Course Enrollment

Registration

The terms registration and enrollment are often interchanged which can cause confusion. Registration is the completion of all required administrative tasks for the semester including clearing all holds (financial, health, dean, judicial). Enrollment refers to actual course enrollment. All students are expected to attend New Student Registration on Friday, August 22.

Enrollment

Course Catalog
“I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” -Ezra Cornell

The university takes this mission seriously offering thousands of courses that are highlighted in the Courses of Study catalog. The catalog is also your source for many university and college procedures including AP credit. For the most complete course listings and information review the catalog online, www.cornell.edu/academics/courses.cfm.

Course Enrollment
Cornell University is made up of seven distinct undergraduate colleges each with their own academic requirements, policies, and curriculum. When you compare notes with your friends in other colleges or schools within Cornell, you’ll notice things are different. For example, some colleges will pre-enroll their students in some of their courses for their first semester. Students may even find out their schedules, or part of their schedules, before they arrive on campus. Do not worry if this is not the case for you. Every college has a specific practice, and by the end of Orientation, when classes begin, you will have completed your course enrollment.

Advisors

Faculty Advisors
There are faculty advisors in all of the colleges and schools to help you with your course selections and academic choices. You may have the same advisor for your entire Cornell career or you may change advisors as you shift your academic focus. Most colleges and schools will notify students of their advisor assignments after they arrive on campus.

Peer Advisors
Some colleges and departments also have peer advisors. These are students who are available to answer questions and share their experiences. Even if your college or department does not have peer advisors, take advantage of Orientation Leaders and other upper-level students that you meet to learn about their experiences.

Academic Advisors
In addition to faculty advisors, each college or school has professional staff advisors who are available to assist you. For example, your faculty advisor may refer you to an academic advisor to answer specific questions about studying abroad or academic credit.

We encourage all students to make the most of their Cornell experience by getting to know their faculty advisor, and taking advantage of other resources available to them.

Transfer Credits

If you’ve taken AP courses or courses at another college or university, you’ll want to know if you get credit for them, and how it will impact your academic requirements. Please send all transcripts from AP scores and other institutions to your college registrar, if you did not already submit them during the admission process. This will give the university time to process them so that you can resolve any questions regarding transfer credit when you arrive on campus.

A reminder to first-year students, don’t forget to give your Final Grade Report form to your secondary school to submit to the university.

Placement Tests

Some students will be required to take placement exams during Orientation. These exams help the university know where to place you for certain course requirements. When you receive your Orientation Guide in the mail, please read the placement exam section carefully. In addition to required tests, there may be optional tests you will want to take to give you more academic flexibility. Some tests will be offered during Orientation. Other tests, including the online Engineering Math Diagnostic Exam and some language exams will be available online to complete before you arrive on campus.

Writing Seminars

All first-year students are required to take writing seminars. The First-Year Writing Seminars, administered by the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, offer 100 different courses each semester through more than thirty departments. While the subjects may vary from cinema to ancient history you will be expected to write. During Orientation, you will be asked to submit your top course selections. Submit this by the deadline, but after you have figured out most of your course schedule so that you may choose from those courses offered during a time-slot that works for you.