For the latest information from UT on Covid-19 please visit https://coronavirus.utexas.edu/
The HE advisors are happy to help you before and during registration, but it is important that you’ve taken steps to plan and be ready for each registration period. Please take a moment to review the steps to being prepared and look at the following registration information.
While our physical office is currently closed, our advisors are still available for virtual advising appointments. Please email headvising@austin.utexas.edu for assistance with setting up an appointment. If you are located in another time zone and our normal operating hours (8:30am-noon CST and 1:00pm-4:30pm CST) do not work for you to schedule an appointment, please let us know and we will accomodate you and help get an alternate time set up.
If you find that you have issues registering for a Summer or Fall 2021 course in a Human Ecology department as a result of using a COVID-19 pass/fail for a Fall 2020 course, please send us an email to headvising@austin.utexas.edu and we will create a pre-requisite waiver on your behalf.
spring 2021 academic Timeline
The Academic Calendar is the official listing for all the important academic events/dates each semester.
- January 19th: First class day.
- January 22nd: Fourth class day.
- Last day to add a class online without departmental permission.
- Waitlists become inactive and no longer relevant after today.
- Starting Monday, Jan 25th: adding a class requires permission from the department offering the class and isn't gauranteed (contact that department's advising center directly for more guidance)
- February 3rd by 5pm: Twelfth class day.
- This is the date the official enrollment count is taken. Last day an undergraduate student may add a class except for rare and extenuating circumstances.
- Last day to delete drop a class by 5pm without it being a "Q" drop remaining on transcript. Drops after today will be a Q drop.
- March 15th-19th: Spring Break
- April 5th by 5pm*:
- Standard Pass/Fail Deadline for spring 2021 classes (different eligiblity and policies than the available COVID-19 pass/fail exceptions for fall 2020 and spring 2021 which have a deadline of May 28th);
- The Q Drop Deadline is extended to May 11th.
- Last day to apply to graduate for May 2021 graduates; or last day to apply to walk/participate in May ceremony (and graduate in the summer)
- Course Schedules: March 30th (Summer) & April 6th (Fall)
- April 12th: Advising Worksheet due for summer and fall 2021 to clear advising bar
- April 19th-30th: Registration for Summer and Fall 2021
- May 7th: Last class day.
- May 11th*: Q Drop Deadline (the one-time exception "OTE" late Q drop does not apply as the normal Q drop deadline is extended to May 11th)
- May 12-15th, 17-18th: Final exams
- May 28th*: COVID-19 Pass/Fail Request Deadline for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 (refer to any emails from University and advisor)
*Pass/fail options, Q drop, and withdrawal deadlines: details and request links were sent via email in March and can also be viewed in your Secure Academic Note inbox and on the CNS Student Services website.
Before/During/After Registration
Please refer to the Departmental Information page each semester for specific information regarding registration details and/or changes within your major (ex. prerequisite updates, common registration issues, etc.)
Before You Register
Academic advising appointments:
- 30-minute virtual registration advising appointments occuring now:
- Starting in early April through April 30th, appointments will be shorter geared towards summer and fall registration only. Full graduation planning may require a follow-up appointment after April 30th.
Summer and Fall 2021 Registration: April 19 - 30
Preparing for registration and advising appointments:
- View Classes, Registration Times, and Bars:
Course Schedules: Summer will be posted March 30th by 5pm (registration times posted March 31st). Fall will be posted April 6th by 5pm (registration times posted April 7th)
Links: Course Schedule & Registration Information Sheet
(Advising Bars: If you've previously cleared your advising bar during an advising appointment this semester, your bar will take about 24 hours to clear automatically. Contact your advisor if you notice your bar is not cleared on/after April 8th).
- Clear Advising Bar:
All HE students advised at the Human Ecology Advising Center will have a registration advising bar.
To clear your bar before registration, submit an Advising Worksheet with proposed classes by April 12th for your advisor to review or schedule an advising appointment. If you've already had an advising appt this semester, your bar was likely already cleared.
It is still recommended to submit a worksheet even if you plan to have an appointment before you register. See links below for guidance on what classes might come next for you!
- Review Requirements:
View the following to prepare for an advising appointment and registration. See registration instructions here.
- Major-Specific Updates:
Before you register, see registration news for your major on the departmental pages below including important prereq updates, common registration issues/questions, etc.
Also see our FAQ page.
- Back-ups, Back-ups, Back-ups:
Make sure you plan for back-up courses/sections in your schedule and USE THE WAIT LISTS!
- “Add to Waitlist” is the second bullet on your registration page after you've attempted to add the class. See below!
- If a class doesn't have a waitlist available, the option won't appear and you need to keep checking for availability throughout registration and add/drop.
- Selecting a SWAP class is optional, but please do if there is a time conflict or if adding the waitlisted class would put you over 17 hours.
- You can be on a maximum of 4 different wait list
- And a maximum of 2 waitlists for the same course.

Know the lingo:
- Advising Bars – All HE students will have an advising bar. This will be cleared once you complete an advising worksheet and/or schedule an appointment with your assigned academic advisor.
- SANs – Secure Academic Notes. These SANs are sent to the official email address that you have on file. If you are not receiving these emails, you are responsible for making sure that you update email your address online. You should check your spam folder as well.
During Registration
- Check back for any important updates about registration from the HE Advising Center.
- If you find that you have issues registering for a Spring 2021 course as a result of taking a Spring 2020 course Pass/Fail, please send us an email to headvising@austin.utexas.edu and we will create a pre-requisite waiver on your behalf.
- Select alternate classes if the classes you want are full, and check back again during add/drop.
- Use waitlists! “Add to Waitlist” is the second bullet on your registration page after you've attempted to add the class. See below!
- If a class doesn't have a waitlist available, the option won't appear and you need to keep checking for availability throughout registration and add/drop.
- Selecting a SWAP class is optional, but please do if there is a time conflict or if adding the waitlisted class would put you over 17 hours.
- You can be on a maximum of 4 different wait list
- And a maximum of 2 waitlists for the same course.
- Don’t panic! Your schedule will probably not be perfect during your first registration time, but do your best. Things tend to settle in your schedule around add-drops. As long as you have the number of hours you need and classes on your schedule, you’re going in the right direction.
After You Register
- Create an updated Interactive Degree Audit that includes your "Future Registered Courses" to make sure you registered for things you need towards your degree. See this handout, How to Run & Read an IDA, about how to create and read your Degree Audit.
- Make an appointment with your advisor to go over your 4-year degree plan. It will make future registrations go smoothly and will keep you on track to graduate. 30-minute advising appointments are still available after the last day of registration.
- PAY TUITION! Don’t forget to pay tuition or confirm that you are paying with Financial Aid. Otherwise, you’ll be dropped from all your classes. Check the Academic Calendar for deadlines.
- Check your Registration Information Sheet for add/drop times in January.