Enrollment Limit and Waitlist

Enrollment Limit:

Undergraduate Students

Enrollment Unit Limit Starts at 17 Units on the First Day of Registration

(See the current term calendar) 

• • Note: New admits and students on academic notice have 17 units for the entire registration period.

Enrollment Cap Increased to 19 Units for the Following Groups of Students:

(See start dates for each group on the current term calendar) 

• Graduating seniors that applied for graduation with Registrar’s Office by the deadline. 

• Continuing students in good standing.

Excess Units Petition [pdf]: 

• Available for Continuing students in good standing who need to enroll above 19 and up to 21 units
• Check the current term calendar for the beginning processing date.

Graduate Students

Graduate students have an enrollment limit of 16 units per semester.  If you need more than 16 units, submit the Excess Units Petition, available at the Graduate Admission & Program Evaluation (GAPE) website. Check the current term calendar for the beginning processing date.

Please note that some departments, especially those in the College of Engineering, enforce a maximum registration of 12 units. Departmental policies take precedence over the university-imposed limit and will be enforced. 

Waitlist

• How does waitlist work?
• Reasons waitlisted students will not be automatically enrolled
• Automated Waitlist Reprioritization
• Variable Waitlist Unit Limit

Important dates: see the term calendar for:

• Waitlist Starts Date
• Automated Reprioritization & Variable Waitlist Unit Limit Start date
• Waitlist End Date

How does waitlist work?

When a class is full, you may join its waitlist in MySJSU. The system attempts to enroll students from waitlists during the nightly run when seats open and you meet all conditions. It is your responsibility to monitor your waitlist and drop yourself if you no longer want a spot.

• Use the swap function to automatically replace an enrolled class with a waitlisted class if a spot opens.
• You are charged only after you’re successfully enrolled. Check your class schedule and balance daily.

Reasons you will not be automatically enrolled from waitlist, check the following:

• Have you met all the prerequisites?
• Is there a time conflict with another class that you already enrolled in?
• Did you enroll in another section of the same class?
• Are you repeating a class? Check when and how to enroll for first repeat or multiple repeat.
• Does that class have a component e.g. lab? The component section needs to have a space open as well.
• Will it exceed your enrollment limit if you get enrolled?
• Is there a hold on your account? You need to clear that hold!

If you have any of the issues above, you’ll be skipped, and the next student will be considered. You can only be reconsidered if a spot opens later.

Automated Waitlist Reprioritization

The waitlist will be adjusted to give priority to graduating seniors and graduating graduate students, see the start & end dates on the term calendar.  In order to move to the top of the waitlist, you must meet one of the following categories:

• Graduating seniors who have applied for graduation in the current term or the following 2 terms(eligible terms for graduation are Spring, Summer & Fall)
• Graduate students with an approved candidacy form on file and a minimum of 21 units earned

Variable Waitlist Unit Limit

Undergraduate Students

• During the first three weeks of the registration period, students are limited to 5 waitlist units.
• After the first three weeks(See specific date on the term calendar), the Variable Waitlist Unit Limit will apply. The Variable Waitlist Unit Limit defines the available units a student can waitlist at a given time. Here is the formula: Variable Waitlist Unit Limit = 17 minus Enrolled Units
  • • • If you have not yet enrolled in any classes, you will initially receive 5 waitlist units.
      • Upon enrolling in at least one course, the variable waitlist limit will be activated overnight and apply to your account on the following day.
      • Waitlist units limit remains at 17 despite the raise of enrollment limits or approved of excess units petition.
      • The system will refresh your enrollment on a nightly basis. See table below for an example of the nightly changes on the variable waitlist:

*The available waitlist units will remain at 5 once your enrollment has reached 12 or more units.

Graduate Students

• Waitlist is limited to 5 units for the entire registration period.