Registration

Reviewed 8/2023 

Student-athletes are one of several student groups approved for priority course registration by the Educational Policy Committee. 

The Student-Athlete Academic Initiative Working Group identified and compiled recommendations from reports over the past several years and linked each report recommendation to 21 academic processes. Report Recommendations for Registration 

6.0 Registration and Priority Registration for Student-Athletes

Student-athletes, like all UNC students, must register for their courses according to the University’s registration schedule. The Office of the University Registrar manages all registration schedules and procedures. 

6.1 UNC Registration Procedures

By policy of the Faculty Council (Resolution 2007–3), the University limits students to eight semesters of full-time study. To help ensure graduation within the eight-semester limit, a student’s registration priority is based on the number of semesters completed and eligible earned credit hours; the more semesters completed and eligible earned credit hours, the higher the registration priority. For more details see the Undergraduate Registration FAQ on the Registrar website. 

6.2 Priority Registration

Priority Registration allows selected student groups to enroll in classes on the first day of registration in each wave. Registration appointments are assigned based on terms in residence. Once priority registration opens students can register throughout the remainder of the wave for up to the maximum credit hour limit. During Wave 1 undergraduates can register for up to 13 credit hours. During Wave 2 undergraduates can register for up to 17 credit hours, including 4 waitlisted credit hours. Open enrollment begins after Wave 2 at which time students can register for up to 18 credit hours. 

Several student groups currently are approved for Priority Registration: Athletics, Robertson Scholars, Chancellor’s Science Scholars, ROTC, Military students using VA Education Benefits and Tuition Assistance, and students sponsored by Accessibility Resources and Service. Priority registration cannot be requested on an individual student basis. All applications must be requested by a University Official and demonstrate rationale for the need for priority registration given the demands on the students’ activities and/or circumstances. 

6.2.1 Priority Registration Advisory Committee (PRAC)

Priority Registration is approved by the Priority Registration Advisory Committee (PRAC). Members of the PRAC are appointed by the University Registrar and include faculty, undergraduate students, the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) chair or designee, and administrators representing a range of interests and expertise. Guidance is sought from the Educational Policy Committee (EPC) and the results of the applications are shared with its members for review. 

At the beginning of each Fall and Spring term, if there are new applications for students potentially needing PRAC, the PRAC committee convenes to review all requests. The application must articulate the rationale for the need for priority registration and give the demands of the students’ activities and/or circumstances. Once a group has been approved for priority registration the request does not need to be re-submitted to PRAC each semester.  

PRAC meetings are open to the public, and all of the PRAC’s rationale statements, tallies and decisions are publicly available. The Registrar routinely reviews summary data regarding the operation of Priority Registration including specific courses in high-demand. When needed, PRAC will convene to discuss concerns or trends and suggest changes to EPC or the Registrar will discuss directly with EPC. The Registrar presents any updates or changes on PRAC to the Educational Policy Committee indicating the number of students granted or denied priority registration, along with any new System Office regulations that might impact priority registration. 

Student-athletes, including entering first-years, are granted Priority Registration for fall and spring semesters only; not for summer sessions. 

6.2.2 Impact of Priority Registration

Priority Registration enables selected groups of students to get into certain classes before they close and get into preferred time slots before they close. There is ample evidence to suggest the latter is a driving force for student-athletes especially. In Fall 2013, a sub-committee formed by Educational Policy Committee looked at the effectiveness of priority registration before re-affirming it as a policy. An analysis of the courses that student-athletes enrolled in during priority registration showed a greater than 90% (for certain teams, greater than 95%) correlation between the meeting times of the enrolled classes and the availability for class times indicated on the PRAC applications. The analysis involved multiple teams and included those who had indicated the same schedule limitations for both Fall and Spring semesters and those who had submitted different schedules for each term. This is clear evidence that Priority Registration is being used for choosing classes that best fit student-athletes’ limited schedule availability due to their participation in a sport. 

6.3 Proxy Registration

Proxy registration was allowed on a very limited basis by the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes (ASPSA) until Fall 2014. Proxy registration was infrequent (2-3 cases/semester) and allowed only in very specific situations when a student-athlete was traveling for official competition during Priority Registration and the student could not access the registration system at that time. At this time, there is no proxy registration and no alternatives are available.