About Waitlists
If you are registering in a course section, and the course is full, or you do not meet the reserved capacity rule for the course, the system will automatically add you to the waitlist (if one is set up). The Workday tutorials provide more information on how to see if a course has a waitlist, and registering in a waitlisted course.
Top Tips if you are on a waitlist:
- Ensure your Workday primary email address is correct
- Regularly check both your emails and your Workday account – course changes, or being moved from a waitlist to a main section, are not always communicated by email, particularly during the add/drop period
- Ensure you do not have a registration hold on your account – this will stop you from being able to register for any course
- Ensure the waitlisted section is not in conflict with other courses. You won’t be able to accept a seat if you have a course conflict
Who Manages Waitlists
Waitlists are managed by the Department that runs the course. For example, a waitlist for an Electrical Engineering course (ELEC) is managed by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, so you should contact the Department directly with any registration-related questions.
The only exceptions to this rule are some First-Year Engineering courses, which are managed by EAS. Please see the Year 1 Engineering Courses section below for live waitlist information.
Automated versus Manually Managed Waitlists
If a waitlist is available for a course, it may either be automated or manually managed.
More Information on Automated Waitlists
- You’ll receive an automatic email and a Workday notification when a seat is available for you to register in. You may receive a notification at any time, including weekends, until the add/drop deadline
- Once you log in and choose to accept your seat, you will have to select your preferred secondary activity section (e.g. lab, discussion) that has a seat available at that time
- You will have 24 hours to accept the seat before it goes to the next student on the waitlist. You will not be able to accept the offer if there is a course conflict
Important: Automated waitlists will only send you a notification if you are eligible for the course. You will not receive a course notification and the seat offer will go to the next eligible student on the waitlist, if any of the following are true:
- you have a registration hold on your record
- you do not meet the eligibility for the course (including the reserved capacity rule) or
- you have taken the course twice before (including receiving transfer credits). Please see Registration Requests > Third+ Attempt Request for more info
More Information on Manual Waitlists
If you are on a manually managed waitlist, you will be registered in the course without a Workday notification. You will not be given a choice of secondary section (e.g. lab, discussion, etc). In most cases, you will receive an email to notify you have been registered. Changes to your registration may happen until the add/drop deadline.
Top Tips:
- You may be on multiple waitlists. When you are registered into a course, we recommend you check that the new course registration hasn’t caused a course conflict with another course you are waitlisted for.
- Ensuring your waitlisted courses are conflict-free in your schedule will avoid delays in registration or being unable to accept a seat offer.
- Please drop yourself from a waitlist if:
- you are already registered in another section of the course and don’t want to change your section
- you change your mind
- the section you are waitlisted for no longer fits your schedule
Secondary Activities (Labs, Discussions)
For APSC courses, there will be a waitlist for the primary section of the course only (typically the lecture section). Secondary activities such as labs and discussions typically do not have a waitlist.
This means you only need to waitlist for the primary section (lecture) because you will also be registered into a secondary section (lab or discussion) when you are moved off the waitlist. You may be able to use the swap tool to swap your secondary activity section when a seat becomes available.
More Information on Registering in Secondary Activities (Labs, Discussions)
Here are some tips to help you manage your secondary activity registration:
- If the waitlist is automated:
- You will prompted to log into Workday and accept the seat in your primary section. At the same time, you will be able to register in any secondary section where there are seats available
- If your preferred secondary section is full, you will have to choose an alternative section which fits with your schedule. You may be able to use the swap tool to swap your secondary activity section later, when a seat becomes available
- You will not be able to register for the primary section only. To complete your registration, you will need to register for each type of activity, such as a lecture and lab combination, or lecture, lab and discussion combination
- If you cannot find a secondary section which fits your schedule, you should decline the seat offer so the next person on the waitlist can accept the seat. The next available seat will then be offered to you
- If the waitlist is manually managed:
- You will be assigned to a secondary section section on a first-come, first-served basis. You may be able to use the swap tool to swap your secondary activity section when a seat becomes available
Understanding Registration from a Waitlist
Understanding how a waitlist is managed can be complex. Click into the course in Workday to see more details and to check the course notes for additional information about waitlists. We are unable to tell you what position you hold on the waitlist. Please use the Year 1 Engineering Courses waitlist table to see daily updates on the status of the waitlist.
