General Registration Overview

1. Q. What is the difference between regular and special session?
   A. Funding and residence. Regular session is state-supported and state-subsidized and is for students who live within the catchment area of San José (zip codes: 936xx - 96xxx). The cap on the number accepted is related to the amount of money received from the State. Special session is totally funded from student fees and is for students who live outside the catchment area of San José (i.e., Southern California and the rest of the United States and the world.)
   Both regular session and special session classes have the same instructors, the same assignments, the same content, the same timelines, and are delivered totally online. SLIS no longer offers any face-to-face classes.

2. Q. Can a student switch between regular session and special session classes?
   A. No. Students are admitted in either regular or special session and cannot switch. Also, regular session students cannot take special session classes, and special session students cannot take regular session classes.

3. Q. How do I register for classes?
   A. Students register for classes using the PeopleSoft system accessed through the MySJSU Web site. Select your classes in our SLIS current class schedules before registering in MySJSU. See details about the registration procedure.

4. Q. Do you offer every class every semester?
   A. Courses are scheduled based upon an established rotation (see the rotation schedule) which indicates when particular courses will be taught.

Frequently Asked Questions

5. Q. What registration information can I find on the SLIS Web site? The University Web site? What registration questions do I ask my advisor? My instructors?
   A.
   The SLIS web site:

   • Course schedules for upcoming, current, and previous semesters
   • Specific procedural information
   • Faculty greensheets (syllabi) for current and many previous semesters
   • Yearly course rotation
   • Suggested career directions, e.g., academic librarian, public librarian, etc.

   The University:

   • Registration times
   • Registration processes
   • Registration deadlines such as add/drop periods
   • Charges for classes based upon the add/drop dates

   Your Advisor:

   • Questions about courses needed to meet your career goals
   • Questions about prerequisites
   • Questions about numbers of courses you should plan to take

   Your Instructors:

   • Clarification of issues you do not understand from your review of their greensheet (syllabus)
   • Academic queries about the course content and work load

6. Q. How will I know when Advance Registration starts for my first semester?
   A. SLIS faculty and staff email this information as well as other important announcements and last-minute administrative changes to current students through the SLISAlert notification system. All currently-enrolled students are automatically members of SLISAlert and will receive announcements regarding registration.

7. Q. When can I register for classes?
   A. Regular session students: You will be given an appointment time that will appear on MySJSU (see the tutorial How To View Enrollment Appointment [ PDF]). You may register for classes any time after your appointment time. For information about priority registration, see SJSU's Priority Registration page. Appointment times are set by the Registrar's Office; the School of Library and Information Science has no control over them. Contact erecords@sjsu.edu regarding these issues.

   Special Session Students: We at SLIS set a date for special session registration. All special session students have the same appointment time and can enroll at any time after special session enrollment opens. Please check the SLIS master calendar often to see when the registration date is each semester.

8. Q. How do I register for classes? How do I add a class?
   A. You must register for your classes through the university registration process via MySJSU. See: Class Registration Process

9. Q. How do I get on a waitlist? How do waitlists work? How long will I be on the waitlist before I know if I’ve been enrolled? What if I am enrolled in one section because it is open but I really want another section of the same class?
   A. If a class is full but still has an open wait list, you will be able to get on the waitlist if you select the "waitlist" option when trying to add it. Here's how the waitlist works: when a registered student drops a class, a space opens up. The first person on the waitlist automatically gets registered for the class and everyone else on the waitlist moves up a spot. You will receive a message in your MySJSU notifying you when and if you have been registered for the course.

   If there is a long waitlist to get into a class and you are further down on the list, you should probably stay with the class you're already in. If you are already in a section of the class and add yourself to a waitlist for another section, the system will ignore you.

10. Q. What will my tuition be?
    A. See: Fees

11. Q. Do I pay for the entire degree up front? How and when do I pay my tuition fees?
    A. You only pay tuition fees for the classes you register for each semester. Once Advance Registration starts, go to MySJSU, add your class(es), then go to the "Finances" section of your MySJSU Student Center web page and use "account inquiry" to find out how much you owe, how to pay, and when your payment deadline is. Payment deadlines may as short as 2 days after or as long as 3 weeks after you register.

