How to Register for Courses at the University of Chicago

Registration at the University of Chicago runs through the AIS (Academic Information System) student portal, and you enroll in classes by building a schedule from the course catalog published by the University Registrar. The steps below cover the full cycle: checking your registration time, finding courses, enrolling in AIS, and handling the problems that most often block enrollment — holds, waitlists, and closed sections. You need an active UChicago student account and a registration time assigned for the quarter; if either is missing, resolve that before anything else.

Before You Register: Dates, Access, and Preparation

Registration is time-phased. Students are assigned a registration appointment, and you can only enroll once your window opens. The academic calendar and registration schedule are published by the University Registrar, so confirm your specific date there rather than assuming a general opening day.

Prepare before your window opens:

• Clear any holds. Financial, advising, or health-related holds block enrollment. Check your account status in AIS ahead of your appointment so you have time to resolve issues.
• Know your program requirements. Have your degree requirements and any advisor recommendations in hand so you can choose courses quickly.
• Draft a schedule. List your first-choice sections plus backups, since popular sections fill during early registration windows.
• Confirm your registration time. Missing your assigned window usually means you enroll later, when fewer seats remain.

Finding Courses in the Course Catalog

The University Registrar maintains the course catalog, which is your authoritative source for what is offered in a given quarter. Use it to identify courses, section numbers, meeting times, instructors, and prerequisites.

When searching the catalog:

• Filter by quarter, subject, and course level to narrow results.
• Note the section number — the same course can have multiple sections with different times and instructors.
• Read the course description for prerequisites and enrollment restrictions (for example, sections reserved for particular programs or class years).
• Check whether a course requires consent of the instructor or department; if so, you need that approval before or during enrollment.

Write down the exact course and section identifiers. You will enter these in AIS, and a wrong section number enrolls you in the wrong class.

Enrolling Through AIS

AIS is the student portal where registration actually happens. The general flow:

1. Log in to AIS with your UChicago student credentials.
2. Open the registration/enrollment function for the current or upcoming quarter.
3. Enter the course and section number for each class you want, one at a time or as a batch depending on the interface.
4. Submit the enrollment request and read the result. AIS returns one of three outcomes: enrolled, waitlisted, or an error (closed section, hold, prerequisite not met, time conflict).
5. Verify your schedule. After submitting, review your enrolled courses to confirm times, sections, and credit units are correct.

If an enrollment fails, the error message tells you why. Treat it as a checklist item: a hold sends you to the office that placed it, a prerequisite error sends you to the department, and a closed section sends you to the waitlist or a backup course.

Handling Common Registration Problems

Holds

A hold prevents enrollment until it is cleared. Identify which office placed the hold and contact them directly. You cannot override a hold from within AIS.

Waitlists

If a section is full, you can often join a waitlist. Waitlist position matters, and movement depends on other students dropping. Join the waitlist for your preferred section and enroll in a backup so you are not left without a full schedule.

Closed Sections

A closed section has no seats and no waitlist option. Options are to choose another section of the same course, choose a different course, or ask the department whether capacity will be added. Do not assume a closed section will reopen.

Time Conflicts and Prerequisites

AIS will reject enrollments that conflict with your existing schedule or that lack a required prerequisite. Adjust your schedule or obtain the necessary approval from the department.

Adding, Dropping, and Swapping Courses

During the add/drop period, you can change your schedule without the heavier consequences that apply later in the quarter. Use the same AIS enrollment function to:

• Add a course by entering its section number, provided seats are available and no conflict exists.
• Drop a course by removing it from your schedule; confirm the drop went through and check whether any fee or deadline applies.
• Swap by dropping one course and adding another — sequence matters if the new course has limited seats, since dropping first frees your schedule but risks losing your spot if the add fails.

Watch the add/drop deadline on the academic calendar. After it passes, changes typically require additional approval and may carry different academic or financial consequences.

Quick Reference

The reliable sequence is: clear holds, confirm your registration time, pick courses from the catalog with backups ready, enroll in AIS, then verify your schedule and act on any error message immediately.