The New Student Registration Webinar walks students through what courses to register for and how to plan and register courses. For more information on how to choose courses, please see the First-Year Course Registration page. 

Starting in early June, First Year Advisors will be giving students advice and feedback throughout their first year on campus. Students can email their assigned advisor or make an appointment with them if they have any questions or concerns about their courses. If there are questions before an advisor is assigned, please email fyadvising@american.edu. 

If students are Undecided, that is okay! This first year is about exploring an intended major through the AU Core Curriculum. Students will work with their First Year Advisor to explore interests and complete first year AU Core Requirements (AUx, Complex Problems, Written Communication and Information Literacy I, and Quantitative Literacy I).

All first year students will have an intended major in their first academic year. Students can officially declare a major, add a minor (if they choose), and add a second major (if they choose) in the second year with their major advisor.

Students can change intended majors over the summer and through the first semester. After the first semester, students will be able to change intended majors as long as they have a minimum 2.0 GPA.

Depending on interests, students should work with their First Year Advisor to see if a double major is possible within their ideal time frame and if they should start taking courses for a potential double major in the first year.

Electives are courses that are not required for intended majors, minors, or part of the AU Core. Electives are an opportunity to take courses to explore other areas of interest that students would otherwise not take as part of their major curriculum while still gaining credits towards the 120 credits minimum needed to graduate.

A waitlist occurs when a course section is full and appears as a yellow box with a red outline on the Student Planner in Eagle Service. Seats open up to students on the waitlist when another student drops the section. If a seat becomes available, the first student on the waitlist will receive an email before 8am the morning after the seat is available. The student will then have until 5:59am the day after this email was sent to register. Students should check their AU email daily when on a waitlist. Students will have to register by the deadline or the spot will be forfeited. Emails are sent 7 days a week and all deadlines are in EST.

Before students waitlist a course, they should always first register for another section of the same course (if possible) or register for an alternate course – “Wait to waitlist.” Planning a course without waitlisting does not hold a spot on the waitlist nor are spots guaranteed once someone is on a waitlist.

To waitlist for a course, click the “Waitlist” button in Eagle Service under the course info. Eagle Service shows the total number of waitlisted students. Students can check their spot on the waitlist on the MyAU Portal under the Academics tab called “Waitlisted Sections” and under the course in the Student Planner in Eagle Service. Students can only be on 3 waitlists total and cannot waitlist for more than one section of the same course. If students are waitlisted for a required course, they should consult with their First Year Advisor for appropriate back-up courses.

The AU Core is the curriculum all students will complete over their time at AU with an inquiry-based focus. The required courses are outlined here: https://www.american.edu/provost/undergrad/core/overview.cfm

Students can see the requirements for all majors, minors, and certificates in the "Academic Programs" section of the Course Catalog. Students can check their progress through Eagle Service (under "My Progress" in the Student Planner) and consult with their First Year Advisor if any questions arise.

All students can make changes to their schedule including adding or dropping courses during the add/drop period. The add/drop period is the first 10 business days of the semester. During the add/drop period, students may add or drop courses or change course sections, except when academic unit or teaching unit explicitly prohibits it, without penalty or notice on their transcript. Students should consult with their First Year Advisor prior to adding or dropping a course.

After the add/ drop date, students can withdraw from a course up until the tenth week of the semester. The Academic Calendar outlines specific deadlines and the percentage of a refund one may be eligible for depending on when they withdrew from a course. Students should consult with their First Year Advisor prior to withdrawing from any classes.

Students should expect to take at least 12 credits, which is considered full time student status. We recommend students complete on average 15 credits every semester. This will keep them on track for graduating.

Especially during the first year, we would recommend keeping credit loads between 14.5-16.5 credits.

Once a student exceeds 17.5 credits, the number of credits allocated to have full-time status, students will be charged additional tuition as a result of the credit load. Additionally, the credit overload requires approval, which is rarely granted during the first year. Students should discuss with their First Year Advisor for more information.

Students are only required to take the Language Placement Exam at AU if a language is required as part of a major or minor or in order to receive credit from an AP language exam with a score of a 5. 

The language course students should take depends on the Language Placement Exam score and intended major. Student who are intended International Studies majors, should discuss with their First Year Advisor if they want to take Hebrew or Korean due to course availability.

If students are starting a NEW language and have no prior experience with the language, they do not need to take the Language Placement Exam– they will start at the Elementary I level of that respective language. Students should communicate this with their First Year Advisor.

If students are planning to pursue a major or minor that eventually requires Calculus, they will need to complete the Math Placement Exam to ensure placement into the appropriate course. Check the exam website for the list of majors that require the exam. You can find the Math Placement Exam as a part of your New Student Checklist. 

For more information about the Student Planner in Eagle Service, please visit the Student Planning page from the Office of the Registrar.

You can also review the Eagle Service 101: Building Your Course Planner.