By Amanda Lagoe, Assistant Registrar 

With the start of the new year comes the beginning of a new term at SUNY Empire State College. Whether it is adjusting your current registration or registering for the first time, the Office of the Registrar knows you have questions. We hope you find the answers you need in our responses to some of our most frequently asked registration questions. 
 

Do you have any guides I can reference while I register for courses? 

Yes! We have two great documents that provide step-by-step registration instructions and answers to many of your registration questions. Be sure to check out our Registration Quick Guide and our Registration FAQ. You can find them on MyESC or by searching the Public Knowledge-Base Article Database via the IT Service Desk (MyESC or www.esc.edu).  

  

Why am I unable to register? 

A complete registration block is likely due to a hold on your account. The first thing to do is visit your Student Profile in Self-Service Banner. Under Registration Notices, you’ll see any issues that may impact registration, such as immunization, past balance due, completion of orientation, needs primary mentor, or academic dismissal. You will need to resolve that issue before you can register. Also, if you have recently applied to the college but are not an active student, you may have been accepted for a future term and will need to contact the Admissions Office. 

If you received an error message when you tried to register, review the error message, as it will indicate the issue. For more information on error messages, visit our FAQs page.  

Please clear your browser’s cache if you receive a web page error. You can also check MyESC to see if there is a system issue or contact the IT Service Desk. 

  

Should I use the term guide or the course catalog? 

You should use the term guide to search for courses offered in the Spring 2023 term. Once you select Spring 2023, you will see all of the courses currently offered by the college during this term, as well as the instructor and capacity status. While you can see this information in the course catalog too, the course catalog is a tool to aid you in planning your degree, as it shows all the courses the college could offer.  

  

How do I use the waitlist? 

If a section is full when you attempt to register, you can take a spot on the waitlist if it is available. You will see a course’s waitlist status in the term guide. Please note that not all courses have a wait list option. Once you are on the waitlist, you will be notified when a seat opens, and you will have an opportunity to register for that section. It is important to remember that you are not registered for the course while you are on the waitlist, nor are you guaranteed a seat. You will not be able to join the waitlist once the add/drop period has started. 

  

Why is the course I registered for not on my schedule? 

Once you have added a class to your registration or have made any changes to your registration, you must click “Submit” in the bottom right-hand corner to finalize the action. The course will show initially as “Pending” on your summary, but it will disappear if you do not click submit before exiting.  

  

How do I know what time my course meets? 

You will find your course meeting times in the term guide and on your schedule (MyESC, Registration and Course Offerings icon, and then Begin or Modify Registration – it will be in the lower left-hand corner). Remember, only study groups, virtual study groups, and residencies will have specific meeting times. Online, college-wide, and independent studies are asynchronous.  

  

Why can’t I register for Educational Planning? 

Most sections of Educational Planning will not be found in the term guide. The sections that display there are for specific groups of students. All other students must contact their mentor for the specific CRN to use. Once you have the CRN, you must register using the Enter CRNs tab under Register for Classes. See our Student Registration Quick Guide for detailed instructions.  

 

If your question didn’t make our list, contact the Office of the Registrar at RegistrarsOffice@esc.edu for assistance.