Registration FAQ

How do I register for classes?

Students must register online through mynova.villanova.edu.  Search for Registration Tools. Click on Register, Add or Drop Classes.   

At this time, registration is best accessed by a computer (PC/Mac) or tablet.  The registration module is not designed for mobile phone access. 

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I am attempting to access Registration outside of the United States, how do I register?

Students attempting to access registration from IP addresses outside of the United States will need to log into the University's Virtual Desktop (vDesktop) and use the DUO Application in order to connect to NOVASIS.  Please review the instructions in the following articles before attempting to access Registration from other countries:

Access to NOVASIS from International Countries
Duo: Using Duo Internationally
 

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Is there a video I can watch that demonstrates how to register?

Please view our Registration Tutorial videos.

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Where can I find the class schedule?

The class schedule is available in mynova.villanova.edu.  Search for Registration Tools.  Click on Schedule of Classes.

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What should I do to prepare for registration?

Undergraduate Students:
Prior to your registration date, you should:

• Review your degree audit.
• Meet with your advisor to select your courses and obtain your alternate PIN.
• Check your registration status in NOVASIS: 
  Log onto mynova.villanova.edu Search for Registration Tools  Click on Check Your Registration Status

Graduate Students:

• Meet with your advisor or program director to review degree requirements and obtain your alternate PIN (if necessary)*.
• Check your registration status in NOVASIS: 
  Log onto mynova.villanova.edu Search for Registration Tools  Click on Check Your Registration Status
  *_{Note Graduate HRD and Law students do not utilize a registration PIN to register.}

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What is an Alternate PIN

The web registration form will ask most students for the Registration (Alternate) PIN.  The student receives the Alternate PIN from their advisor or program director as authorization to register.  Your Alternate PIN is different each semester and it is case sensitive. Do not lose your Alternate PIN as your advisor/program director is the only person that can provide it!

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I cannot register because of a hold. How can I find out the reason for the hold?

Log onto mynova.villanova.edu, Search for View Account Holds.

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When can I register?

To determine your registration status log in to mynova.villanova.edu.  Search for Registration Tools.  Select a Term.  Click on Prepare for Registration.

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How long can I add classes?

You can register for classes starting on your registration date until the 5th day of class for fall and spring semesters online via mynova.villanova.edu Search for Registration Tools.  Click on Register, Add or Drop Classes.

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How long can I drop classes?

You can drop classes until the 5th day of class for fall and spring semesters online via mynova.villanova.edu Search for Registration Tools.  Click on Register, Add or Drop Classes. After the drop/add period for your program has ended, you must submit a Course Withdrawal form if you wish to withdraw from a course.  Withdrawals will appear on your transcript as a WX grade (with no effect on your GPA) up to your program's withdrawal deadline.   Withdrawals after deadline will appear on the transcript as a W (equivalent to an F or 0.00 calculated into the GPA). 

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How many credit hours can I register for?

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How many credit hours do I need to be considered a full-time student?

Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits to be considered a full-time student in fall and spring semesters.  Undergraduate students do not have to be enrolled in the summer to maintain full-time status.  

Graduate students must be enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours to be considered a full-time student in the fall and spring semesters.  Students enrolled in the summer term for at least 6 credit hours will be considered full-time.

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What happens if I drop below full-time status?

Undergraduates registered for less than 12 credits, and graduate students registered for less than six (6) credits, will be considered part-time students.  Some areas that may be affected are financial assistance, athletic eligibility, veteran's affairs, immigration status and ability to reside on campus, as well as certain family and group life/health insurance plans.

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The system states that department (or dean or instructor) permission is required. How do I get that?

The department (or dean or instructor) offering the course must grant permission to register.  This is a restriction placed on the course by the department (or dean or instructor). You must contact the department (or dean or instructor) in order to obtain the appropriate override.

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I received a Registration Error - What does this mean?

• Class restriction - Only students in a particular set of classifications may register. This means that if a course requires junior standing, and your classification after successful completion of the current term will only place you at sophomore standing, you may not register without obtaining a “Class Override" from the department.
• College restriction - Only students in a particular college may register. For example, if you are currently in the College of Arts and Sciences and wish to register for a specific engineering course limited to students in the College of Engineering , you will need a "College Override" from the College of Engineering.
• Department restriction - Only students pursuing majors and minors in a particular department may register for this course.
• Duplicate Course - You may only register for a single section of a course.
• Major Restriction - The course is reserved for a certain set of majors. You may receive this error if you have not yet declared your major, or you have a different major than required by the course. Contact the course department for assistance.
• Pre-requisite error - You do not currently meet the requirements of the course; prerequisites may be found in the course catalog. Often courses have pre-requisites, such as successful completion of Calculus I in order to register for Calculus II.
• Co-requisite error - Often courses have corequisites and these may be found in the course catalog.  NOTE: You must add all corequiste courses to your registration in order to successfully register.  You will receive an error message if you attempt to register for only one of the corequisite sections.  The error message will indicate which correquisite is missing.
  
• Time Conflict - the class times for two courses overlap or are at the same time (you can’t be in two places at once).
• Approval error – The course requires special approval from a specific party in order to register. The error message should indicate whose approval should be sought.
• Attribute error – The course is limited to students with a specific student attribute. You may not register without obtaining an “Attribute Override" from the department.
• Capacity error – There are no available seats in this course. You may not register without obtaining a “Capacity Override" from the department. Note that capacity overrides are often impossible if there is not a classroom available that can accommodate the overload.
• Repeat error – This course has already been completed and is not eligible to be repeated for credit.

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How do I obtain an override?

In most cases, you will need to contact the department coordinator to assist in resolving the issue.  The coordinators may, based on their policies and guidelines, provide an Override directly in the database to permit registration.  Coordinators are most likelly able to assist with Class/College/Department and Major restriction.

Overrides are not equivalent to registration.  By obtaining an override, you have essentially secured the ability to register, but you must add the course to your schedule.  After obtaining the override, go back to mynova.villanova.edu.  Search for Registration Tools, Select Register, Add or Drop Classes in order to be enrolled in the course.

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The course I want has open seats but when I try to register, I receive an error message stating "Reserve Closed". What does this mean?

Departments can set aside a certain number of seats reserved for a specific population of students including, but not limited to, major, college, cohort, or classification on a course. If you receive a Reserved Closed error, that means that there are only reserved seats for the specific population that the department has set aside for left to be filled.

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Can I be moved out of a section that I'm already registered for?

Possibly. Class availability and times may change between the first time you register for courses and the first day of the semester.  Occasionally, some sections may be cancelled or extenuating circumstances require us to move students.

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How do I change the credits in a variable credit course?

Once a variable credit course is added to a student's registration, the correct number of credits can be assigned from the range that appears on the form.  You must first ADD the section, and then correct the number of credits.

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How does the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading option work?

Grades of Satisfactory (equivalent to a "C" or better) and Unsatisfactory (equivalent to a "C-" or worse) are shown on the transcript but not included in the qualty point average (or GPA). Credits for courses with Satisfactory grades are included in credits earned. Students must opt for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading in the desired course (where applicable) by the end of the Add/Drop period.  

Each college may have additional regulations governing the satisfactory/unsatisfactory option, available from the college dean.

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How do I register for linked courses?

A linked course pertains to a course with both a lecture and a recitation/lab.  Not all lecture/lab combinations are linked.  If a course is linked, a "View Linked" icon will appear on the course or lab and you can review and select linked courses from there. In order to register for a linked course, you must register for both in the same transaction.  That is, first ADD one course, then ADD the other course to your Summary BEFORE clicking SUBMIT.   If you click submit before adding both courses you will receive an error message.

In the example below, observe the error message from submitting BIO 2106-001 before adding the linked BIO-2106-L01 lab section.  The error appears on the top right of the screen indicating a linked course must be selected first.

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