Pre-Enrollment
The majority of Biometry and Statistics (BTRY) and Statistical Science (STSCI) courses are open to direct enrollment during the pre-enrollment period.
In a few cases, however, we restrict pre-enrollment to department-affiliated students due to high demand. Non-affiliated students (including undergraduates pursuing our minors) will be able to add themselves to those course waitlists when the add/drop period opens just before the semester starts.
Please note that while we do everything we can to accommodate non-department affiliated students, you should pre-enroll into a backup course in case you do not get off the waitlist during the add/drop period.
Pre-enrollment and add/drop dates for the forthcoming semester are available on the Cornell University Guide to Enrollment webpage.
Course Waitlists
Waitlists for BTRY and STSCI courses will open in Student Center during add/drop. Waitlists will be provided for any course that has enrollment restrictions or that has reached its maximum capacity.
BTRY/STSCI Waitlist FAQs
Q. I am a Biometry and Statistics/Statistical Science major and want to enroll in a Bowers CIS Computer Science or Information Science course that has a waitlist. Do I get priority as a Bowers CIS major?
A. If the course has a waitlist, you will have priority over non-Bowers CIS students who also wish to enroll in the course, even if their waitlist number is higher than yours. First priority, however, will go to any of that department’s majors who might be on the course waitlist (e.g., CS majors for a CS course). If there is space after those students are all admitted, other Bowers CIS majors will be placed into the course in descending order by class year and term before we move non-Bowers CIS majors into the course. The same policy would apply to a CS or IS major wishing to enroll in a BTRY or STSCI course with a waitlist. Learn more about CS enrollment policies and IS enrollment policies.
Q. I am pursuing the Actuarial Science, Biometry and Statistics, or Data Science minor, but the course I want is not letting me pre-enroll. Why not?
A. While many Statistics and Data Science courses are open to direct enrollment by all students, we do have a few courses where, due to high demand, registration is initially restricted to our undergraduate majors and/or professional/graduate students due to high demand. In these cases, please add yourself to the course waitlist when the add/drop period opens and, in the meantime, please enroll in a back-up course. Please note that our minors are flexible; there are many ways to fulfill the requirements if you are unable to enroll in the course you are targeting. Learn more.
Q. When do waitlists open?
A. Waitlists open on the first day of the add/drop period. You can find the schedule on the Cornell University Guide to Enrollment webpage.
Q. Will all STSCI/BTRY courses have waitlists in the Student Center?
A. No. A few courses require special applications or instructor permission. In those cases, more information will be posted within the course listing on the Course Roster.
Q. How will I be able to tell if a course has a waitlist?
A. Once add/drop begins, any course with an online Student Center waitlist will have a "waitlist if class is full" checkbox on the "Select a Class to Add - Enrollment Preferences" page.
Q. How do I add myself to a course waitlist?
A. During add/drop, select the “waitlist if class is full” checkbox on the "Select a Class to Add - Enrollment Preferences" page in Student Center before you complete your enrollment. This will ensure you are added to the waitlist when you “check out” with your “shopping cart” of courses.
If the course does not have a Student Center waitlist, please review the notes within the course’s listing within the online Course Roster to see if there is a different waitlist process available.
Q. In what order will students be admitted to a class from the waitlist?
A. Your waitlist number does not reflect your actual place on the waitlist. Instead, priority is given to department-affiliated students, typically in descending order by class year and term (e.g., STSCI/BTRY majors who are second-semester seniors would be given first priority, followed by first-semester seniors, then second-semester juniors, etc.). If all majors are cleared from the waitlist, non-majors are moved into the course in the same priority order as majors (space permitting).
Please note that being a major does not guarantee you a seat in a course. Your best course of action is to enroll in your classes as soon as your pe-enrollment period opens.
Q. How will I know if I have been moved from the waitlist to the course?
A. You will receive an email with a permission number (PIN) to enroll. Permission codes are distributed on a rolling basis by the Bowers CIS course team beginning on the Thursday after add/drop begins. See “How to Use a Permission Number” for instructions.
Key Links
Resources
Undergraduate Academic Advising
Biometry and Statistics and Statistical Science majors and pre-majors are welcome to make an academic advising appointment with our professional staff advisor to discuss their course plans.
Advising assignments, office hour information, and appointment booking can be accessed by logging in to Cornell Chatter and navigating to the Bowers CIS Student Services tab.
Have a quick question? Please write to Julia Aquadro, Bowers CIS assistant director of undergraduate advising, at jra269@cornell.edu.
Course Enrollment Questions
Please submit a ticket on our Courses Help page.
Last updated: August 16, 2024
