About Early Registration
Early Registration is the time during the current session that continuing students and students not required to attend orientation can enroll in future session courses. You will be assigned a day and time during Early Registration (day and time assignment) which is the earliest you can register for future session(s). Day and time assignments will post to MyUI no later than two weeks prior to the Early Registration period.
Early Registration periods do not include weekends or university student breaks. This means, for example, you will not be provided a day and time assignment that lands on a weekend or on Labor Day. Refer to the Academic Calendar for specific Early Registration periods.
Undergraduate students’ day and time assignments are based on overall earned hours. Overall earned hours includes transfer credit and exam credit but does not include courses in progress that have not been graded.
Please Note
The Office of the Registrar cannot make any exceptions to your assigned registration day/time unless* you have had additional credits added to your record after your day and time was assigned.
*An example would be new transfer credits.
Early Registration Day Assignment by Session
Registration time and day assignments are determined by a student's status and earned hours.
| Day | Student Groups/Overall Earned Hours |
|---|---|
| Day 1–4 | Graduate/professional students or undergraduate students with 90 or more overall earned hours. |
| Day 5–8 | Undergraduate students with 60–89 overall earned hours and priority registration. |
| Day 9–14 | Undergraduate students with 0–59 overall earned hours. |
| Day 15 | Non-degree students. |
| Day | Student Groups/Overall Earned Hours |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Graduate/professional students or undergraduate students with 90 or more overall earned hours. |
| Day 2 | Undergraduate students with 70–89 overall earned hours and priority registration. |
| Day 3 | Undergraduate students with 30–69 overall earned hours. |
| Day 4 | Undergraduate students with 0–29 overall earned hours. |
| Day 5 | Non-degree students. |
| Day | Student Groups/Overall Earned Hours |
|---|---|
| Day 1–4 | Graduate/Professional students or undergraduate students with 90 or more overall earned hours. |
| Day 5–8 | Undergraduate students with 70–89 overall earned hours and priority registration. |
| Day 9–14 | Undergraduate students with 12–69 overall earned hours. |
| Day 15 | Undergraduate student with 0–11 overall earned hours and non-degree students. |
Additional Information
- All continuing students who are enrolled are expected to register during scheduled Early Registration. However, students can register or change their registration after their assigned registration time up until 11:59 p.m. the day before the sixth day of fall and spring semesters and up until 11:59 p.m. the day before the winter and summer sessions begin.
- Academic Advisor Authorization may be required prior to registering each semester. This will be noted under your early registration assignment in MyUI. Your advisor information can be found under Student Records/Programs of Study & Advisor page. The Office of the Registrar does not authorize students to register.
- Students should work to resolve any registration holds prior to their day and time assignment. The administrative contact information is listed next to each hold under the students' registration day/time assignment on the MyUI home page.
- Maximum hours allowed for registration without your collegiate dean’s approval in fall and spring.
- Undergraduates - 18*
- College of Engineering Undergraduates - 19
- Graduate students - 15*
- *Exceptions apply. Please contact your program college for more information.
- Colleges of Dentistry, Law, Pharmacy, and the Carver College of Medicine begin registration at a time announced by their deans.
- Iowa MBA and Master of Science Business Analytics Professional students follow a different Early Registration schedule as determined by Tippie Graduate and Professional Programs. Please visit the Iowa MBA and Master of Science Business Analytics Professional registration page for registration and contact information.
- Some students may have a priority registration day and time assigned based on factors other than hours earned.
Late Registration
- Registration Deadlines: The Academic Calendar shows specific dates and deadlines for registration.
- Late Registration Fee: If you enroll on or after day 11 from the start of the course, you’ll be charged a $100 late registration fee. This fee applies only once per semester, even if you register for additional courses after your first course.