Enrolment problems and course overrides

Why won’t Quest let me enrol in a course?

When adjusting your schedule, do not drop your courses! Use the swap classes and swap components (tutorials and some labs) functions so you don't lose the spots you already have.

If Quest will not let you add a course, there might be a couple of reasons as to why there is an issue. Take a look at the common enrolment error messages web page created by the Registrar's Office for more information on what to do.

Enrolling in courses at another institution

• Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) cross-registration
• Letter of permission (LOP) for enrolment at other university (i.e. not continuing education)

Considerations:

• Courses are expected to be taken at Waterloo if they are offered; a time conflict or scheduling issue is typically needed when seeking a course at WLU or on LOP that is offered at Waterloo 
• Requests to take previously passed courses will not be supported and only one LOP will be considered at a time, i.e. only one LOP course is permitted at a given time
• Year-one Science subjects must be completed at Waterloo and organic chemistry at WLU will not be given equivalence to organic chemistry courses at Waterloo
• Students must complete at least one term at Waterloo and meet minimum cumulative average requirements for their plan
• WLU courses are taken at WLU. Students must account for travel to and from WLU in their schedules (see WLU course search)

• Final exam scheduling may differ and its the student's responsibility to be aware of any changes

Course Overrides

A Course Override Form is used in the event a student cannot enrol themselves into a course for the following reasons:

• Class full 
• Reserve seat requirement not met
• Instructor consent required/ Department consent required
• Requisites not met
• Time scheduling conflict

Winter 2025 Notes

1. Overrides can be requested and approved via email without the use of the Course Override form. Emails with instructor approval, to include the student ID# and full name, should be clear as to what is being approved (i.e. time conflict), and can be sent to science.advisor@uwaterloo.ca for processing.
2. Courses with lab components, particularly those with in person/on campus components, are limited in size in order to safety guidelines.
3. Online course capacities have been set at the highest practical number possible. There are factors such as number of teaching assistants, total enrolment across multiple courses (for some instructors) that are taken into consideration when setting course limits.
4. Reserves are in use to ensure that students requiring specific courses for their program will be able to enrol in those courses. Most reserves will become inactive on January 13. Review the schedule of classes to see if there are notes about when reserves will be removed, e.g. before January 13.
5. Review the schedule of classes under campus location (Camp Loc) to see which courses will be offered online (ONLN) and which ones will be available on campus (UW U or STJ, REN or similar). Some courses will be blended (BLND) which indicates that some component of the course will require some attendance on campus.
6. Access to change Science communication course ENGL 193/COMMST 193 sections is restricted, and can only be modified by the Science Undergraduate Office (requires department consent to add, drop or swap).
7. Admission to Science Non-Degree, Post-Degree, or Letter of Permission studies does not guarantee access to courses. Course requisites, limits, reserves are followed, and there may be priority enrolment for students registered in University of Waterloo degree studies.

There is no guarantee that you will be granted a class full/limit, reserve, or requisite override. If you can’t get into a course, you should start by enrolling in an alternative course. By choosing an alternative course, you ensure that you at least have a back-up option if you cannot get an override.

For specific subject enrolment inquiries, please review the instructions below: