How do I search for a class?

Woman filling in a form on a computer

Quick links: Quest help for undergraduate students | Quest help for graduate students

The University of Waterloo’s Class Search feature is available to all audiences. However, users may navigate to it differently depending on who they are—for example, current students, employees, or prospective students may each access it through different pathways. Follow the links below to learn more.

Current students

  1. Sign in to Quest.
  2. Select either the Enroll tile or the Class Schedule tile.
    Enroll tile in Quest.
    Class Schedule tile in Quest.
  3. Select the Search for Classes tab.
    Search for Classes tab highlighted.

Note: From the Enroll tile, you may also choose the UWaterloo Class Search link on the left. This will open the class search in a new browser tab/window depending on your settings.

Employees

  1. Sign in to Quest.
  2. Select the Class Search tile and the UWaterloo Class Search page will open.

All other users

  1. Access the publicly available Quest Class Search page from this link.

Note: Instructor and room information is only available to users who are signed in to Quest. More limited search options will be available to users who are not signed in

How to fill in the search criteria

  1. The Institution default is University of Waterloo.
  2. Select the Term from the drop-down menu.
  3. Enter your Class Search criteria (at least two fields):
    • If you know the Subject code, enter it in the Subject box, or use the select subject button to find it.
    • If you know the Course Number, enter it in the box below the Subject box and choose "is exactly" from the drop-down menu.
    • If you don't know the Course Number:
      • Select "contains", "greater than or equal to", or "less than or equal to" and enter a partial Course Number in the box; or
      • Leave blank to see all courses being offered in that subject.
    • Select the appropriate Course Career from the drop-down menu (graduate or undergraduate).
    • If you uncheck Show Open Classes Only, you'll see all classes offered, including cancelled or closed (full) classes.
  4. Use Additional Search Criteria to narrow your search results further:
    • Meeting Start Time/End Time: For example, typing 11 will automatically change it to 11:00; adding AM or PM will add specificity.
    • Days of the Week: Check the desired box(es).
    • Instructor Last Name: [Only available to users who are signed in.]
    • Class Nbr: Four-digit number used as a unique identifier for each class offering on the results page. [Only available to users who are signed in.]
    • Course Keyword: Search term used to filter course results.
    • Minimum units: Enter value in the box (e.g., 0.50). [Only available to users who are signed in.]
    • Maximum units: Enter value in the box (e.g., 1.00). [Only available to users who are signed in.]
    • Course component: Select the desired component from the drop-down menu. [Only available to users who are signed in.]
    • Session: Select the desired session from the drop-down menu.
      • Tip: During Drop/Add Period, select "Regular Academic Session" to remove undesired course selection sections from the results.
    • Campus: Select the campus from the drop-down menu.
    • Location: Select the location from the drop-down menu. [Only available to users who are signed in.]
  5. Select the Search button.
    Class Search Criteria in Quest.
  6. Search results will appear. See our resources to understand the class search results.
  7. To view more details about a class, select the class by clicking on the row.
  8. Return to the your results by selecting the View Search Results button.

Notes

  • During the Drop/Add Period, eligible students who are signed in will see an additional Select button appear to the right of the status column for open classes with available seats. The class can be added to your shopping cart from this class results page at that time.