How to Enroll: Registration Guide

A hold may be placed on your account for academic, financial, health and safety, or administrative activity and progress reasons.

Some of these holds can prevent enrollment in classes if they are not cleared or addressed before your enrollment appointment. To identify these holds and understand how they affect you, follow the steps below.

1. Open your Student Center
2. Locate the message box titled Holds & Alerts
   • If “No Holds” is listed, you have no holds or system messages
   • If items are listed, click the Details link.
   • Please Note: not all holds prevent registration. Holds that do prevent registration indicate this in the Details section.
3. Click through the hold listing to see more information on the hold's purpose and how to clear it.

Your enrollment appointment is the Date and Time in which you will be able to enroll in classes for a future term. To identify your Enrollment Appointment, follow the steps below.

1. Open your Student Center
2. Locate the message box titled Enrollment Dates
3. Identify the correct Term appointment for the semester you intend to register for, as multiple appointment times may be present.
   • Please Note: newly admitted students will get an initial registration appointment by signing up for orientation or during SF State's Open Registration period for the semester they enter SF State.

As you plan your courses for next semester, please keep in mind that taking 30 units a year can speed up your path towards earning a degree, saving you time and money. While many students choose to take 15 units each semester, we recognize this does not work for all students. We encourage you to Think 30 and consider enrolling in winter or summer courses to get ahead in your degree!

SF State has developed enrollment tools designed to help you locate classes needed for degree completion and generate schedules that work around your needs.

Plan for Timely Degree Completion

You can plan your entire academic path to graduation using Degree Planner.  Each time you enter the Degree Planner, the system determines which degree requirements you have met and which are still remaining, and then provides a recommended plan promoting timely graduation.  You can make adjustments to your plan 24/7, including moving classes between terms and selecting your preferred unit load each semester.

1. Open your Student Center
2. Under the Academics header, click the Degree Planner link
   • For more information on how to use Degree Planner, visit our Degree Planner guide.
   • Once you're satisfied with your plan click the Gator Scheduler button to import your classes!

Plan classes that meet your schedule and learning needs

Create a class schedule based on your specific class requirements, academic and personal needs, and availability. Access Gator Scheduler to see what classes are offered and create or save multiple schedule options. You can even start by loading the plan you created for your Degree Planner!

1. Open your Student Center
2. Under the Academics header, click the Gator Scheduler link
   • For more information on how to use Gator Scheduler, visit our Gator Scheduler guide.
   • And be aware that you can easily select classes from your Degree Planner Plan, see instructions here!

Review our video guide to learn how to identify instructional modes and review class notes for important attendance details. 

Using Gator Scheduler to create a schedule allows you to import a class schedule into your shopping cart, select preferred courses, create breaks, and generate a schedules accordingly. This system highlights any potential problems with your selections, such as time conflicts. Using Gator Scheduler also allows you to make adjustments to your course selections before meeting with an advisor, allowing you to spend that appointment focused on degree planning and other questions you may have.

Use the Gator Scheduler to Import courses to your Shopping Cart

1. Once a schedule is generated transfer it to your Shopping Cart
2. Click the View option for the desired schedule
   • A pop-up window will display the schedule
3. Click the Send Schedule to Shopping Cart button (top of page)
4. On the pop-up confirmation screen, click OK
   • Note: Continuing to your enrollment shopping cart will close the Gator Scheduler
5. Click the Close button, in the window that pops up, after you have sent your schedule to your shopping cart
6. Go back to the Gator Scheduler Launch window (the window started on)
7. Click the green button labeled COURSE ENROLLMENT
8. Inside the yellow rectangular box, click Import Cart
9. Click the green button labeled NEXT
10. Click the green button labeled PROCEED TO STEP 2 OF 3
    • For more information on how to navigate the Student Center, visit our Student Center User guide

Use the Shopping Cart Before Your Priority Enrollment Appointment

Using the Shopping Cart can make it easier to register right when your Priority Enrollment Appointment opens.  You can store classes you wish to take in your Shopping Cart until it is time for your enrollment appointment. Access your Shopping Cart from your Enrollment Dashboard.  You can also create a schedule using Gator Scheduler (see above), and then import your schedule from Gator Scheduler directly into your Shopping Cart.

1. Open your Student Center
2. Under the Academics header, click the Enroll link
3. Then select the Enroll tab
4. Click the Add option to access the Shopping Cart
   • For more information on how to navigate the Student Center, visit our Student Center User guide.
   • Max Units during Priority Enrollment (Grad and Undergrad):
     • Max Fall and Spring units: 16 Enrolled | including 12 Waitlisted
     • Max Summer Units: 14 Enrolled | including 5 Waitlisted

Priority Enrollment Appointment

Once you have courses in your shopping cart, or have imported your Gator Scheduler schedule into your shopping cart, you will be prepared to enroll once your priority enrollment appointment opens.  (Step 2, above, shows you how to find your priority enrollment appointment date in your Student Center).

1. During your Enrollment Appointment, open the Student Center
2. Under the Academics header, click the Enroll link
3. You can either enter the class number of the course you want to enroll or use the Class Search
4. Look over your Shopping Cart selection, then click the Proceed to Step 2 of 3 button
   • For more information on how to navigate the Enrollment Dashboard, visit our Student Center guide.
   • Make sure to complete your request by clicking Finish Enrolling

Adding classes during your Priority Enrollment Appointment

• Enrolling earlier in the registration period increases your chances of finding open spots in the classes you need or prefer. 
• Enrolling after the first day of instruction requires instructor permission as well as reduces the time you have to evaluate the class and decide to drop.
• All add/drop decisions must be made by the established add/drop deadline for each term.

For more information on how to Add, Drop, Swap classes, update grading options, or other items, visit our Student Center User guides and our Gator Scheduler User Guides.

For more information about the below registration subjects, please visit our additional registration & enrollment site.

• Dropping and withdrawing
• Can’t register due to unmet prerequisites
• Dropped for unmet prerequisites
• Full-time vs. part-time enrollment status
• Adding with permission numbers
• Using permission numbers after the first day of instruction
• Waitlist
• Special programs (registration at other campuses)
• Grading options
• Time conflicts