Students are required to both register for classes and finalize their payment arrangements by the College's registration deadline in order to be considered officially enrolled for the semester.

Students register for classes online through Student Planning in the myBarnard portal. Registration is done four times a year: advance registration in April and November, and final registration in September and January.  

Log into portal.barnard.edu. You will need a valid Barnard email login and password. If you do not know your Barnard email password, consult Student Computing Services. Go to Web Advisor and from there to Student Planning.  A brief summary is provided below, but training videos and FAQ's are available on myBarnard.

You will add courses that you find in the Directory of Classes, or the Student planning course catalog. To add a course, you can search by department or by department and course number.

To see if a section has a note attached, click on the section itself.  Notes will identify a special requirement for the course (such as a required application or writing sample or attendance at the first class).   No time conflicts are allowed; you will not be able to register for two courses that overlap. If you think you have permission for a time conflict, go to the Registrar’s Office.

Steps in the Registration Process

1. Review your online degree audit in Student Planning to identify classes you still need to take, to satisfy your degree requirements.

2. Search for classes you need or want to take: students can search the Course Catalog in Student Planning or the Columbia Directory of Classes (which lists all Columbia and Barnard classes).  Barnard students can register for any Columbia class that says it is “open to Barnard” in its course listing.

3. Add classes to your Plan in Student Planning.  Planning opens 3 weeks prior to the first registration period.

4. Consult your adviser: All students need their adviser’s permission at two stages of the process: once before their initial registration for the semester, and again to approve their final class schedule on/before the registration deadline (the second Friday of classes each semester).  Before declaring their major, students are assigned a “pre-major” adviser. When declaring a major, a student is connected with an adviser within their major department.

5. Register for classes: Student are assigned specific registration appointment times.  These can be viewed in myBarnard.  When you are  successfully registered for a class, it will change from yellow to green on your class schedule in Student Planning.

6. Be sure to register for enough, but not too many credits: Students can take a maximum of 19 credits each semester. Students may request additional credits during the shopping period in September and January. An adviser must grant approval for a student to take more than 19 credits.

7. Finalize your schedule by the registration deadline: Students can add and drop classes online through the second Friday of the semester.  

As per Barnard's usual policy, full-time enrollment status requires that students enroll in a minimum of 12 credits per semester, and a minimum of 24 credits over the course of the academic year.  

In a given semester, the maximum number of credits a student may take is 19 credits. A student’s advisor must grant approval for the student to take more than 19 credits for the semester.

Students who are registered with CARDS and need to take fewer than 12 credits (for students living on campus and students on F-1 visas) or fewer than 6 credits (for all other students) as a disability-related accommodation will need to request a Reduced Course Load through CARDS.  Students with approved reduced course loads lower than 6 credits who are on Financial Aid should also plan to schedule a meeting with their Financial Aid counselor to discuss any applicable loan implications.  
 

Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Deadlines for dropping and withdrawing from courses are listed in the academic calendar. Students can add or drop courses online through the registration deadline (the second Friday of the semester).

After the registration deadline:

• Students can no longer add credited courses. If you wish to add a lab, discussion section, zero credit course, or change a section of a course in which you are already registered, please use this form.

• To drop a course (course is removed entirely from the student’s transcript): Students should fill out this form, which is sent to their advisor for approval to drop a class after the registration deadline. If approved (the adviser does this in Slate), the student will receive an email letting them know they can drop the class via student planning up to two days after receiving the email.

• To withdraw from a course (the course remains on the transcript with a grade of W): Submit a withdrawal form with adviser approval to the Registrar’s Office before the withdrawal deadline.

• There is no refund for a course (or the fees attached to a course) that are dropped or withdrawn after the registration deadline.

Exceptions to add, drop and withdrawal deadlines:

Students with extenuating circumstances can petition to the Committee on Programs and Academic Standings.  They should start by speaking with their Class Dean. If approved to add a course late, the student will be liable for a late registration fee ($25 - $150 per course, depending on the date the petition is submitted; the precise fee chart for each semester is posted outside the Registrar’s Office).

