Registration Tips

This will be apparent by the "C" that appears at the far left of the course number in Class Schedule where normally a tick box appears. This means that all of the places in the course are taken at that moment in time. There are two solutions to this registration error, depending on whether a) you need the course to fulfill program requirements or (b) you want the course as an elective.

(a) If you need the course to fulfill program requirements you must contact the department administering the course directly (e.g., Biology for a BIOL course, English for an ENGL course, etc.). Explain your situation to the staff person and they will determine if you are eligible for a place in the course. If the department allows you into the course they will grant you a "permit to register", an electronic indicator that is put directly onto your record that lets the student record system recognize you as eligible to register. You must still use Minerva to register after the permit is granted.

Note: If you are granted a CAPACITY permit because a course is closed, you MUST use the "Quick Add" feature on Minerva.

(b) If you want the course as an elective, you should not contact the department, as they must give priority to students who need the course to meet program requirements. However, it is possible during add/drop that there will be movement within the course, and if you try regularly to "Quick Add" the course you may be able to register because another student drops the course. If the course uses the Waitlist feature, at the time you try to "quick add" and the course is still full, you will be invited to join the waitlist. If you add yourself to the waitlist you will be notified by your McGill e-mail if a place becomes available and you are next on the list to register.

Note: Have another course in reserve in the event you are not successful adding your first choice. You may have to plan to take this elective in another term.

This happens when a specific portion (a reserved section) of the course is full. For example, a department may give 50 places for students in specific programs, and 30 places for everyone else. If you are not in one of the specific programs and the 30 places are taken, you will receive this error message. The reverse is also true: if you are in a specific program and the 50 program places are taken, you will receive this error message. The solution to this registration problem is the same as for Closed courses: see a) above if you need the course for a program requirement, and see b) above if you want the course as an elective.

This refers to courses that are limited to students in a specific academic year (U0, U1, U2 or U3). Courses with class restrictions usually have "NOTES" in Class Schedule of "Limited to U0 (or U1, U2 or U3) students".

If you are not in the correct year to permit registration, you must see the department administering the course to determine if you are eligible for a place in the class (e.g. Chemistry for a CHEM course, International Development Studies for an INTD course, etc.). If the department allows you into the course they will grant you a "permit to register", an electronic indicator that is put directly onto your record that lets the student record system recognize you as eligible to register. You must still use Minerva to register after the permit is granted.

This refers to a course that is controlled by program codes; if you are not in an appropriate program you will not be able to register.

Courses with program controls usually have "NOTES" in Class Schedule of "Limited by Program". There are two possible solutions to this restriction: (a) if the course is program controlled within the faculty you are accepted into, or (b) if the course is program controlled in a faculty you are not accepted into.

(a) An example of a program control within your faculty would be an BIOL course which is open only to Biology students. If you have been accepted into a B.A & Sc., and you want to fulfill a Major Concentration in Biology, then you must have the program properly entered onto your record to register.

Note: You may not add programs to your record that you do not intend to follow solely for the purpose of registering in a restricted course; if you are found to have obtained a place in a limited course in this manner you will be deregistered.

(b) An example of a program control in a faculty you are not accepted into would be a Management course which is only open to students in programs in that faculty. You must select courses from those sections and terms that do not have these notes, or from those courses offered by the Department of Continuing Education (sections of 751, 761, etc. instead of sections 001, 002, etc.).

Note: If you opt for a section offered through Continuing Education you will have to wait until August 15 to access fall courses and December 15 to access winter courses; the periods prior to these dates are for priority access for Continuing Education students. 

This refers to a course that is controlled by faculty codes, i.e. only students in specific faculties may register. If you are a B.A. & Sc. student seeking to register in an Education course you may experience this error message. Please contact SOUSA to explain why you want to register in this course and to obtain further advice on how to proceed.

This refers to courses which require a placement test or the approval of the professor or other relevant administrator prior to registration. Courses with this type of control usually have "NOTES" in Class Schedule of "Departmental approval required" or "Advisor approval required" or "Placement test required".

For example, language courses may require you to be "placed" at the appropriate level before you can register, or other courses may require you to see the professor or an administrator prior to registration. Once the department establishes your language level or your suitability to join the class, they will grant you a "permit to register", an electronic indicator that is put directly onto your record that lets the student record system recognize you as eligible to register. You must still use Minerva to register after the permit is granted.

This refers to courses (lecture activities) which have other activities "linked" to them that require you to add more than one CRN at a time. Courses with this type of control usually have "NOTES" in Class Schedule of "Must be taken with a tutorial" or "Must be taken with a lab". For example, if you are registering in a CHEM or BIOL course which have lab activities "linked" to them, a MATH course which has a tutorial "linked" to it, or to a SOCI or ANTH course with conferences "linked" to them, you must choose both the lecture activity and the linked activity and add them at the same time.

This refers to courses which have pre-requisites and/or co-requisites that must be satisfied before you can register. There will not always be "NOTES" in Class Schedule to warn you of existing pre- and co-requisites, so if this error message occurs it will be necessary to verify in the eCalendar what courses are needed prior to registration. The solution to this problem varies depending on (a) whether the pre-requisites are clearly on your record with valid grades, or (b) if the pre-requisites are part of transfer credit or other types of advanced standing (i.e. not McGill courses but equivalent work done elsewhere for which you've been granted credit).

(a) An example of a clear-cut case would be a MATH course that has a pre-requisite of an introductory statistics course, and you have this course or its equivalent on your record with a grade of "C" or better. Please contact the Mathematics department; they will evaluate your record and the MATH course description, and if appropriate, grant you a "permit to register", an electronic indicator that is put directly onto your record that lets the student record system recognize you as eligible to register. You must still use Minerva to register after the permit is granted.

(b) An example of a complicated case would be a MATH course that has a prerequisite of an introductory statistics course and you have covered the material of this course at another university and have been granted transfer credit from that university. You must get the course approved using the Course equivalency system.  Consult the Science Undergraduate Handbook chapter on Transfer Credits for detailed information on what kinds of courses are accepted and how to request a course equivalency.

Note: Pre-requisite controls normally exist on courses in other faculties (Engineering, Management, Music) so it may be necessary to have that faculty verify that you have suitable pre-requisite(s). That faculty would grant you a permit to register if you have the appropriate prerequisites.

This refers to the total number of credits in a term that the student record system will allow students to register in. New students are expected to register for a normal load of 15 credits but may register for up to 17 at any given time to allow for later adding and dropping as the student makes decisions on which courses to keep and which to give up. If you receive this error message it is because you are trying to add a course with a credit weight which will place you over 17 credits in the fall or winter term. Note: It is strongly recommended that new students not exceed 15 credits per term.

Note:: If you receive this error message when adding a multi-term course (a "D1/D2" full year course) to your record and you have room in the fall, it is possible that the "maximum hours exceeded" message refers to your credit load in the winter term. You must have enough room in both fall and winter terms before registering in full-year courses.