Columbia’s spring registration opens next week amid continued enrollment declines and budget pressures that are reshaping programs, teaching assignments and course offerings.
The college’s enrollment has fallen by more than 1,000 students in the past year, dropping to 4,461 this fall. Columbia also typically loses between 10 to 15% of its students from fall to spring, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, which means there likely will be even fewer students than that in Spring 2026.
As a result, administrators say they are aligning course offerings and faculty schedules with student demand while ensuring that required classes remain available for students to graduate on time.
“We are all committed to trying to match student need with capacities,” Greg Foster-Rice, associate provost for student success initiatives, told the Chronicle in an email.
Spring course registration begins Monday, Nov. 10.
The number of sections the college offers is appropriate to the number of students enrolled, said Ames Hawkins, interim director of the School of Communication and Culture.
Hawkins said that the college’s goal is to make sure students know they will get the classes they need to graduate.
“So far, everything has worked out really well,” said first-year musical theater major Kaylee Zuk. “The only thing is one of my classes said it would be offered in the spring, and so far, there are no sections.”
Senior film and television major Jenna Elfers has been working with her advisors to figure out what she needs to take.
“They’re usually really good at helping you figure out what you need, even if something’s not available,” Elfers said. “I’ve never had a bad experience other than classes filling up fast cause they are being cut.”
The college had help desks set up in various campus buildings this week ahead of registration. It will hold RegFest from Nov. 10 to 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center.
Foster-Rice said if students encounter problems registering, they should submit a ticket using the link in the FAQ page for registration.
As part of a historic restructuring, the college cut the degree offerings nearly in half for Fall 2025 by merging or eliminating the number of undergraduate programs from 58 to 33.
Students whose programs were cut will still be able to graduate in their majors. But that hasn’t resolved all of their problems.
Senior film and television major Noah Keathly has had issues with course availability for multiple semesters because the film program has changed requirements.
“I just have to take classes that I don’t want to take as substitutes for fun classes,” Kealthy said.
The adjustments are also affecting some faculty members.
Richard Chwedyk, part-time instructor in the School of Communication and Culture, told the Chronicle in an email that he is upset that he has no courses to teach in the spring.
Since 2020, he has regularly taught “Tolkien” and “Fantasy Writing Workshop,” but neither of them will be offered in Spring 2026.
“As of this point, I have no classes to teach,” Chwedyk said. “Not my usual courses, nor any courses offered in lieu of them.”
Hawkins said the college has to balance faculty assignments and course offerings with what students need to graduate. As enrollment has declined, some specialized courses are now being offered on a rotating basis, they added.
“There are multiple factors and considerations in assigning faculty to courses,” Hawkins said. “We work to coordinate things such as instructor availability with their teaching requests with the classes we need to provide so students are able to make progress they need toward graduation.”
Nonetheless, some students are anxious about getting the classes they need. Seniors always have the first registration times on Monday, meaning classes sometimes fill by the time first-years and sophomores register.
With fewer sections being offered, some students are concerned about getting a seat in classes they need or want to take.
Lizz Vaca, a first-year visual arts major, said she isn’t scheduled to register until Thursday,
“Either way, I want to try looking forward to it so that I will be facing what’s needed to accomplish my goals,” Vaca said.
Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco
This story has been updated.
