Course Registration FAQs

Course Request is the first phase of course registration. Review the Course Request dates. 

Add/Drop is the second phase of course registration. Review the Add/Drop dates.

CRN is short for Course Request Number. This is the unique identifier number for each section of a course at Virginia Tech. The first digit of a CRN number is associated with the semester:

• 1 or 2 = Spring
• 4 = Winter
• 6 = Summer I, Summer II, and Summer III
• 8 or 9 = Fall
• Example: 90100 would be a Fall CRN

A common error during course request is requesting CRNs from the wrong semester. Make sure you are requesting CRN numbers for the appropriate semester.

To check if you have a hold on your account, visit Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > View Holds. If you have a hold on your account which impacts registration, you will need to contact the office that has placed the hold prior to being able to complete course registration. If you are not able to remove your hold in time to complete course request, you will be able to add courses to your schedule during the add/drop period provided the hold is removed.

Full-time status during both fall and spring semesters is 12 credit hours. However, it is recommended you enroll in 15-17 credit hours and follow the guidelines on your intended Engineering major checksheet.

The maximum number of credit hours you can take is 19 credit hours.

There can be multiple sections of a class; some sections may be restricted while others are not. If a class you want is restricted, check other sections to see if they are restricted. View course restrictions on the Timetable of Classes or Course Registration System on Hokie Spa by clicking on the CRN or class title and reading the Course Restrictions. If all sections are restricted, you will not be able to request or register for that particular course.

If a course has an engineering major restriction (such as MINE, CE, etc.) and you aren't able to declare that engineering major during the Change of Major process, then you most likely will be dropped from the course following the Change of Major process. You will most likely need to re-add the course to your schedule during the Add/Drop process after you have declared your major following the Change of Major period.

You must be currently enrolled in the pre-requisites at Virginia Tech or have credit for the pre-requisites showing on Hokie Spa to request or add a course.

If you are completing the pre-requisite at another institution, you cannot add the follow-on course on your own using the registration system until your transfer credit for the pre-requisite is showing on Hokie Spa > Grades Menu > Transfer and Other Additional Credit. The transfer credit will not show until you have the transfer institution send an official transcript to Virginia Tech showing a C or better in the approved course equivalent and that transcript is processed by the Virginia Tech Registrar’s Office.

While you are waiting for your official transcript to be sent to Virginia Tech and processed, you can submit a force-add request. Force-adding is an administrative process which allows the department offering the course to place students into courses they cannot add themselves. A common reason for a force-add is unprocessed transfer credit for pre-requisite courses taken at other institutions. Take a look at our force-add video and the force-add webpage for instructions.

You can view your transfer credits on Hokie Spa > Grades Menu > Transfer and Other Additional Credit. If you have not sent your AP scores, IB scores, or dual enrollment transcripts to Virginia Tech, you should send them to the Registrar's Office.

If you have unprocessed transfer credit for a pre-requisite for a course you will not be able to request or register for that course. If you are unable to course request certain classes due to not having the pre-requisites showing on Hokie Spa, you will have the opportunity to add those classes during the Add/Drop period once your transfer credits are processed.

Force-adding is only available during the Add/Drop phase of course registration. Force-adds are typically not considered for instructor preference or time convenience. A common reason to request a force add is due to unprocessed transfer credit for pre-requisite courses completed at another institution. Check out our force-add video and the force-add webpage for details. Please be aware your GE Academic Advisor cannot force-add you into classes.

To transfer credits back to Virginia Tech from another institution, follow the appropriate transferring credit steps. Pre-approval is required to transfer credits from an institution not in the Virginia Community College System.

The College of Engineering change of major requirement courses are ENGE 1215, ENGE 1216, ENGL 1105, MATH 1225, and MATH 1226 for the Restricted engineering majors. Completing these courses are your first priority. Courses like CHEM 1035, CHEM 1045, ENGL 1106, and PHYS 2305 are traditionally listed on the checksheet during the first year and are not required for changing your major, but may be required for graduation. Consult the checksheets for your engineering majors of interest for degree requirements.

For many engineering majors, there is an additional course listed on the checksheet for the first-year fall semester and/or spring semester. Some of these courses include CS 1114, ECE 1004, MATH 2114, etc. While these courses are required for the individual engineering degrees and might be pre-requisite for courses listed for the second-year fall semester, these courses aren't required to be completed in order to declare your major. 

In addition to required courses, you must have a minimum of 12 GPA hours at Virginia Tech (maximum of 72 attempted hours) and have a minimum 2.0 overall GPA (a 3.0 overall GPA will guarantee your first-choice engineering major) to declare an engineering major. 

Transferring Credit
If you are transferring credit for a change of major requirement course, you must show proof of credit (unofficial or official transcript) by the transfer credit deadline. Review page Change of Major/Minor for more details.

Major-Restricted Courses
Some Engineering courses are major restricted. If you don't declare a degree-granting Engineering major by the start of the next semester, you may not be able to take major-restricted Engineering courses. View course restrictions on the Timetable of Classes or Course Registration System by clicking on the CRN or class title and reading Course Restrictions. 

Hokie Scheduler is a tool available on Hokie Spa that can be used to generate a list of courses (including the CRN for the courses).  If you decide to use Hokie Scheduler, be aware of the following:

During the course request period, you can create a tentative schedule using Hokie Scheduler, but you will still need to officially submit your preferred CRN’s on Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Course Request.

During the add add/drop period, you can view seat availability as well as add and drop courses in real time using Hokie Scheduler.

Some courses require enrollment in a 0-hour lab in addition to the lecture such as PHYS 2305 and PHYS 2306. Hokie Scheduler may not give you both lecture and lab CRNs for that course when searching for a schedule. During the course request period, use the Timetable of Classes to find the other CRN. During the add/drop period, please use the Add/Drop system to add any 0-hour labs you need. Watch our Hokie Hacks - Adding Zero Credit Labs video for instructions.

If you are considering online courses, please be sure the Virtual checkbox is selected under Select Campus upon entering Hokie Scheduler.

You will be able to look up restrictions for courses when using Hokie Scheduler, by selecting the ‘Sections’ icon for a specific course. However, if you need to look up prerequisites or corequisites, you will need to utilize either the Add/Drop system on Hokie Spa or the Timetable of Classes.

For additional information for using Hokie Scheduler, review the Hokie Scheduler Video or the Hokie Scheduler screenshot tutorial.

• If you need assistance in searching for Pathways courses using the registration systems on Hokie Spa, utilize the Hokie Hacks - Searching for Pathways video.

  If you would like to swap sections of the same course, it is recommended to utilize the Conditional Add/Drop feature on the Registration [Add/Drop] and Schedule system. For assistance in using this feature, utilize the Hokie Hacks - Conditional Add/Drop video.

  Some courses at Virginia Tech have a zero credit lab associated with the course that must be taken alongside the 3- or 4-credit lecture section. For assistance in adding both sections of the course to your schedule, utilize the Hokie Hacks - Adding Zero Credit Labs video.