Students will register for fall classes in a few weeks through a new system that is “easy to use” and “more efficient,” said Registrar Ruben Picazo.
The change is part of the new Columbia student portal, which will consolidate class registration, financial aid awards and other self-service tools. The new student information system, a massive overhaul of the old one, is being rolled out in stages. Summer registration, which starts April 14, will remain on the old system.
Students will have their first official look at the new registration system on April 21 when the Fall 2025 course schedule goes live. Registration for fall starts on April 28.
A redesigned dashboard shows important info like holds, registration dates and program information. Students can view potential schedules visually as they add or remove classes, and a shopping cart-like feature allows students to build a tentative schedule.
The previous registration process had been a source of confusion and frustration for years because of a clunky user interface and technical difficulties, as the Chronicle previously reported.
The college emailed students about the new system in March, but many students told the Chronicle they were unaware of the pending changes.
Under the new system, students will be able to search by course subject or do a more advanced search.
Students will be assigned a registration date and time as they have in the past, but a new feature, according to Picazo, is that students will be able to save class choices within the system during the week of April 21.
“Students will be able to search for classes and plan their fall schedule in advance to registration,” Picazo told the Chronicle in an email. “That schedule will then automatically save in the portal so that, when your registration time slot becomes available the week of April 28, you can verify that those sections are still available, make any necessary changes, and quickly register.”
There will be ongoing “help desks” in the lobbies of most academic buildings leading up to registration and opportunities to be entered into a raffle for one of five $500 scholarships, according to Picazo.
During the week of registration, the college will have a RegLab on the first floor of the Student Center to help students register and navigate the new MyColumbia system. The college used to hold RegFest each semester.
Sophomore radio major Evan Ellison is excited about the update to the system, though he was not aware of it until a Chronicle reporter told him.
“The first time I used it, it was a kind of an adjustment period, kind of just using something different and having to actually choose my classes,” Ellison said.
Junior audio major Kathrynn Vettas, who also was not aware of the changes being made, said she hopes it is a better interface as she previously had trouble searching for specific classes when registering.
“Having to constantly put in every single criteria that you’re looking for, every time you’re looking for a certain class, was inconvenient,” Vettas said.
Sophomore advertising major Lexi Wilson also has issues searching for classes she needs.
“I find it difficult when you have to put a specific code to find that specific class you’re looking for, because sometimes it doesn’t populate all the time,” Wilson said. “I’ll put in the code, and it’s, like, not found.”
Students also have complained about being waitlisted for courses they need.
Senior fine arts BFA student Aja Martin said they struggled with getting into ”Printmaking I” last semester, a course required for their degree.
“A lot of people take them, even if they don’t necessarily need them for their major,” Martin said of fine arts classes. “I find a lot of people take printmaking, which is a very popular class for like illustration majors and graphic design majors, but printmaking isn’t a required class for those majors. It is for fine arts.”
Picazo said this issue will be addressed by the new system.
“The new process allows us to create some level of prioritizations, but they will not be in place for fall semester registration,” he said. “We really need to have an opportunity to study this solution and only apply it where and when necessary. The last thing we want is in our attempt to help a group of students that we also hinder others. Taking a thoughtful approach here is absolutely necessary.”
Scott Lee, academic director of operations in the School of Audio and Music, said that while the waitlist is the same for all schools at Columbia, they may be implemented differently depending on different school’s needs.
“Each of the Schools will have their own way that they manage their own waitlist within their kind of area,” Lee said.
Audio classes usually have waitlists while music courses almost never do due to auditioning and vocal parts, according to Lee.
In the School of Music and Audio, Lee said he keeps extra seats until registration is almost over in case there are students who need the course.
Picazo acknowledged the frustration the previous system caused many students as well as the inequalities.
“Students who knew who to talk to or were willing to be persistent got an upper hand from those who were less informed,” Picazo said in an email. “The waitlist was set to give everyone a fair chance at getting into a course when a seat opens, eliminating the need for students to contact different people, and eliminate the administrative work associated with the paper forms previously required.”
Sophomore animation major Esai Perez said he had to rearrange his schedule several times to be able to make the necessary classes work. Perez was also waitlisted for one section of a class which worked better time-wise.
According to Lee, in the current waitlist system, students are not allowed to waitlist for one section if enrolled in another Due to this, Perez had to take himself off the waitlist and enroll in the other to be able to take the class, guaranteeing he would not get his preferred time.
Currently, the waitlisting process is first come, first serve. When a spot opens up for a course with students on the waitlist, all students on the waitlist receive an email letting them know it is available no matter what place they are on the list. Whoever adds themself to the course first gets the spot.
After dealing with the frustration last semester made, Martin made an individualized plan with her advisor and a professor for the rest of her time at Columbia.
“A lot of the times, with your advisor, if you’ve met a lot over the year, they have an idea of what your goals are, what your courses look like. They kind of know you a little bit better in terms of your schooling, so it’s easier to talk to them about future plans,” said Martin.
Copy edited by Matt Brady
