Troubleshooting Registration Restrictions

Get solutions to common problems with registration, as well as answers to questions that students may have.

More Info on the Main Registrar Website

The main website has student-focused information about:

  • Preparing to register.
  • Important dates.
  • Enrollment appointments.
  • How to register.

> Visit the main Registrar website

Most Common Reasons Students Can’t Register

Students Are Not Term Activated

Students may not be able to register if they are not term activated for a semester. Reasons for lack of term activation include:

Student is due to graduate

If they wish to register for future coursework, they need to update their expected graduation date by submitting the Graduation Update Form.

A student may have filed a Not Returning to UB Survey

  • They need to send a message to hubterm@buffalo.edu to be term-activated.
  • If they did not attend for a term, they need to contact admissions about re-entry.
  • The student may not have filled out the proper forms for a leave of absence and took a semester off. In this case, the student would need to fill out the re-entry form through admissions. If the student believes a form was submitted, they should speak with their academic advisor.

The student wants to return early from a leave of absence

They can notify the office of the registrar by emailing hubterm@buffalo.edu to request an early return. The email should come from their UB email account.

Graduate students should contact the Graduate School for assistance

Contact the Graduate School

The Class May Be Unavailable for Self-Registration

The student would need to contact the department directly for possible assistance.

There Is a Hold / Service Indicator on the Account Preventing Registration

  • Certain service indicators will prevent a student from adding or dropping courses. Click on the service indicator to view which services will be blocked.
  • The student can also view holds in their Student Center.
  • The student should be advised to contact the owner of the hold (e.g., Student Accounts, Parking and Transportation, etc.) if they need additional information or believe the hold is in error.

There Is a Class Conflict

Note the following guidelines to prevent and resolve class conflicts.
  • Students should not be allowed to have two courses that overlap in time on their schedule, with the exception of rare cases.
  • To earn credit hours for the course, a student must be able to achieve the contact hours for the course. If a time conflict exists, it is not possible for the students to meet this requirement.
  • If the overlap exists due to the way the course is scheduled, departments should work with the Office of the Registrar to adjust the course so that it is scheduled properly.
  • In remaining situations, the guidelines for class conflict consideration are as follows:
    • Faculty of both impacted courses must agree to allow the conflict.
    • Undergraduate students must subsequently obtain final approval from their academic unit (school/college) to determine if it is academically acceptable.

Departments should submit scheduling adjustments through the Office of the Registrar Ticketing System.

OOR Ticketing System