Course Registration FAQs

1. Check for and resolve holds on your account which affect the registration process. Go to Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > View Holds to view hold information. You cannot submit a course request, add courses, or drop courses if you have a hold on your account which prevents registration. 
   
   
2. Complete all pre-registration requirements on Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Registration (Add/Drop) and Schedule > Prepare for Registration. Review the registration tutorial for help. 
   
   
3. Verify your transfer credits are showing on Hokie Spa > Grades Menu > Transfer and Other Additional Credit. You cannot request or add courses if the pre-requisites are not showing on Hokie Spa.  If you have not sent your expected transfer credit to Virginia Tech, follow these directions as soon as possible.
   
   
4. Download the program requirements. If you started at Virginia Tech in spring 2024 or earlier, use the checksheet of your intended major. If you started at Virginia Tech in summer 2024 or later, use the roadmap of your intended major.
   
   
5. Mark off the courses you have credit for and those you are currently enrolled in. Go to Hokie Spa > Grades Menu > View Unofficial Transcript.
   
   
6. Identify and highlight the courses you plan to take. We recommend 15-17 credits. 
   
   
7. Manually create your preferred semester schedule (days, times, modalities) using the Timetable of Classes once available. Alternatively, you can use Hokie Scheduler to generate your preferred schedule. 
   
   
8. Capture each CRN (the 5-digit number which identifies the specific section of the course).

The Office of the University Registrar manages the system availablility. Review dates.

1. Go to Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Course Request > Enter the CRN for each course > Add CRNs. You can use Hokie Scheduler to generate your preferred schedule but you cannot use it to submit your request. You can modify a submitted request until the system closes.
   
   
2. Watch our Course Request video for extra help!

The Office of the University Registrar manages the system availablility. Review dates.

1. When Add/Drop opens, review the results of your course request. Go to Hokie Spa > Course Registration and Schedule Menu > Registration [Add/Drop] and Schedule > [Add/Drop] Register for Classes > Follow the prompts > View the Summary window. Course Request is just that - a request. You are not guaranteed to receive your preferred schedule. 
   
   
2.  Monitor seat availability in the registration system to adjust and finalize your schedule in real time. Don't forget to click or tap the Submit button in the registration system every time you add or drop a course! 
   
   
3. Watch our Add/Drop video for extra help!

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.

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 is a fall CRN

A common error during course request is attempting to request 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 who placed the hold before you can 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. If you started at Virginia Tech in spring 2024 or earlier, follow the guidelines on the checksheet of your intended major. If you started at Virginia Tech in summer 2024 or later, follow the guidelines on the roadmap of your intended major.

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 also restricted. View course restrictions on the Timetable of Classes > select the CRN. You can also view restrictions in the course registration system on Hokie Spa by selecting the class title follwed by the restrictions tab. If all sections are restricted, you will not be able to request or register for that particular course.

Some sophomore in-major engineering courses are restricted to students in the respective engineering programs. This means General Engineering students may have to wait until they officially complete the change of major process to a restricted engineering program to add the course(s). The change of major process is completed once you submit the application and receive the decision email. The decision date for each cycle is available on the Change of Major Policies and Deadlines webpage for restricted programs.

If a course has an engineering major restriction and you aren't able to declare that engineering major during the upcoming change of major cycle, then you most likely will be dropped from the course once the change of major cyle is complete. 

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.

Some courses (e.g., COMM 2004) have an hours restriction. If you do not meet the threshold during the request period, you will have to attempt to add the course once your grades post for the current semester. The academic calendar outlines when grades are viewable on Hokie Spa.

You can view your transfer credits on Hokie Spa > Grades Menu > Transfer and Other Additional Credit. If you have not sent your expected transfer credit to Virginia Tech, follow these directions.

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 courses are ENGE 1215, ENGE 1216, ENGL 1105, MATH 1225, and MATH 1226 for the restricted engineering majors. Completing these courses is your first priority. 

Courses like CHEM 1035, CHEM 1045, ENGL 1106, PHYS 2305, CS 1114, ECE 1004, and MATH 2114 are traditionally listed on the checksheets and roadmaps during the first year if they are required for graduation but they are not change of major courses. If you started at Virginia Tech in spring 2024 or earlier, follow the guidelines on the checksheet of your intended major. If you started at Virginia Tech in summer 2024 or later, follow the guideliness on the roadmap of your intended 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. Engineering students with a 3.0 overall GPA are guaranteed a seat in their first choice engineering major but they must submit an application on Hokie Spa > Change of Major Application. Review the Change of Major Policies and Deadlines webpage for restricted programs for the application dates.

Transferring Credit
If you are transferring credit for a change of major course, you must show proof of credit (unofficial or official transcript with a C or better in the approved course equivalent) by the transfer credit deadline. Review the Change of Major Policies and Deadlines webpage for restricted programs for 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 > click on the CRN or the registration system > click on the Class Title. 

If you need assistance in searching for Pathways courses using the registration systems on Hokie Spa, watch 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, review 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, take a look at the Hokie Hacks - Adding Zero Credit Labs video.