New Student Registration FAQs

New first-year students register on campus at Piper Preview in June and July. Other new students register online through Workday; your registration date depends on your student type and the number of credits you have earned. You can see when you register at the online calendar. You will be able to (and should) register at 7 a.m. on your registration day.

Academic Advising will mail registration packets to new first-year students. Other new undergraduate students (transfer, paralegal, etc.) will be emailed registration information. You should read all materials in this packet before registering. If you did not receive a packet or if you have questions, call Academic Advising at 651-523-2912. First-year students living at international addresses will be emailed registration information.

Check your registration eligibility. The date you are eligible to register depends on your student status and on the number of credits you have earned. Check your eligibility date at the undergraduate registration guide.

First, read the instructions on the Registration Worksheet and visit our registration tutorial. If you still have questions, contact Academic Advising at 651-523-2912 or via email at advising@hamline.edu.

Yes. Staff from Academic Advising and faculty members from various departments will be on hand during Piper Preview to answer questions and assist you with registration. You may also call Academic Advising at 651-523-2912 or email advising@hamline.edu.

Yes. The final review of student schedules will occur within a few days after you register. At that time you will receive an email confirmation that your schedule looks good. Alternately, if there are concerns or questions, you will receive a phone call or email about your schedule from an advisor.

You should speak with advisors in Academic Advising. If you are a first-year student, you may also speak with faculty on hand at Piper Preview (students starting in spring term may simply call or email Academic Advising).

You should have a copy of your official transcript sent to the Transfer Articulation Coordinator (TAC) in Student Administrative Services for evaluation. Once your transcript has been evaluated, your Hamline transcript will show you how your classes transferred and for which Hamline courses you have already received credit. You can also get an idea of course equivalencies by visiting the transfer articulation guide. If you have questions about the status of your transcript, call the TAC at 651-523-2127. If you have additional questions about registration or which courses to take, call Academic Advising at 651-523-2912.

Yes. Once you have registered and Academic Advising has confirmed your schedule, online registration will be blocked for you. However, you can still change your schedule by calling Academic Advising at 651-523-2912 to request a change. Please check the current enrollment and prerequisites of the class you'd like to add before you call.

As a full-time student, you may take between 12 and 20 credits during your first semester. It is strongly recommended that new degree-seeking students take four 4-credit classes (16 credits) during their first semester. If you anticipate having an exceedingly difficult fall term, you may prefer to take a lighter course load. First-year students rarely enroll for 20 credits during the first term. If you would like to do so, please call Academic Advising at 651-523-2912 to discuss your preparation for such an unusually difficult course load.

Some classes have saved seats for first-years and transfer students. Call Academic Advising to find out.

Read the class description in the Hamline Undergraduate Bulletin to see if there are prerequisites. You can also check the online class listing in Workday. Be sure to check before you register, as you will not be able to sign up for any class with prerequisites you haven’t met.

Ask an advisor in Academic Advising, 651-523-2912. We will look into the situation. If you have met the prerequisite with a transfer course or other credit that is not yet on your Hamline transcript, Academic Advising may be able to authorize your registration for the blocked class.

Generally, prerequisites are put in place by the departments for preparatory reasons. Students should not take classes for which they do not have the prerequisites. On occasion, an instructor may make an exception if, perhaps, the student has similar coursework that the instructor feels may adequately prepare the student for the course. In such cases, the instructor must sign an add card or notify Academic Advising of such approval in order for the student to be registered for the course.

For enrollment management purposes, before the first day of classes, students may register for a maximum of 19 credits in the fall and spring terms, and 5 credits in the winter term. Students may add and drop courses on a space-available basis at the beginning of each term for a maximum of 20 credits in the fall and spring terms and 5 credits in the winter term. Students must attend the first day of a class in order to attempt to add the course. It is a considerable undertaking to take on 20 credits/term and should only be considered after consultation with Academic Advising or a faculty advisor.

New first-year students may only take an ACTC class if they're taking a foreign language not offered at Hamline. Students must submit a completed and signed ACTC cross-registration form to Student Administrative Services (East Hall 113) during the first two weeks of the semester. Academic Advising can assist new students in filling out and submitting this form. See additional information in your First-Year Registration Guide, under the "ACTC" heading.

Academic Advising will email you a confirmation once your registration is approved. You will be called by Academic Advising if there are any questions or concerns about your course selection.

It is very rare that new students will need to obtain an instructor’s signature in order to register for a course. In many cases, Academic Advising can assist and/or register you for any courses. Transfer students and other students may need an instructor's consent if they have not met certain prerequisites but feel prepared for the course.

Tutors are available for many classes, and there is no cost to students for the service. We provide drop-in tutoring for heavily-requested disciplines such as math, chemistry, biology, and physics. Drop-in tutors’ hours, locations, and subjects are posted at the Academic Advising/Academic Success front desk (lower level of Bush Library). Students may simply stop by during those scheduled times and meet briefly with tutors for the assistance they need. Many students prefer to study in the tutoring area so they are in a convenient position to ask questions as they arise. For courses that do not have established drop-in sessions, we may be able to match students with a tutor. We also have tutors that meet with students on an appointment basis.

Absolutely! We have beginning level language classes in Chinese and Spanish. In addition, Hamline has an agreement with the University of Minnesota, whereby you can enroll in language courses at the U of M, provided they are not offered at Hamline or the ACTC schools. For further information on this program, check with Academic Advising.

If classes haven't yet started, call Academic Advising at 651-523-2912. We will probably be able to make registration changes for you. If classes have started and you are unable to make schedule changes via Workday, you should speak with your faculty advisor. You may need to fill out an add/drop card and submit it to Student Administrative Services (SAS) in East Hall 113.