Booth Registration: Where to Start

1)      How it works:  For non-Booth students, there are two rounds of registration. During these times, you choose your ideal class and section, fill out the registration request form, and click submit. You will receive an email telling you whether you got into your desired course/section at the end of the poll period. Specific deadlines and links to registration polls can be found here.

2)      Finding courses:  The Booth course search site has course schedules, descriptions, and locations, but more importantly has the syllabi for upcoming quarters, course evaluations (with info on every professor, including how much time commitment is expected), and conditions for taking the course (no non-Booth students, no pass/fail, etc.). Course search can be found here.

3)      Submitting registration requests: Registration request forms will allow you to specify the number of classes you want to take (3 max), which courses you want to take, your preferred section, and your second choice of section if the first is full (this is optional). Submitting as early as possible (polls often open the Tuesday before classes start for the quarter) will improve your chances of getting your preferred seats. If you don’t get your preferred choices in the first round, you can submit a request for the second round. Links to the forms can be found at the page linked in #1.  Registration poll forms will only be live during the open enrollment period.

4)      Seat availability reports:  The availability of seats for each section of each course are updated continuously throughout the registration period here. Before submitting your requests, you should check for the newest version to be sure there are seats open in the section you want. If there are only a few spaces available in a course you want, you are encouraged to apply, but know you may not make it.

5)      Prereqs/Permissions: Some classes have prerequisites, some strict, some not (requiring instructor permission to sign up). Some will not allow non-Booth students. This varies by course, but also sometimes by section/instructor. Some courses require instructor permission or a resume to enroll. In short, be sure to check these.

6)      Auditing and Pass/Fail:

  • You can take select classes pass/fail. Courses which can’t be taken pass/fail are denoted under restrictions. To do so, submit a pass/fail form by the end of Week 4.
  • Similarly, some classes can be audited. The requirements for auditors vary by professor, and can range from minimal (show up to class) to equivalent of taking the class (submitting all the homework, participating in discussions, etc.). To audit a course, you must register for the course, then receive written consent (email) from the course instructor, and send this email to the Booth Registrar’s office before the end of the second week of the quarter.

7)      First day of class: Go to class the first day even if you haven’t heard back about your registration yet! Look very closely at the date of the first class, sometimes this is earlier than the start date for the rest of the university. Also, some courses have assignments for the first class.

8)      Dropping a class: To drop a Booth course, send an email to the Booth Registrar’s office. Include your full name, UCID, and the name and number of the course you wish to drop.

9)      Class locations: Classes held during the day Monday-Friday for are held in Harper Center in Hyde Park. Evening and weekend courses are held downtown in the Gleacher Center or NBC Tower. To access NBC Tower, you will need your student ID.

10)   Name tent cards:  Booth students receive fancy cardboard name tents with their name on it. These can be purchased for $2 at the Booth Business Center (Harper Center Room 108). To do so, you must load cash onto your UChicago ID card. The machine to load cash onto your UChicago ID can be found down the hall from the Business Center (across from the cafeteria in a room full of vending machines). The machine you want is a small one, straight ahead when you enter the room. Alternatively, you can (and many people do) make an informal name card for yourself with a Sharpie, but some courses require an official one.