Factors which will influence your registration from a waitlist
- Exceeding credit limits
- The number of people on the waitlist and the date/time that you registered on the waitlist. Waitlist priority will vary from course to course. Being on the waitlist early increases your chances of being registered, but does not guarantee registration
- Seat availability. Seats in a course become available for students on the waitlist when another student has dropped their registration in the course. Typically, we see more seats released during add/drop periods
- Conflicts in your schedule may mean you are unable to accept an available seat (automated waitlist) or unable to be offered a seat (manual waitlist)
- Registration holds
Live Waitlist Status for Year 1 Engineering Courses
Table Last Updated: Monday, December 1, 2025 at 9:00am PST
| Course | Waitlist Type | Registration Recommendation | Is Swap functionality available if already registered? | Section Switch Advice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APSC 101 | Manual | If you are not registered in the course, join the waitlist of your preferred section | No | Submit a Section Switch Form |
| APSC 160 | Automated | Seats available in some sections. You may be able to register directly in a section – please check all sections. | Yes | Join the waitlist for your preferred lecture section |
| CHEM 123 | ||||
| MATH 100 | ||||
| MATH 101 | ||||
| MATH 152 | Manual | Register on the waitlist. | No | Join the waitlist for your preferred lecture section |
| PHYS 157 | Manual | Register on the waitlist. | Only 1 section available | |
| PHYS 158 | Automated | All sections are full. Please add yourself to the waitlist. More seats are likely to become available in January | Yes | Join the waitlist for your preferred lecture section |
| PHYS 159 | Automated | All sections are full. Please add yourself to the waitlist. More seats are likely to become available in January | Yes | Join the waitlist for your preferred lecture section |
| PHYS 170 | Automated | All sections are full. Please add yourself to the waitlist. | Yes | Join the waitlist for your preferred lecture section |
| WRDS 150 | Not Available | Check sections regularly to see if seats become available. If you are not registered in the course, please email wrds.advisor@ubc.ca | Swap functionality will be available if there are sections with seats available | |
Waitlists FAQs
I’m on the waitlist. Will I get registered?
It is typical for popular courses to have a waitlist. We see the most change in seat availability during the add/drop period of each Term. You will only be able to register into a course if there is a seat available.
Being registered on a waitlist early gives you a better chance of being offered a seat. You may want to check the number of people on the waitlist before choosing a section.
Sometimes when a course is very popular, you may receive an email during the add/drop period to advise you that you are unlikely to get a seat and to look for alternative options.
How do I accept a seat offer in a course (automated waitlists)?
A step-by-step guide on how to accept a seat offer can be found here
It is important that you monitor your email frequently if you are on a waitlist. You will receive an email and a Workday notification if you are offered a seat in the course. You will have 24 hours to accept the seat before the offer goes to the next student on the waitlist.
Top Tip: You may need to scroll down and across to find the accept button, depending on the device you are using.
How will I know I have been registered in a course (manually managed waitlists)?
If you are registered in a course that has a manual waitlist, typically you will get an email to tell you that you have been registered in a course. This is not a guarantee and it is your responsibility to check your Workday account (Current Classes, under Academics) to see the courses you are registered in and the courses you are waitlisted for.
Swapping Sections when you are already registered
Changing Sections because of Preference
Here are instructions to swap a course section because of personal preference:
- For a Year 1 Engineering course, check the live waitlist table to understand how a course waitlist is being managed
- Register (or waitlist) for your preferred lecture section or contact the Department who owns the course
- There are no waitlists for secondary activities such as labs or discussions. Monitor the preferred lab or discussion section and use the swap functionality when a seat becomes available. You may need to check the section regularly as more seats may become available at the end of Term in December and in the add/drop period
- If you are switching from one Winter Term to another, don’t forget to drop your original course registration, so you aren’t registered twice in the same course
Changing Sections because of Extenuating Circumstances
If you need to swap a course section for any of the Year 1 courses managed by Engineering Academic Service (ie, courses listed in our waitlist table), and you meet the eligibility for a section switch, please register yourself on the waitlist, and submit the Section Switch Request form.