Advising Frequently Asked Questions
- You can add most courses on MyUI without any required approvals until Monday, January 22 at 11:59 pm. Search for the course on the “Course Type” search on MyUI ̶ Courses and Registration, located below the List View of your current courses. Once you identify an open section that works in your schedule, you can enroll instantly by clicking on the blue “Enroll” link on the right side.
- Starting Tuesday, January 23, you will need to request permissions/authorizations from the course instructor and your advisor. Search for the course on the “Course Type” search on MyUI ̶ Courses and Registration, located below the List View of your current courses. Once you have identified an open section that works in your schedule, click on the "Initiate Add Request" link. Review the required permissions and complete the acknowledgments. Email your advisor and the course instructor to let them know you are requesting the add. Once all permissions are granted, you will be notified by email and you will have 24 hours to complete the add in MyUI.
- For assistance, review a step-by-step tutorial of the add process.
- If you do not receive the permissions by the next business day after your initiated request, call the department offering the course and your academic department or academic advisor.
- You will be able to access the course’s ICON site the following day.
- The last day to add most academic courses without Dean’s approval (which requires extenuating circumstances) is Monday, January 29 at 4:30 pm.
- See the Registrar's website for more information about adding courses.
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You can change sections on your own on MyUI without any required approvals until Monday, January 22 at 11:59 pm. Log into MyUI ̶ Courses and Registration. On the List View of your courses, scroll to the section you would like to change and click the “Change” link on right side. Select “Change Section” and choose your desired section from the list of available options. Click to confirm the change.
- Starting Tuesday, January 23, you will need to request permissions from the instructor of the new section. You can initiate a section change through email following the process outlined on the Change of Registration Form webpage.
- See the Registrar's website for more information about changing sections.
- First, check to see if there are open seats in any sections of the course you are interested in - seat availability changes frequently in the first two weeks of the semester. Search for the course on the “Course Type” search on MyUI ̶ Courses and Registration, located below the List View of your current courses. Once you identify an open section that works in your schedule, you can enroll instantly by clicking on the blue “Enroll” link on the right side.
- If all sections that work with your current course schedule are closed, select a section and click on the blue “Join Waitlist” link on the right side of the page. To increase your chances of enrolling, add yourself to any and all waitlists for sections that will work with your schedule.
- Continue to monitor email and text messages closely. If a waitlist seat is offered to you, you must follow the email/text instructions to fully add the course on MyUI. Waitlist seat offers expire after 24 hours.
- MyUI waitlists are only active until Monday, January 22 at 11:59 pm. Waitlists will no longer be used for filling seats that open up in a given course after that date. To add the course, you will need to initiate an add request and receive the instructor’s permission.
- See the Registrar's website for more information about waitlists.
- Most students can drop a class on MyUI without any permissions/authorizations until Monday, January 22 at 11:59 pm. Log into MyUI ̶ Courses and Registration. On the List view of your courses, scroll to the course you would like to drop and select the blue “Drop” link on right side of the page. Ensure that you click through all of the required screens to confirm the drop. International students and athletes may need to request additional permissions for a drop; specific instructions will be provided when initiating the drop process.
- Starting Tuesday, January 23 you will need to request permission/authorization from your academic advisor on MyUI. You can initiate the process by logging into MyUI ̶ Courses and Registration. On the List view of your courses, scroll to the course you would like to drop and select the blue “Drop” link on right side of the page. Be sure to click through all of the required screens to fully initiate the process. Once your advisor grants permission, you must log back into MyUI and complete the drop process on the Courses/Registration page.
- Note that your academic advisor is not automatically notified of your request, so you should email them to request they authorize your drop. It is your responsibility to obtain the required permissions in a timely manner, so if you do not have the requested authorization by the deadline, call your academic department to ensure that the drop is processed in time.
- Monday, April 15 by 4:30 pm is the last day to drop a class without a ‘W’ on your transcript. A ‘W’ on the transcript means you withdrew from a course. Please contact your academic advisor with any questions.
- The last day to drop most semester-length academic courses without Dean’s approval (which requires extenuating circumstances) is Monday, April 15 at 4:30 pm.
- If you are thinking of dropping all your courses, often referred to as ‘withdrawing’ from the University, contact your academic advisor or call the Student Development Center at 319-335-5763 to review the withdrawal process.
- See the Registrar's website for more information about dropping courses.
- A red asterisk (*) on your schedule indicates that there is a conflict between course times. Take a close look at the class times and ensure that none of your lectures, labs, or discussions overlap. To resolve these conflicts, follow the instructions to change sections or stop by 3612 SC to speak with an academic advisor for assistance.
- If you cannot spot overlapping course times, the conflict may be a mid-term exam that is scheduled during the regular meeting time for another course. You should plan to attend your regularly scheduled course and email the professor giving the exam to set-up an alternative testing time. This is quite common, so do not stress, but make sure you make arrangements with your professor well in advance.
- During the first two weeks of the semester, academic advisors in the Student Development Center, 3612 SC, offer drop-in hours from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm. These times are mostly for new, incoming students as they make adjustments to their first semester schedules at Iowa, but these can also be a good first stop if you are unsure who to contact.
- Beginning Monday, January 29, and continuing through the entire semester, log into MyUI to see if your advisor offers online scheduling through the Advising Appointment tile. If you do not see appointments available, email your advisor directly to request an appointment. You can also contact your academic department with questions.
- Peer Advisors are available daily between 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and 12:30 – 3:00 pm in 3612 SC. If you prefer to meet with a Peer Advisor virtually, sign up for an appointment on their website. Visit the Peer Advisor website for more information including bios, schedule by major, and the option to schedule an individual appointment with a peer advisor.
- You can add most minors and certificates on your own on MyUI ̶ Student Information ̶ Programs of Study & Advisor. You can then request a new degree audit to review the course requirements.
- Pre-health: Contact the Academic Advising Center directly by emailing advising-center@uiowa.edu or calling (319) 353-5700 and request a pre-health advisor.
- WITHIN ENGINEERING: Complete the “Change of Major/Program of Study” form on the Academic Forms page. Your major will be changed and a new advisor assigned (if needed) within one week.
- OUTSIDE of ENGINEERING: Stop by the Student Development Center, 3612 SC, to meet with a professional advisor to review the process of changing colleges. If you are making the decision during the first week of the semester, stop by as soon as possible as it may be possible to make the change effective immediately.
- The health of our community is important. Advisors in the Student Development Center are offering both virtual and in-person academic advising appointments. If you are feeling less than 100%, we encourage you to take advantage of virtual academic advising appointments or reschedule your in-person appointment for a later date.
- Specific guidance for what to do if you are sick, test positive for COVID-19, or may have been exposed, is available on the “What to do if you’re sick” UI Coronavirus website.
- If you feel sick and have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, stay home and isolate yourself as much as possible. If you develop symptoms while in class or on campus, go home or return to your dorm room. Call a health care professional who can assess your symptoms and risk factors and determine whether you need testing. Visit the Student Health website for information about how to request a test. If you need to speak to a nurse, contact Student Health by calling the Nurseline (319-335-9704). If you test positive, follow the instructions on the UI Coronavirus website. Self-report via the university's online system using this link and monitor your email for additional instructions.
- If you need to miss class, review the standard university absence from class policies and contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss how to make up work.
- The College of Engineering offers a wide range of academic support resources for students. You are encouraged to visit Engineering Tutoring, Sunday – Thursday from 6:00 – 9:00 pm, in-person in 3612 SC. Tutoring will begin on Sunday, January 21.
- Additional University of Iowa campus resources are listed here – we encourage you to try different resources to find the one(s) that will work best for you!
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