12. Q. Who do I contact with registration problems?
    A.
    • If you cannot access the system: Email cmshelp@sjsu.edu
    • If you have problems seeing the correct screen or problems with incorrect IDs: Email erecords@sjsu.edu
    • Problems with holds: The hold will tell you who to contact
    • Other problems: Contact our Student Services Coordinator.

13. Q. What is D2L?
    A. See: SLIS Online Learning and our D2L tutorials

14. Q. I don't have a D2L account — how do I get one?
    A. See your New Student Checklist.

15. Q. I forgot my D2L login, could you give it to me again?
    A. Please contact Dale David.

16. Q. Now that I have registered for my classes, what happens next?
    A. Nothing until classes begin. Go over your New Student Checklist to be sure you have completed all the steps you need to. Look for textbook information to be available about six weeks before classes begin and class syllabi to be available a few days before classes begin. Check your MySJSU Student Center web page regularly for messages.

17. Q. How many classes are "part-time" and how many do I need to take to be a "full-time" student? How many classes do I need to take for financial aid?
    A. We at SLIS do not set a full time or part time limit. The Bursar's Office regards 9 units as full time for a graduate student taking 200 level classes. Students need to enroll in at least 4 units (200 level courses) each semester in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid. The amount of aid awarded is based on how many units you take.

    If you are a regular session student and have any other questions about financial aid, please contact The SJSU Financial Aid Office at 408-283-7500.

    If you are a Special Session student and have applied for Financial Aid, you may email Carol Garcia or call her at 408-924-6081 for further assistance.

18. Q. MySJSU won't let me re-register for a class I took but failed last semester. What do I do?
    A. For Core Courses (LIBR 200, 202, and 204): Students who entered SLIS in Spring 2009 or later must make a B (i.e. a B- or less) in the core classes. If you make less than a B in a core class, you will be put on Administrative Probation and you must repeat that core class. You cannot re-enroll yourself in that class; contact our Student Services Coordinator instead. If you do not make a B the second time you take the class, you will be disqualified from the MLIS program.

    For LIBR 289:If you take this course and receive a “NC” grade, you will be placed on Administrative Probation.  You will not be able to re-enroll yourself to take the class again; contact our Student Services Coordinator instead. If you do not make a “Credit” grade the second time you take this class, you will be disqualified from the MLIS program.

    For All Other Courses: You cannot re-register for a failed course during advance registration. You must wait until a week before the semester begins and then email the course instructor to request a permission number. Permission numbers are given at the discretion of the instructor so emailing the instructors does NOT ensure a spot in the course. If the instructor does email you a permission number, you must wait until the first day of class to use the permission number on MySJSU. The deadline for adding a class in this manner is the 14th business day of instruction in any semester.

19. Q. Why am I being blocked from registration?
    A. Some possible reasons:
    • Make sure you are registering for the upcoming semester, not for the current or a past semester.
    • You are trying to register for a class for which you are not eligible — regular session students cannot take special session classes and special session students cannot take regular session classes.
    • You have not met the prerequisites (see Course Descriptions).
    • You have not enrolled in classes for more than a semester and have become an "inactive" student.
    • Check your MySJSU account to make sure there are no holds. Some common causes for holds are:
      1. Cashiering hold: Non-payment of tuition for previous semester.
      2. Admissions hold: You are unable to register until all final admission documents have been submitted.
      3. Academic Probation hold: Your GPA falls below 3.0.
      4. Administrative Probation hold: You do not reach a standard we have set, i.e., if your grade is less than a B (B- or lower) in a core class, or if you receive a "NC" in LIBR 289.
      5. Dropped from the University: You did not register for classes for two semesters in a row (excluding summer) and did not file a leave of absence request form.
    • Once Advance Registration closes, SJSU has a week-long blackout period where you cannot add or drop in MySJSU. You will not be able to register until late registration begins on the first day of classes and you will need a permission number.

    If none of the above apply, contact erecords@sjsu.edu.

20. Q. Why am I being asked for a permission number?
    A. Some possible reasons:
    • You cannot enroll yourself in LIBR 203; we do that for you. See your New Student Checklist for details about requesting a D2L account and being automatically enrolled in LIBR 203.
    • You are trying to register for a class for which you are not eligible — regular session students cannot take special session classes and special session students cannot take regular session classes.
    • You are trying to register after Advance Registration closes.

