 am on the day Arches registration opens. In addition, this form may be used to request enrollment into a closed course to override the course cap. Please consult with your advisor and the instructor before completing the form.

Using Your Arches Progress Report and Degree Plan: Students are encouraged to plan out possible course choices several terms in advance, particularly after they declare their major and begin working with a major advisor. See more about advising and registration as it relates to declaring a major below. Students should consult their advisor, peer mentor, and the Arches hints page to learn more about using student planning. All planned courses that exist on a student record in Arches will be purged on the 10th day of the next term. Students may move (drop and drag) any planned courses forward prior to this deadline. Deleted plans may be reconstructed by adding courses to any current or future terms.

Getting Help: We have developed an Arches Navigation and Hints page to help you navigate registration successfully. If you experience technical or login issues you need to contact the helpdesk@augustana.edu. For other inquiries, please contact us by email for a response. Only your advisor can lift an advisor hold, so please contact your advisor with those questions.   

To check your schedule: During assigned registration windows and after students complete their registration, they are encouraged to check their schedule.  View your current registration on your daily grid view or list view under Course Plan in Arches. 

Declaring your major: Major/minor declaration forms and advisor changes are processed according the deadlines on the Academic Calendar. The online form is available during these times. Forms can take up to 10 days to process (or longer if registration is open), so if you need to meet with an advisor and please plan to meet with your current advisor(s) if you submit your forms within that time frame.

Providing Feedback: We are always seeking feedback on the registration experience. If you'd like to provide feedback on your registration experience, please complete this brief form.   

Please consult the information below for the appropriate resource before responding to this email. Check email for the messages you may have received about major declaration, restrictions, advising and registration and the Arches Navigation & Hints page for additional help. 

• Seek out your advisor. 
• Consult the current Academic Calendar for important dates and deadlines.
• See the Academic Catalog
• Contact the Advising Office
• Contact the Office of the Registrar.
• Contact the Financial Aid Office. 
• Contact the Athletic Department. 

See more helpful links in the banner above. ​​​​​​

How does Advising work?  

Your advisor will reach out to you to set up an advising appointment.  Remember that you MUST meet with your advisor prior to registration. Your advisor will only lift your advising restriction AFTER your meeting. You might want to think about the entire academic year as you schedule Fall and J-term classes to be sure you leave the appropriate number of credits for your Spring Term classes.

How has registration changed in the last 18 months? 

Since fall 2019, SGA, ITS and the Office of the Registrar have worked to find new strategies to improve the student registration experience. The early morning hours will continue to be used for registration to preserve the time between 8:30 am - 4:30 pm for coursework, group activities, individual meetings with advisors and other work previously assigned for the class day. Read your email to find your registration date/time within your cohort. 

What if I cannot add a course in Arches? 

If you cannot add a course in Arches that you require, there may be a way to request an add electronically. Here are the circumstances under which you can request an add of a course electronically: 

• The course requires permission of the instructor for all students
• The course requires a prerequisite that I do not have but wish to ask for permission to add anyway
• The course is an independent or directed study course
• The course is full and there is NOT a waiting list for the course in Arches and it is my registration window.

If your situation falls under one of these criteria, you should complete the electronic add form AFTER your registration time. Forms submitted before your registration time will be deleted. 

What if I want to drop a course for the up-coming J term? 

You can drop any course for the next semester during your assigned registration time. You will also have multiple opportunities to change your J-term class.

When you have questions, please ask your advisor first, before you reach out to other offices. Your advisor will be able to answer many of your questions and will be able to direct other questions to the right people. 

Enrollment Changes

See Academic Calendar for all Published Registration Dates & Deadlines

ADDING: See Academic Calendar for exact dates. Late fees assessed starting in Week 3. 

All adds for second 7 week courses must be by by online form only.

DROPPING and COURSE WITHDRAWAL: Just prior to semester start through day 8 of the semester - only through Arches. See Academic Calendar for exact dates. After this date changes by online form only. Fees and petitions required after deadlines.

LATE ENROLLMENT CHANGES: Requests for late enrollment changes are rarely approved. Requests require a petition to AS&D and must meet very specific guidelines. See the catalog policies on registration and attendance for details. 

NOTES: Instructors may drop you from the roster for failure to attend the first two class meetings and allow another student to add, however, it is the responsibility of the student to check and maintain a current and accurate course schedule.

If you have questions about a particular class that meets a shorter period than the 14-week schedule, please consult the above deadlines carefully or contact our office and your instructor about specific add and drop procedures for that course. A complete list of dates and deadlines appears on the Academic Calendar.