Barnard Summer Course registration begins in SSOL from Summer 2023 forward.

Summer courses at Barnard:

For all course listings regarding summer classes, click here.

Summer 2021 coursework at Barnard or at eligible Columbia programs

Barnard students enrolled full-time in the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters may earn a maximum of 45 credits offered by Barnard or eligible Columbia programs during academic year 2020-21.  (Eligible course lists to follow.)  Of these 45 credits, a maximum of 19 credits can be earned during the summer 2021 semester at no additional tuition charge.  (Students will be responsible for paying supplementary course fees, however.).  Students cannot enroll in more than 45 credits for the academic year. 

As an exception for summer 2021:

• Credits taken at Barnard or through eligible Columbia programs during summer 2021 are excluded from the maximum of 16 summer credits -- as well as from the overall maximum of 60 external credits – that Barnard students are allowed to count towards the Barnard degree.
• Credits taken at Barnard or through eligible Columbia programs in summer 2021 will count as institutional (not transfer) credit and will count towards a student’s Barnard GPA.
• Courses and grades taken at Barnard or through eligible Columbia programs will display on the Barnard transcript as they do during the fall and spring semesters.  

Barnard students who did not enroll and pay full-time tuition in both fall 2020 and spring 2021 may be eligible to enroll in summer classes, but will be charged the Barnard per-credit tuition ($1,860 per credit) for those classes.  

All summer credit taken outside of Barnard must be pre-approved using the Summer Course Approval form, or credit will not be granted.  Students will be responsible for the tuition charged for all summer credit taken elsewhere. **PLEASE NOTE: If you are a Barnard student and you plan on taking any Columbia summer course, your student record will be affected and could impact your ability to register for upcoming Fall or Spring classes. Please contact registrar@barnard.edu prior to the next registration week to ensure your information is correct.**

If a student is approved to take courses elsewhere, these credits will count as transfer credit and will not count towards a student’s Barnard GPA.  These credits will also count towards the maximum of 16 summer credits --  and the overall maximum of 60 external credits – that Barnard students are allowed to count towards the Barnard degree.  

Online courses taken elsewhere will not be approved for credit unless they are delivered synchronously, with regularly scheduled meeting times during which students and faculty meet, albeit remotely, for the requisite 35 hours per session. 

Current juniors and rising seniors who would like to participate in study abroad opportunities in summer 2021 must first submit an application to the Barnard Global Office.  

If approved to take credits elsewhere, students must complete this form in order to apply to receive credit for each individual course.  This must be done in advance of starting the program.  Credit will not be granted unless a course has been pre-approved.

Most courses have a limit (also called a “cap”) on the number of students who can register.  Students can see the cap -- and how many students are already registered -- in the CU Directory of Classes (e.g. Enrollment: 64 students (120 max)).

If a class is full, students can choose to join the waitlist when registering in Student Planning.  

• Students can only be on 3 waitlists at a given time.  

• Waitlisted classes are yellow on a student’s class schedule in Student Planning.  

• Students who are accepted into the class will receive an email from the Columbia Registrar.  Within two business days, students should see that the class has changed to “Registered” status (changed from yellow to green) in Student Planning.

Waitlist types:

The instructor of a course with an enrollment cap can set up a waitlist in one of three ways:

• Auto-fill: As seats open up, they are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.  You can view your place on the list by logging into SSOL.

• Self-managed: Seats are filled first-come, first-served until the enrollment cap is reached.  After that point, as new spots open up, the instructor selects students individually from the waitlist according to their own criteria.

• Disabled waitlist: The course does not have a waitlist. Once the seat capacity is met, the course is full.

Instructors who are having difficulty with the waitlist functions can contact the Registrar’s Office here and select "Courses".

