Waitlist Information

What is a Waitlist?

Waitlists are lists of students who want to get into a particular section that is already full. If a registered student drops from the section, the first person on the waitlist is sent an automatic email at the end of that day giving them 72 hours to log into Workday and register for the open seat. The open seat is then held for the waitlisted student during this timeframe and no one else can register for it. This situation will appear on Workday with the course status listed as “waitlisted” but with 1 seat available. This is the seat held for the waitlisted student who has the permission to register.

If the first waitlisted student does not register within the 72 hour window, they are automatically removed from the waitlist. An automatic email is then sent to the next person on the waitlist and they have the chance to register. If there are no additional students on the waitlist, the course will be open to registration for everyone.

Should I add myself to a waitlist?

Being on the waitlist does not guarantee that you will get into a course section. The Office of the Registrar always recommends that students register for another section, if at all possible.

Adding yourself to a waitlist is a last resort if you cannot register for a section that is open. For most programs (except the Nursing, Social Work, and MBA/HCMBA online programs and the Social Work on-the-ground program), waitlisted students may seek the consent of the professor to be registered for a course section that is full (learn more on our Instructor Consent page).

For Simmons Online Nursing, Social Work, and MBA/HCMBA students, it is important that you either register for a section or waitlist for a section of each course that you need, to ensure we know how many total seats for each course offering are needed. The only way to guarantee yourself a spot in a section is to be registered for it. You can’t register for one section and waitlist yourself for another section of the same course. Additional seats will not be added to a particular section just because there is a large waitlist. New seats will only be added if more students need the course than the number of total seats available for all sections of the course.

Waitlists Closing

Waitlists are typically closed one week before the term begins. At this point, the waitlists are dissolved and all waitlisted students are dropped from the waitlist. Any seats that open up in a course section after waitlists are closed will be available for any student to register for, so students should continue to watch Workday to see if spaces open up; students will not be automatically contacted about open spaces after waitlists are closed.

If a seat becomes available in a course section you would like to register for after online registration is closed, email the Office of the Registrar to request to be added to the course. Additional permissions may be needed, depending on how far into the Add/Drop Period is.