TO: All Bates Students

RE: New Registration System

Dear students, we hope you are having a great semester so far and are looking forward to registering for winter classes in the coming weeks. 

One of the most challenging parts of providing you with the tools and resources you need at Bates is ensuring optimal access to classes you want and need. We have been interrogating our processes related to serving you academically, and identified several areas in the registration system that we felt could be improved. This updated process is the result of a full year of fact-finding, research into best practices, and surveys and conversations with students and faculty members. We want to thank everyone who took the time to contribute to this project over the past academic year.

This email provides you with information about how we are changing registration and what that means for you as you plan for the next semester and beyond.

What is Changing?

• We will move to a two round system, in which students will to register for two classes each round
  • Each round occurs over 1 week on a first-come first-served basis.
  • There will be a week between rounds. During this time you will be able to adjust your top choices before the second round begins. 
  • In the second round you will register for 2 additional credits for a total of 4 credits maximum at the end of round 2. In certain cases, you may have registered for fewer than 2 credits during round 1.  If this is true, you will be able to register for more than 2 credits and up to 4 credits in round 2. 
  • At the conclusion of round 2, we will move straight into add/drop.
  • Add/drop will still allow you to add up to 5.5 credits as it has in the past.
• No randomization. As mentioned above registration will be first come first served and the results will not be randomized. Instead of selecting classes and not knowing whether you got into the classes, you will live register and know whether you are in the class immediately
• Registration will be staged by seniority, with seniors registering on day 1, followed by juniors, sophomores, and then first-years (with an open registration period after that)
• There will be no petitioning for classes. Petitioning will be replaced with a system of waitlisting. 
• Most courses will have a waitlist. If a course is full, you can add yourself to an automated waitlist. If a seat opens, the system will automatically notify you via email, and you will have a 24-hour window to accept the seat.

The Process

Registration will begin with an advising period starting Monday October 19, 2026.

The first day of Round 1 live registration begins the week of October 26 with Seniors registering on Tuesday October 27, 2026. Juniors register on Wednesday October 28, 2026, Sophomores register on Thursday October 29, 2026, and First Years register on Friday October 30, 2026. Open registration will begin Monday November 2, 2026 and continue through the start of the Winter 2027 semester. During this time, students can register for two credits maximum.

Round 2 begins Tuesday November 10, 2026 following the same format as Round 1. 

Add/Drop begins Tuseday, November 17, 2026. 

All registration windows open at 07:00am!

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Preparation	Seniors	Juniors	Sophomores	First-Years	Open Registration (2 credits)
2	Open Registration (2 credits)
3	Preparation	Seniors	Juniors	Sophomores	First-Years	Open Registration (4 credits)
4+	Preparation	Add/Drop open for all students (5.5 credits)

FAQ:

Q: Is this a first-come, first-served registration system?

A: Yes, but with modifications to avoid the pitfalls of pure first-come, first-served registration, to better serve the Bates community. Credits are restricted in both rounds so that all students can select the courses that are most critical for their degree progress, but without branching into electives until all students have had a chance to pick their top courses.

Q: What courses should I add first?

A: We recommend you focus on courses that you need for your major before moving on to electives, particularly those courses that you know tend to fill up fast (ask your advisor if you’re not sure). Courses that are not competitive, such as Senior Thesis, can wait until later in the registration process. 

Q: How is this more fair than the randomization model we used before?

A: This new approach puts control and agency into the hands of students themselves, allowing you to take ownership of your schedule and select the courses that matter most to your degree progress. It also gives certainty with regards to the courses you are registered for. Randomization was technically fair, but in a way that was frequently detrimental to the student experience. While many different approaches were tried over the years, the central problem of ensuring that seats go to the students who need them most could not be resolved with a system using randomization.  

Q: How do I petition with the new system? 

A: There is no petitioning. Petitioning has been discontinued as of the 2026-27 Academic Year. Students will have access to waitlisting instead, which will provide a transparent and consistent method of seeking entry into a full class. The waitlist is fully automated, and sends out a notification to your email if a spot opens up and you’re next in line. 

Q: How do I add myself to a course waitlist?

A: If a course is full, the option to register yourself will not be available. Instead, you will see a waitlist option. If you select that option and click ‘Submit’ you will be added to the waitlist. 

Q: How do I provide feedback on the new process?

A: Since this an entirely new system for Bates, we anticipate that adjustments and tweaks may be required after the first iteration. A feedback form will be circulated to the community after Winter 2027 registration ends.