Registration Tips & Tricks

Please follow the steps below if you hope to enroll in one course:

1. Log into MyBU Student using your BU username and Kerberos password. Then complete the Duo two-step verification.
2. Click My Academics
3. Click Spring 2025 Registration Planning
4. Click Class Information on the left-hand side
5. Click Class Search
6. Search for the respective class.
   • Select the Subject (e.g. CASAN – Anthropology) and Catalog Number (e.g. 101 – Sociocultural Anthropology) of your desired course. 
   • Read the course description to make sure this is your desired course.
7. If it is your desired course, select the three vertical dots (፧).
8. Click Enroll.

You may be prompted to join the waitlist if the course is full. Depending on your requirements, you can choose to do so or not. You can find further information about waitlists later on this page.

You may want to drop a course and not add one back. This is common if the semester’s last day to add a standard course deadline has passed. To drop a course:

1. Log into MyBU Student using your BU username and Kerberos password. Then complete the Duo two-step verification.
2. Click Add/Swap Classes
3. Under Enrollment on the left-hand side, select Drop Class.
4. For the course you’d like to drop, select the check box. 
5. Click Drop in the top right corner.
   • You will be prompted to confirm your decision to drop. After confirming, you will see the status of your course (i.e., if it’s been successfully dropped).

Please note: students who plan to enroll in less than 12 academic units in a semester should check in with their advisor as soon as possible.

Check out this quick card and guide with visuals on how to drop a course.

MyBU Student allows students to swap classes, which means to drop one course and replace it with another at the same time.

To swap a class:

1. Log into MyBU Student using your BU username and Kerberos password. Then complete the Duo two-step verification.
2. Click Add/Swap Classes.
3. Under Enrollment on the left-hand side, select Swap Classes.
4. For the course you’d like to swap, select Swap This Class. 
5. You can then select with class from Shopping Cart or with class from Search.
   • We recommend choosing the option you are most prepared for (e.g., if you’ve already added a course to the shopping cart).
   • You may also choose with class from Class Number. This refers to the course’s inventory number (e.g., 2616), not the course code (e.g., CAS EC 101).
6. Confirm your swap. You will receive an update with the status of your swap. 
   • If there were any issues switching (e.g., the class is full), you will receive the relative message.*

*If the course you hope to switch into is full or has a waitlist, you will be informed of this. We encourage you to plan for an alternative. You can find out more about waitlists and full/closed courses later on this page.

Please note: You can swap classes until the deadline to add the course. You can review a course’s deadlines under the three vertical dots in your Class Schedule.

You can find visual instructions on how to swap classes with this quick card and guide.

MyBU Student has an Edit Enrollment function which allows you to switch a non-unit bearing class section (e.g., a discussion or a lab).

To edit enrollment:

1. Log into MyBU Student using your BU username and Kerberos password. Then complete the Duo two-step verification.
2. Click Add/Swap Classes
3. Under Enrollment on the left-hand side, select Edit Enrollment.
4. For the course you’d like to edit, select Edit this Class. 
5. You can then select the new section you’d like to switch to.
   • If the class has a lab and a discussion, you can select the component you are specifically looking to adjust. 
6. Confirm your edit. You will receive an update with the status of your edit. 
   • If there were any issues switching (e.g., the class is full), you will receive the relative message.*

*If the section you hope to switch into is full, you will be informed of this. Please note, you must be enrolled in all necessary components. As a result, you can only switch a discussion or lab section if seats are available in the new section.

If you want to switch to a different lecture section (e.g., AA to BB) or independent section (e.g., CAS WR courses), you will need to use the Swap Classes function mentioned above.

Please note: You can edit sections until the deadline to add the course. You can review a course’s deadlines under the three vertical dots in your Class Schedule.

If you’d like to explore courses to fulfill specific Hub requirements, you can do so through the Class Search feature:

1. Log into MyBU Student using your BU username and Kerberos password. Then complete the Duo two-step verification.
2. Click MyBU Student Dashboard.
3. In the menu on the left hand side, select Class Information, then Class Search.
4. Check the semester in the first filter box. Adjust if necessary.
5. Select the drop down filter for Course Attribute, then choose Hub Requirement. 
6. Select the Course Attribute Value drop down filter, then click the respective Hub requirement (e.g., HUB Creativity/Innovation).
   • If you are searching for a course that could fulfill multiple Hub requirements, select the ‘+‘ symbol then repeat steps 6 and 7.
7. Click Search.

Tip: We recommend using the “Show Open Classes Only” option so you can see what’s still available.

View the semester’s courses that fulfill your selected Hub requirement(s). If you find a course you like, follow the registration steps above (e.g., Swap Classes, Adding a Class) as applicable.

MyBU Student will state whether a course is open, full, closed, or on waitlist. It may also list if a course has reserved seats with a ⚠ symbol.

• Waitlist: If a class is on waitlist either through MyBU Student or the department, plan/register for an alternative course then join the waitlist. We’ve included further information about waitlists below. 
• Full/Closed: Some classes may be full and/or closed without a waitlist in MyBU Student. As a result, we encourage you to plan for an alternative course. You can check MyBU Student periodically to see if/when a seat may open.
• Reserved Seats: If a class is “open” but the remaining seats are reserved, hover over the the information icon (⚠) to see further information (e.g., unreserved seats open, a date the seats may open, waitlist information).

If you are still unsure what steps to take for a full or closed course, please review the Spring 2025 Full/Closed Class Procedure document. 

There are two types of waitlists you may encounter when registering for courses. One is through MyBU Student. The second is a separate list run through the respective department or school.

Please note, not all classes may use a waitlist. Please review any notes or class statuses listed in MyBU Student.

If you plan to join a waitlist through MyBU Student, keep in mind:

• You can join up to 16 waitlisted units in MyBU Student. (This is typically four waitlists.)
• When you join a MyBU Student waitlist, you can designate a course to “drop” if you’re moved off the waitlist. If you’ve already joined the MyBU Student waitlist, you can use Enrollment > Edit Enrollment to add or revise your designated course to drop.
• You will likely not be notified if you are enrolled from the waitlist into the course itself. Please check your Class Schedule periodically to see your placement on the waitlist and/or if you’ve been enrolled in the course.
• Please note, students are enrolled off the waitlist as long as they have met the following: 
  • No time conflicts with the waitlisted course
  • Meet any restrictions/reserved seats
  • Would not be enrolled in over 20 academic units.
• If you no longer wish to enroll in a course you are waitlisted for, be sure to drop the waitlist course. You can do so through the Drop a class feature mentioned above. If you do not drop the waitlisted course, there’s a chance you will later be added to that course (and potentially dropped from another, if you used that feature).

If you join a waitlist run through a department, be sure to review their waitlist information. You can follow up with the department/school if you have additional questions after reading through their information.

You can find out more about Class Status & MyBU Student Waitlists on this quick card!