Body
University Policy
Title
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Policy on Registration (Including Priority Registration, Drop/Add, Class Rosters, and Auditing a Class)
Introduction
Purpose
This policy establishes requirements and procedures governing course registration, priority registration, changes to course enrollment (drop/add), class rosters, and the auditing of classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“UNC-Chapel Hill” or “University”). These requirements and procedures are intended to:
- Ensure accurate academic records and class rosters.
- Establish clear expectations for students, instructors, and administrators regarding class registration.
- Support academic planning, instructional integrity, emergency readiness, and compliance with institutional and safety requirements.
Scope
This policy applies to all students enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Definitions
Auditor / Auditing: An individual approved to attend a class with limited participation and without receiving a grade or earning academic credit.
Official Registration: Enrollment in classes through the University’s student information system in accordance with established admission, registration, and payment procedures.
Priority Registration: A structured process allowing approved student populations to register in advance of general registration periods.
Policy
Policy Statement
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“UNC–Chapel Hill” or “University”) requires all students to be officially registered to attend classes, access course materials, and receive academic credit.
General Registration Requirements
All students must be officially registered before attending class meetings or accessing course materials. Official registration requires:
- Admission by an appropriate admissions office;
- Enrollment through University-approved systems and procedures for the applicable term;
- Completion of all required administrative steps, including residency classification and submission of required medical documentation.
Failure to complete any component of the admission or registration process may result in an incomplete registration that is subject to cancellation.
Students are responsible for understanding degree requirements and ensuring that their course selections align with those requirements. Academic advisors are available to assist students with academic planning and requirements, and degree progress information is available through the Tar Heel Tracker degree audit for most programs.
Registration Process
Graduate and undergraduate level students are assigned enrollment appointments for registration through the University’s student information system. Appointments may include priority registration, when applicable, and for undergraduate students are scheduled based on established institutional criteria such as earned credit hours.
The Office of the University Registrar publishes registration schedules and notifies students of their assigned enrollment appointments. Following the appointment period, open enrollment remains available until the start of the term.
Certain professional programs, such as Law (JD), Medicine (MD), Dentistry (DDS), Pharmacy (PharmD), and first-year Business Administration (MBA), conduct initial registration through their respective program. Students in these programs should consult their school regarding registration procedures and schedule revisions.
Students with administrative or academic registration holds must resolve those holds with the issuing office before registration may occur.
Tuition and fees must be paid or deferred by the established deadline. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of registration. Detailed information on tuition prepayment and late registration fees is provided by the University Cashier’s Office.
Note: Certain provisions may be different for professional degree programs maintaining individual registration processes.
Priority Registration
Priority registration allows designated populations of undergraduate and graduate students to enroll in courses in advance of standard registration periods. Priority registration is administered through a formal process overseen by the Office of the University Registrar. Priority registration is primarily reserved for mandated or institutionally approved groups, including students registered with the University Compliance Office, veteran-affiliated students, student-athletes and designated scholarship cohorts. It is limited in number and may not exceed 10% of the overall student registration appointment population.
New requests for priority registration may only be submitted by a University official on behalf of a student population and must include justification for priority consideration. Applications are accepted during the Spring term for Fall registration and during the Fall term for Spring registration.
Drop/Add and Schedule Changes
Most students may add and drop courses through the registration system during designated periods at the beginning of each term, as published in the University’s academic calendar. Timeframes for drop/add processes may be calculated on a proportional basis for students in programs approved to follow alternate calendars. Students are responsible for maintaining full-time enrollment status as required by their academic program.
After the initial registration period and open enrollment students may add courses using the registration system through the fifth day of the semester and drop a course through the tenth day of the semester without record. Following this, schedule changes require:
Undergraduate Students
- Enrollment additions after the fifth day of the semester require approval by both the instructor and school or advising dean; these are granted only in exceptional circumstances. Late registration fees may apply for new enrollment.
- Drops after the initial drop period between the first ten days of a semester and the eighth week of classes (Spring, Fall) and between the first three days and the second week of classes (Summer Sessions), are kept on the student record with a withdrawal notation of “W” instead of a grade.
- Drops after the above deadlines require a formal petition through the appropriate dean’s office.
Graduate Students
- Enrollment additions after the fifth day of the semester require approval by both the instructor and school or advising dean; these are granted only in exceptional circumstances. Late registration fees may apply for new enrollment.
- Drops after the initial drop period between the first ten days of a semester and the fourteenth week of classes (Spring, Fall) and between the first three days and the third week of classes (Summer Sessions), graduate students may drop courses.
- Drops after the above deadlines require a formal petition through the appropriate dean’s office.
Class Rosters
All students in a class are required to be officially registered before being permitted to attend classes or access class materials. Official registration is recorded in ConnectCarolina on the class roster. Instructors can only submit final grades for students on the class roster, and only classes students are officially registered for will appear on the transcript.
Auditing a Class
Both currently registered students and individuals not otherwise enrolled at the University may audit eligible courses with approval. Auditing is permitted only in lecture-based courses when:
- The course has available space following the official registration add period; and
- Written permission is obtained from the course instructor and department chair. (Enrolled students also require their dean’s approval after the tenth day of the semester as detailed in the last paragraph.)
Auditing is not permitted in:
- Laboratory, performance, or experiential courses;
- Courses emphasizing written or oral communication;
- Independent studies, internships, directed readings, special topics, or similar offerings;
- Courses offered for continuing education or other specialized programs;
- Courses preparing students for credit by examination; or
- Courses offered primarily in a remote/online format.
Auditors are registered for classes to support accurate classroom occupancy records and emergency preparedness. An audited course is not considered as enrollment, counted in registered course loads for a student, or otherwise reported. Students auditing a class appear on the instructor’s class rosters but do not receive grades, and audited courses do not appear on a student’s academic transcripts. Auditors do not earn academic credit, submit graded work, take examinations, or have their work reviewed by an instructor, and do not participate in class discussions unless otherwise directed by the course instructor.
Undergraduate students may not later complete for credit in a course they have previously audited.
Enrolled students may audit a course at no additional cost in semesters they are registered. Adding a class for audit to an enrolled student’s schedule is expected to be completed in days six through ten of the semester with approval by the instructor and department chair. After the tenth day, requests for a class audit are at the discretion of their dean, similar to a late add.
Individuals not otherwise enrolled at the University courses must pay a per-course auditing fee to the University Cashier’s Office, unless age-based exemptions apply. Auditors age 65 or older may audit eligible courses at no cost but must complete all required approval and registration steps.
Publication Details
Effective Date: June 2026
Next Review Date: June 2028
Issuing Officer: Associate Provost and University Registrar
Additions/Revisions:
- Content from the previous University Policy Memorandums #05 Registration (Including Priority Registration, Drop/Add, and Class Rosters) and #09 Auditing of Courses.
- Revisions approved by the Faculty Council’s Educational Policy Committee in April 2026.