Registration is relatively straightforward, but occasionally issues will arise. This website and the ones on the right side of the page will help to make registration as painless as possible.
Also, the Office of the Registrar offers a Registration Demonstration on their website.
Registration in a Nutshell
- Login to MyUW
- In the Student Personal Services section, and select Registration. Registration is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with occasional interruptions for system maintenance.
- Following the onscreen instructions, make any Change of Address necessary, and enter your selections for Insurance/Optional Charges. Then click on Return to Registration or the Registration button.
- Enter the schedule line numbers (SLN's) for the courses you want to take.
- If you get a green check and the message "Schedule updated," you're done.
Registration in Depth
If the above isn't quite enough for you, you'll find lots more details below.
Before Registration
Before you can register for courses there are a couple things you have to attend to. These need to be done only once per quarter. In fact, you can do them several days before your registration day so you won't have to bother with them when you're trying to get classes.
Address changes
It's a good idea to review your address occasionally to make sure the UW has your correct mailing address, so there is a reminder on the registration screen. Scroll down to see your local and permanent addresses and emergency contact information. If you need to make any changes, click on Change of Address.
If you don't know your local address yet, don't worry! There is a link to the Change of Address website from Student Personal Services in MyUW, so you can submit changes at any time.
Insurance/Optional Charges
Each quarter before you can register you must answer the questions at this website, indicating whether or not you want student health insurance, whether you want to donate to WashPIRG and Affordable Tuition Now!, and whether you want to be a member of the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW), the student government association.
If you select them, the student health insurance, WashPIRG, and Affordable Tuition Now! will be included in your tuition bill. There is no fee charged for ASUW; joining just means that you are eligible to vote in student elections and run for elective office.
There is also a link to the Insurance/Optional Charges website from Student Personal Services in MyUW. You can change your insurance selection any time until the seventh day of the quarter; your WashPIRG and ATN options can be changed through the tuition due date.
Registration
After you have made any address changes, and then completed the Insurance/Optional Charges, click on Return to Registration or select Registration from the Student Personal Services menu at the top of the screen.
To register for courses you must enter the 5-digit schedule line number of each course. SLNs are unique to each course and are listed in the Time Schedule. For help with the Time Schedule, visit using the Time Schedule.
When you have the schedule line numbers of the courses you want to register for, enter them in the SLN column. For most courses, you don't need to enter anything else. You can register for your classes one by one, or all in one submission. After you have entered the SLN(s), click Update Schedule.
Problems?
The registration system is set up so that if there is any problem with your request, none of the request will go through. You'll see the following message: "Schedule not updated. Resolve the errors below and resubmit."
The SLNs you requested will be listed, and any problems explained. Usually, the problem is one of the following (for more on these issues, visit our Registration Restrictions website):
- The course is closed. You'll need to look in the Time Schedule for an open section.
- There is a registration restriction that makes you ineligible for the course. For example, the course might be restricted to freshmen, or restricted to students in that major. There will be a link to the Time Schedule listing for the course, where any restrictions will be listed.
- You don't have the prerequisite for the course. There will be a link to the course description, so you can see what the prerequisites are.
- There is a time conflict. You'll need to look in the Time Schedule for another section.
Erase the SLNs with problems. If one or more look okay, you can resubmit your request with just those SLNs and register for those courses. Or you can start over to figure out a new combination of courses. Note that the Registration Resources box in the upper right corner of the Registration screen has links to most of the websites you need to work out a program of courses.
Success!
When your request is processed successfully, you'll see a green checkmark. Congratulations, you got your courses! Remember to look through your class schedule to make sure it's what you meant to request. It's easy to type in an SLN incorrectly and end up with Chemistry 520 instead of Psychology 101.
Visual Schedule
At any time after you have registered for at least one course, you can click on Visual Schedule and see what your weekly class schedule looks like.Registration details
Just what are those other boxes next to "SLN" in the registration box?"Add code or faculty number"
Some courses require an add code (also called an entry code) in addition to the SLN. Courses that require add codes have a ">" mark before the SLN in the Time Schedule, such as ">23333." Sometimes there is a note in the Time Schedule about where to get the add code. If not, contact the department adviser.
Once you have the add code, enter the SLN and the add code in the appropriate columns and submit the request. Each add code is good for only one SLN and is for only one use.
Some courses require drop codes. These are just like add codes but are required if you want to drop a course. If a drop code is required, you will be prompted and a place to enter the drop code will appear.
Independent study courses, in which you have made an individual arrangement with a professor to earn credit for a program of study or for a research project, require the faculty number of the professor you will be working with. You'll need to obtain this from the professor or the professor's departmental office. Enter the SLN and the faculty number in the appropriate columns.
"Credits (for variable-credit courses)"
These courses will have a credit range listed in the Time Schedule. For example, instead of a "5" in the credits column, a course might be listed as "1-5" credits. These are almost always independent study courses, in which you and the professor decide together how many credits you will enroll for.
There are a few courses are offered two ways, for two different amounts of credit. A course that you can enroll in for either 3 or 5 credits, for example, will be listed in the Time Schedule as "3/5" credits. If you attempt to register for such a course an don't indicate your credit selection, you'll be prompted to do so.
"Check to select S/NS grading"
You can elect to take a course under Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory (S/NS) grading by clicking the S/NS box. If you receive a grade of 2.0 or higher in the course, an S will be posted instead of the grade and you'll receive credit for the course. If your grade is below 2.0, an NS will be posted and you won't receive credit for the course. You can change back and forth between regular grading and S/NS grading through the seventh week of the quarter in which you are taking the course.
Be very cautious about selecting S/NS grading.
- Courses taken S/NS cannot be used to satisfy any graduation requirement, except that they'll count as electives toward the 180 credits you need to graduate. S/NS courses can't be counted toward the requirements of a major, or Areas of Knowledge, or any other requirement.
- Many courses that require a particular grade in the prerequisite won't accept an S grade, even if the grade required is lower than the grade required to earn an S.
- Programs with competitive admission, such as graduate and professional programs, prefer to see regular grades. A few programs, including law schools, recalculate your GPA, adding in any NS grades as a grade of 0.0.
- ESL courses may not be taken S/NS. If you sign up for an English Language course (ENGL 100 or 101) S/NS, it will be changed back to a numerical grade.
For more on S/NS grading, visit the UW Grading system website.
