On Oct. 2, the UNC student body received an email from the Office of the University Registrar announcing new changes to ConnectCarolina.
With registration right around the corner, the email explained that students will now be able to join waitlists of up to 12 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and eight credit hours in the summer. When on the waitlist, these credits will no longer count toward ConnectCarolina's 18 credit hour open enrollment limit.
There will also be a “Swap to Waitlist” option and a new deadline for joining a class waitlist.
“It’s a giant win for students because I believe it was counting against you, in terms of credits,” Ketan Mayer-Patel, the director of undergraduate studies for the computer science department and an associate professor, said. “If you were waitlisted for three credits, it was as if you were enrolled and registered for three credits, and so you had a very limited number of things that you could put on a waitlist.”
According to an email statement from the registrar’s office, the University hopes these changes will make it easier for students to register for classes in the future, as well as help departments understand the demand for courses and plan accordingly.
Mayer-Patel said he feels as though these changes are long overdue.
“Over the last few registration cycles, the Office of the University Registrar has partnered with Operational Excellence and consulted with students, staff and faculty across campus to provide greater transparency, consistency and equity into the registration process,” the office said.
The waitlist update is the third installment in a series of projects, including an enrollment appointment redesign and reserve capacity project, the office said. All waitlist changes and updates are being implemented for spring 2024 registration.
Additionally, the waitlist will have no seat limit, although class size will remain capped and ConnectCarolina will notify students when they have successfully enrolled in a class.