21. Q. I've registered for classes but now they've disappeared.
    A. You may have been disenrolled from your classes for non-payment of tuition. In this case, you will need to contact the professors of the courses you want to take and ask them for permission codes to re-enroll, as well as pay your tuition fees as soon as the payment option becomes available again. If the class is now full the instructors do not have to add you back into the classes.

22. Q. I didn't see any deadline in MySJSU for paying tuition and now all my classes have been dropped. I found out that I only had one day to pay, I thought there would be more time than that.
    A. Payment deadlines are listed under the "Finance" section of the Student Center on the MySJSU page. Payment due dates are dependent on when you register. In the future as soon as you register for a class, immediately check the "Finances" section of your MySJSU Student Center web page for your payment due dates.

23. Q. Why isn't MySJSU's add/drop link working?
    A. If Advanced Registration has just closed and you are in the week before classes officially start, SJSU is in a blackout period when you cannot add or drop. When classes officially begin, you can only add a class with a permission code.

    If it is past the first two weeks from the start of classes, you have missed the add/drop deadline. In order to add a class now, you must obtain a permission code from the professor. They are under no obligation to add you to the class. In order to drop, you must submit a Petition for Course Drop and provide serious and compelling evidence supporting your reason for dropping the class after the deadline.

24. Q. How do I get a permission code for a late add?
    A. You may email the professor teaching the section or course you would like to take. They are not required to add you.

25. Q. How do I contact a professor so I can request a permission code?
    A. You may email professors directly from the SLIS faculty list. You can also find links to email addresses and web pages listed with the instructor's course on the SLIS Class Schedule.

26. Q. Will there be a problem with the Bursar's office or Financial Aid if I drop a class now?
    A. You may obtain this information directly from the Bursar's Office. Their contact information is available on their website.

27. Q. What is the refund policy for a late drop?
    A. See: Refunds and Pro-rata Charges.

28. Q. I submitted a drop form last semester. How do I know if it has been dropped? Will I get a refund? How much of a refund will I get?
    A. Look on your unofficial transcript in the Self-Service section of your MySJSU Student Center web page; if the course has been dropped, you will see a "W" for the course grade. Refunds are handled by the Bursar's Office.

29. Q. What's the last day I can drop?
    A. The deadline for dropping courses without receiving a "W" on your transcript is two weeks after classes start for the semester. After that period, you must fill out a Petition for Course Drop and provide a serious and compelling reason, complete with supporting documentation, for dropping the class. Serious and compelling reasons include military service, employment, medical, death, and personal. In all cases, personal statements must be accompanied by supporting documentation (e.g. a letter from your employer, a doctor's note, etc.).

30. Q. I have changed my name and/or address. How do I get this updated information to you?
    A.
    • MySJSU: You may update this information in your MySJSU account by logging in or sending the Change of Address and/or Change of Name form (both available here) to the Registrar's Office.
    • SLISAlert: Please update your information in MySJSU.  Your updated information will be pulled over into SLISAlert.
    • D2L: In D2L, only your official name on MySJSU can be used (no nicknames or preferred names). If your D2L name no longer matches your official name on MySJSU, use our D2L Technical Support form to submit your official name to us for D2L.
    • SLIS: Please send an email with your updated information to the SLIS office so that we can update your SLIS records.

31. Q. I want to change from Special Session to Regular Session because it is cheaper. How do I do that?
    A. You cannot change to regular session unless you move to within the catchment area of San José State University (between San José, Sacramento and Fresno). If you do, email your request to the SLIS office and you will be placed on a wait list. You will be notified as soon as a space opens up. If you originally lived in the Regular Session catchment area but entered the program Fall 2009 or later as a Special Session student, you cannot switch from special to regular session at all, no matter where you live.

32. Q. Can I change from Regular Session to Special Session in the summer in order to take advantage of the more classes offered in Special Session?
    A. You cannot change from one session to the other for only one semester. If you wish to change sessions permanently, you must submit your request to do so to the SLIS office and wait for a space to become available.

33. Q. What if I move to San José and I need to switch sessions?
    A. You may email the SLIS office with your request to change sessions, and you will be placed on the wait list. If you originally lived in the Regular Session catchment area but entered the program Fall 2009 or later as a Special Session student, you cannot switch from special to regular session at all, no matter where you live.

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