The Add/Drop Period: Information for Faculty

During the Add/Drop period students may register for a course section only if there is an open seat and then ONLY if the student has been granted “add authorization” by the instructor of record via Self-Service.

SPRING 2026 - Remember that we will be using the new Self-Service functionality to grant add authorization to students.  Please know it has been improved this semester.  If your course requires instructor consent, you will no longer be required to provide both instructor consent for your course, AND add-authorization.  

Add-Authorization functionality will allow us to retain waitlists.  We no longer have to delete them prior to the add/drop period.  

If you have a waitlist for your course section, you’ll still be able to see the waitlist to use as a reference tool after the add drop period begins. However, as always, once regular registration closes for the semester (January 15th) students are no longer offered seats from the waitlist. All authorization to add would be granted via the Add Authorization button in Self-Service.

To see the waitlist for your course, choose the “inactive” waitlist option on the waitlist tab.  If you do not see an “inactive” waitlist option, this means that your course did not have a waitlist.

Important dates

• January 16-19– Faculty make presemester requests to change caps.
  • (Requests can also be made once the add/drop period begins but faculty are encouraged to make these changes prior to the start of the semester.) Please note that changes to caps are temporary and apply during the current semester add/drop period only. Caps will revert to the official standard course cap in future semesters.  
• January 20-30 – “Add authorization” is granted by the instructor of record via Self-Service to students to allow them to add a course section during the add/drop period.

Important forms and links

• Request for Section Cap Increase – use  this google form to request that the cap for your course section be increased for the duration of the add/drop period in order to accommodate additional students. Students cannot register if there is not an open seat - even if you provide permission. Thus you may need to raise your section cap if you wish to allow additional students to enroll.  (The form will open on August 20.)
  • Note that your requested total enrollment cannot exceed the fire-code capacity for your assigned room.
• Grant authorization for a student to register for an open seat during add/drop by using the Add Authorization button
  • WebAdvisor Faculty Menu / Self Service (faculty) / Permissions tab / Undergraduate Add Authorization
  • There are full instructions (with screen shots) for granting Self Service Add Authorization during the add/drop period here.

Waitlists – what happens to them?

They just sit there.  (Peacefully? Happily? Lonely?) You can visit them via your Self-Service roster.  They’re available for your reference, but they are otherwise dormant.

After registration closes on in August (for fall) or January (for spring), the waitlist is used only as a reference tool.  Seats are no longer offered to students since registration is closed until the add/drop period.  

How will students register for open seats during the add/drop period?

Students will register via WebAdvisor/Self Service, but registration during the add/drop period is by authorization only.  If you have open seats, or have raised your cap to create open seats, you can grant Add Authorization via Self Service to any student to register for one of the open seats. Keep in mind that “open seats” means seats officially open via your Self Service roster. If non-attending students are still officially enrolled, the seats you plan to give to other students may be unavailable. You may need to ask the registered student to drop – students can drop at will via WebAdvisor/Self Service.  Alternately, the instructor of record may ask the Registrar’s office to drop a non-attending student (during the add/drop period only) in order to allow another student to register for that seat.  (See Attendance policy for information about when a faculty member can request a student be dropped.)

Resources:

• Instructions for granting Self Service Add Authorization
• Request that a student be dropped for non-attendance by sending an email to reg@lclark.edu.  Be sure to include:
  • Name and ID of student
  • Course and section number of class
  • State that you wish to have the student withdrawn for non-attendance.  (See attendance policy for guidelines.)
  • Include the last date of attendance – or state student never attended.  This is required for financial aid purposes.  We cannot drop the student without this information.

How do I revoke permission that I gave previously?

You can now do this directly from your Self Service roster - on the permission tab.

What sticky details should I keep in mind?

While faculty can now give add authorization during the add/drop period at any time of the day or night, and students can register once permission is received, this will not be a panacea for students who procrastinate.  Students with holds must still address those issues with individual offices during regular business hours, and must complete their business by 4pm on the last day of the add/drop period. 

Will any paper forms be required?

Yes - Some irregular registration will require a paper or PDF component in addition to Self-Service permission.

The following forms are used to supplement the on-line process which cannot currently manage separate permissions.

• Time conflicts

Time conflicts are not encouraged, but those deemed necessary (and that fall within the authorized maximums) are allowed for sophomores, juniors and seniors.  (Please note that freshmen are not allowed to register for courses with time conflicts.)  Involved faculty members must provide Self Service permission to register for the courses. In addition, the student must complete the Time Conflict form, and both instructors must provide approval by by forwarding the forms with approval to reg@lclark.edu.

All such forms must be submitted to the Registrar’s office by the student in order to complete the registration. They are all due before 4pm on the last day of the add/drop period, but we STRONGLY recommend that they be submitted earlier. 

Are there any registrations which are purely paper/PDF or google form based?

Yes – those for which a course section does not currently exist, and those for which students do not necessarily have access to web registration.

• Special program students

Students such as Alliance Cross-Registration students or staff do not typically have access to web registration functions.  Permission to register will be given via paper/pdf forms provided by the Admissions office or on forms specifically designed for Alliance cross registration.

All such forms must be submitted to the Registrar’s office by the student in order to complete the registration.  Instructor approval may be made directly on the paper form by signature.  Alternately, the form can be forwarded with approval from the instructor to reg@lcalrk.edu. They are all due before 4pm on the last day of the add/drop period.

What should I know about security?

As the IT department states on its password information page, “NEVER give your password to anyone, even if you are asked for it.”  Please do not give your login and password information to another person in order to allow them to provide permission in your place. It is not sanctioned and allows inappropriate access to student data and grades. Not only does it defeat the integrity of our historical data and authorization system, it may put you at risk for identity theft.  Sending your private information through email, or having another person save the information to a hard-drive (or tape it to some other insecure location such as the bottom of a keyboard) can make you vulnerable to the types of payroll and other scams experienced by this college in recent years.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Feel free to contact the Registrar’s Office with any questions about on-line add/drop processes.
reg@lclark.edu.

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