Registering for classes sometimes can be overwhelming. Iowa State offers several online tools to help you plan your schedule, including the Schedule Planner, which helps eliminate conflicts between times of courses, and the ISU Schedule of Classes. Your academic advisor is also an excellent resource to help with registration.
How to Register for Classes
To prepare for registration, we recommend gathering the following items:
- Your DARS audit and Registration Access Number (RAN)
- The 4-year degree plan for your major and catalog
- Your program of study (created in CprE/EE 166)
After you have the above items, log on to AccessPlus and click on the Class Registration link to begin registering.
Registration Start Dates and Holds
Your registration start date and holds information are available on AccessPlus under the Current Student Info link. You can log in to the AccessPlus registration system at or after your start date and time.
Factors that aid in determining your start time can include classification (see below), honors status, and scholarships. The registrar’s office determines your start date and time, so please contact them if you feel something is incorrect.
Certain campus offices might place a hold on your registration, which means you are unable to register online until you talk to those offices. Common holds for ECpE students include the treasurer’s office, admissions, the health center, and registrar’s office.
AccessPlus will list a phone number for the office you need to contact to take care of your hold. Take care of your holds as soon as possible, but do not wait until your holds are cleared to pick up your registration materials.
Classification
A student is considered a sophomore when 30 credits have been earned, a junior when 60 credits have been earned, and a senior when 90 credits have been earned.
Credit Limit
Most students are allowed to register for up to 18 credits (honors members can register for 21).
You can increase your credit limit only with the permission of your advisor. To do this, arrange a meeting to tell your advisor the number of credits you want and which courses you plan to take. Your advisor usually will consider your request for more credits only if your cumulative GPA is at least a 3.0.