Courses with special registration procedures and policies:

• Physical Education:

  • Barnard P.E. classes: Only Barnard students who have not yet satisfied the P.E. requirement can register online for these classes.  Other students can attend the first class to request permission. P.E. classes begin on Monday of the second week of classes.

  • Columbia P.E. classes: Barnard students may only register at the discretion of the Columbia Physical Education Chair (336 Dodge Fitness Center).

  • Students participating in a varsity sport (PHED 1005) should register for the appropriate section of PHED 1005 in Student Planning.

  • Students who enter as first-years must complete the one required semester of PE by the end of the first year.  Transfer students should consult their transfer credit evaluation to see if a P.E. course is required.

• Dance Technique

  • Most dance technique classes will default to 0 credits.  Students can change the credit value at the point of registration in Student Planning.  Or, students can use this form for a credit adjustment.

  • Level I courses, except Dance Styles courses, receive a P/F grade and have no prerequisite. All others receive a letter grade and require a placement audition (at the first meeting) or instructor permission.

  • Dance technique classes are included in the maximum of 18 credits of studio, performance, and professional school credits that can be applied to the degree.

• Language Classes

  • Placement: To begin a language above an introductory level, contact the department to find out whether a language placement exam is required prior to registration.

• Columbia Graduate & Professional School Classes

  • Barnard students can register online for 4000- and 5000-level graduate courses as long as the courses are listed as “open to Barnard” in the CU Directory of Classes.  More advanced courses can only be added with the approval of the instructor and adviser.  

  • Barnard students can apply a maximum of two professional school courses (e.g. business school, journalism school, etc.) towards the Barnard degree. 

  • Students admitted to the 4 + 1 pathway programs should consult the appropriate faculty adviser prior to registering.

  • Teachers College courses require special registration permission. Pick up an application form from the Barnard Registrar’s Office.  TC courses require the payment of additional tuition at the Teachers College per-point rate, over and above Barnard tuition.

  • Info about SIPA classes and how/when cross-registration works for those. Specifically, that this doesn't happen until the first week of classes and students need to do the SIPA registration request form first.

• Variable Credit Classes

  • Classes that can be taken for a variable credit amount will default to lowest possible credit value.  Students can change the credits at the point of registration in Student Planning.

• Independent Study

  • To request credit for an independent study, submit the Request for Approval of Independent Study by the registration deadline. (Follow the independent study guidelines HERE.)

• Music Lessons

  • Voice Lessons at Barnard require an audition (find details here).  If approved to register, please note that there is a $500 course fee attached to voice lessons (except for students majoring in Music).  

  • Instrumental Lessons at CU.  A supplemental fee applies (except for students majoring in Music or performing in the orchestra).  See the course listing in the CU Directory of Classes for details.

  • Lessons at MSM: Students must audition at Manhattan School of Music and then send this form to registrar@barnard.edu by the registration deadline in order to have the class added to their Barnard schedule.   

• Jewish Theological Seminary Courses

  • Students in the dual-degree program with JTS should see Professor Beth Berkowitz for the list of approved courses.  Registration and tuition payment should be done through JTS (not in Student Planning).

L or "closed" course instructions

An L course is a class with a cap on the number of students who can enroll. When a maximum enrollment exists, it is listed online in the Directory of Classes. L courses are taught both at Barnard and at Columbia.

Some L classes also require the student to receive approval from the instructor and/or the department in order to enroll. If Student Planning or the online Directory of Classes indicates that some permission is required, obtain the necessary approval(s) AND register on Student Planning. If particular approval or a special procedure is required, you should follow that procedure, but you are not required to show proof of approval to the Registrar.

Signing up for L Courses

L signup will take place in mid-November, mid-April, December, periods over the summer, and the first two weeks of each semester.  See the Academic Calendar. Students do L signup as part of regular registration via Student Planning.  Registration appointment times are displayed on the Academics page of myBarnard.

