University at Buffalo (UB)
Students may request force registration for an open course with enrollment restrictions by completing a Force Registration Request. Students are encouraged to contact the department offering the course for additional information on how force registration requests are handled.
Students may need department approval to be registered in a course that fulfills a minor requirement.
Undergraduate and Graduate students may request to take courses outside of their primary academic career. Students should review the related policies and discuss with their academic advisor. Requests can be submitted through the Force Registration Request Portal. Once approvals have been finalized, the Office of the Registrar will review and process the registration accordingly.
Review the Undergraduate Course Outside Primary Academic Career policy
Review the Graduate School Cross-Divisional Registration policy
Some classes (internships, research, language courses) need department approval. Students should contact the department first, then submit their request with the required documents.
Student may have already taken the course twice and require department approval to try again. Some courses (like foreign languages or high-demand classes) have different rules. Students can review the UB Repeat Policy and see which courses are controlled.
Students submit all force registration requests via the online Force Registration Request portal.
The system opens for students on their assigned enrollment date during the enrollment period.
Students can submit force registration requests through the end of the second week of classes, which aligns with the departmental drop/add period.
The departmental drop/add period extends through the second week of classes. Approval of drop/add requests is at the discretion of the department. This process is intended primarily to accommodate enrollment in high-demand courses or to address exceptional circumstances. This period is not advertised to students, however, the Force Registration Request portal now allows students to submit force registration requests through the end of the departmental drop/add period. The Force Registration Request portal is a helpful way to receive, review and approve force registration requests from students.
Drop/add deadlines can be viewed on the drop/add/resign webpage. The drop/add deadline each semester is the date used by departments for action dated registrations (during the second week of classes). Step by step instructions can be found on the Departmental Registration (Action Dating) website.