Course Selection Period

Student studying at UWaterloo picnic table

Quick links: Important information | Frequently Asked Questions | Next steps

Course Selection Period at a glance:

It is the creation of a wish list of courses you want to take during the next academic term. If you are successfully enrolled, your wish list of courses will be used to create a conflict-free class schedule.

Participating in the Course Selection Period gives you an early attempt at getting into your desired courses, though there are no guarantees.

Returning students: Any holds or fees owing on your accounts will prevent you from participating; you'll first need to clear your hold(s) and/or pay your fees.
New students: Visit the Course registration for new undergraduate students web page.

Important information

Specific dates are listed on Important Dates:
- Starts at 8:15 a.m. (ET) on the first day listed
- Ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the last day listed
You can select courses anytime during the Course Selection Period; successful enrolment into desired courses is independent of when you make your choices during this period (i.e., not on a first-come, first-served basis).
- You can also modify your requests or change your priorities during the entire period (i.e., as often as you like!).
How to generate your wish list of courses: When it's time to select your courses, this is what you need to do (see Quest instructions for selecting courses. Note: Use a desktop/laptop for the best user experience.):
1. Pick your desired course.
2. Pick your preferred campus location for that course.
3. Set the priority order of consideration for that course.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for as many courses that will complete your course load.
Having issues? You may need to complete a Course Selection Override Form.

Useful links

Frequently asked questions

What is a "blended" class?

A blended class, designated by a campus code of BLND, is a class normally scheduled with both an online and in-person activity (students must be available to come to campus).

What do the campus codes mean?

Courses can be offered in person, online, or a blend of both. In addition, campus codes indicate who (which campus) is offering the course.

Campus Code	Description
UW	(in person) University of Waterloo - Main campus
CGC	(in person) Conrad Grebel University College
REN	(in person) Renison University College
STJ	(in person) St. Jerome's University
UTD	(in person) United College
BLND	Blended (University of Waterloo - Main campus)
BLNDG	Blended (Conrad Grebel University College)
BLNDJ	Blended (St. Jerome's University)
BLNDT	Blended (United College)
BLNDR	Blended (Renison University College)
ONLN	Online (University of Waterloo - Main campus)
ONLNG	Online (Conrad Grebel University College)
ONLNJ	Online (St. Jerome's University)
ONLNT	Online (United College)
ONLNR	Online (Renison University College)
WLU	Wilfrid Laurier University

The course I need isn't available online. What do I do?

If a required course isn't available online and you are not in a position to study on campus, contact your academic advisor to find out your options. The course may be offered in a later term, you might be asked to choose a different course this term, or some other accommodation might be available from your academic unit.

If the desired course is an elective for your degree or major, the recommendation is that you choose a different course this term.

How should I set my course priorities?

Course selection prioritization works in the following way:

"0" is the highest priority - only added by an academic advisor, usually for courses required by your major (Important: don't remove these!).
"1" is the next highest priority, followed by "2", "3", etc.
Each number, except "0", must be unique.
Prioritize required courses over electives.

Why should I set an alternate campus?

Some courses are offered at multiple campuses (physical, blended, or online). For those courses, when you add a course to your course selection wish list, you must select your preferred campus.

You are also given an opportunity to add an alternate campus (or more). If you do so, that means when schedules are created, the system will first look to see if your preferred campus is available, and if not available (perhaps it is full), it will look for spaces at any alternate campuses you may have indicated. If you don't have an alternate campus, the system will not enrol you in the course being offered at any of the other locations.

If you only want to be enrolled in one campus (e.g., online), do not select an alternate (e.g., in-person) campus.

I added a course to my wish list, how do I change the campus?

Once you have successfully added a course to your wish list, to change your preferred campus during the Course Selection Period you have to drop it and readd it with a new preferred campus. It is not possible to change it any other way, though you can set alternate campuses without having to drop and readd the course.

I don't have access to a desktop/laptop computer during the Course Selection Period. How can I course select in Quest?

While course selection in Quest is optimized for use on a desktop or laptop computer, you can still select your courses on a mobile device. Select the Desktop tile on your mobile device to switch to switch to a desktop/laptop-like experience:

Once this is done, the Course Selection tile will appear and you can follow the regular course selection instructions.

I have a Not Fees Arranged (NFA) hold, how does this impact me?

Certain holds prevent students from accessing course registration processes, and the Not Fees Arranged (NFA) hold falls into this category.

This hold will prevent you from doing the following in Quest:

Participating during the Course Selection Period.
Adding or swapping courses during the Drop/Add Period.
Being enrolled in courses that advisors/academic units have tried to block enrol you into.

In order to regain access to these Quest functionalities, you need to clear the criteria as indicated by the hold.

If you have an NFA hold, email rorecops@uwaterloo.ca to learn your options.

I missed course selection. What happens next?

It's okay! Some required courses might have been added for you by your advisor, resulting in a partial schedule being generated. Even if that's not the case, you can add courses during the Drop/Add Period. Be sure to mark your calendar with the dates (you can download them from Important Dates) as course choice will be subject to availability and will be on a first-come first-serve basis.

Next steps: Course selection results

Once completed, the course selection exercise generates your class schedule before the Drop/Add Period begins. The automated process that is run will slot students into classes and considers things such as prioritization (yours and other students), the number of units you have completed (study level), the number of available and reserved spaces, course time conflicts, and random assignment (Note: It does not consider the date/time a student selected the course during the Course Selection Period).