You can plan courses at any time but you can register for, or drop,  a course only during your appointment times. 

If you are unable to complete the L course procedure for a particular class (e.g., the class is full) the class will remain yellow rather than green. You may continue to try to secure a place until the end of your last appointment.

Wait List Function

Note:  Not all L courses have a Wait List. 

You may join the Wait List for no more than three classes.

The process moves students off the Wait List overnight (that is, only once every 24 hours).  You will receive email from the Columbia Registrar in early morning notifying you that you have been admitted from the wait list.

The course will be green the next day (not the same day).

Unexpected Time Conflicts

Student Planning will not allow you to enter two courses that meet at the same time.

Very rarely,  Columbia may have changed a course meeting time without notifying Barnard.  If you believe the time displayed in Student Planning is wrong, please notify the Barnard Registrar's Office.

Troubleshooting

Be sure to  read all messages displayed on Student Planning before talking to the Registrar's Office.

If an L class is full and you secure the instructor’s permission to enroll (during Registration), file the L Permission form.

If you added an L Course to your myBarnard program but did not (or were unable to) complete the L-Course process, after Registration, file the L Petition form

We can better help you if you give us the exact messages you received on Student Planning.

The following steps are recommended:

• Schedule advising meetings with Returning Students before the opening of advance registration
  • Advance registration occurs in April for the Fall semester and in November for the Spring semester. (See academic calendar.)
• If you are advising New (Incoming) Students, you will meet with them during Orientation. New students register (except for their first-year requirements) during the week before classes start.
• In preparation for the meeting, access the following tools in the myBarnard portal, under Faculty Matter - Advising:
  • Email Advisees: Email your advisees in Student Planning, individually or in groups, using their Barnard email address. (For FERPA reasons, please do not email advisees at a personal email account.)
  • Student Planning: The student’s proposed, or “planned” class schedule & their transcript
  • Degree Audit: The roadmap showing a student’s progress toward meeting their degree requirements – general education and major requirements.

Please note that the major requirement portion of the audits continue to be works in progress. Be sure to consult the online catalogue and/or your department website when discussing these requirements.

• Students are assigned registration appointments, when they can register online for their desired classes and make schedule changes.
• Schedule a follow-up meeting with your advisees between the first day of class and the Registration Deadline (end of second week of classes).
  • In Student Planning: Review the student’s final class schedule and click the Review-Complete button to sign off on it. You can archive the approved schedule for later reference.

Credit Limits and Recommendations:

• Barnard students should register for a full-time course load, between 12 and 19 credits per semester.

• Students may request additional credits during  the shopping period, but as of the fall 2022 semester, their adviser must grant approval for them to take more than 19 credits.

• The minimum number of credits a student is required to take to be considered full-time is 12 credits, per Federal law. Students who wish to register for fewer than 12 credits should speak with their Class Dean.

• The ideal course load at Barnard is between 15 and 16 credits.

Other Registration policies:

• Barnard students should register for a full-time course load, between 12 and 19 credits per semester. Students are required to meet with their advisers and class dean if they wish to go below 12 credits or more than 19 credits.
• The registration system allows students to register for classes that conflict in time. This is to give students the opportunity to try out classes during the registration (“shopping”) period. Before the registration deadline, students must resolve all time conflicts on their schedules.
• Students who fail to register during the assigned time periods will be subject to progressive late fees.
• The final Registration Deadline for each semester is the end of the second week of classes. Students who drop classes after that deadline will be charged a partial tuition penalty in accordance with College policy.

Additional resources for advisers – including detailed how-to guides - are available in the myBarnard portal, under Advising.

Approve students to drop a course or take above 19 credits - Students should submit a slate form to seek approval to register for more than 19 credits during the shopping period. If approved, they will be able to register for the approved amount of credits in Student Planning.

These links are useful in registering for classes to track your degree progress and to select your courses.

• Columbia Directory of Classes
• Courses that will satisfy "Foundations" general education requirements