Wait Lists and How They Work

Vancouver Island University maintains the concept of open access by operating under a priority registration system. Students are given a registration appointment based on the length of time they have been students here and the number of credits they have completed, not their GPA. This provides them with a better opportunity to enroll in the courses they need to complete their program.

The wait-list procedure is in effect from the very first day of registration right through the first 6 days of the semester that the class starts. This is how it works:

Before the semester starts:

Once a class is full or a wait list is established*, the registration system will place new registrants on a wait list based on the date and time they register. Then each Monday to Friday night the system checks to see if any enrolled students have dropped out and will automatically place the next qualified student in the class. This means that for courses with reserves, students meeting the reserve requirement will be selected first, then other wait-listed students are selected by order of priority on the wait list.

Once the semester starts the wait-list process changes.

If a seat becomes available to a student on the wait list, it will be "Held" for them for one day only. Wait-listed students must check daily to see if a seat is being held for them, and if they still want to take that class, they must "Claim" the seat that is being held for them (either on-line by 11:30 pm or in-person by 3:30 pm). If a student does not claim the seat on the day it becomes available, they have lost their place on the wait list. Please note that the wait list only rolls over Monday to Friday, no changes take place Saturday and Sunday.

*A wait list is established in some courses with reserves even if they aren't full when a student who does not meet the reserve requirements attempts to register. The student will be placed on the wait list, thereby establishing a wait list. If a student who does meet the reserve requirement tries to register after them they will be placed on the wait list as well until the system does the overnight check. At which time the "Reserve" students requirement will be confirmed and the student will be placed in the class.