Registration Guide

Prepare to Register

Access My Registration online through the *** Broken a:173768 admissions: 1-sdsu webportal *** to obtain your personal registration information, including your registration date and time, fee payment information, and registration holds.

The following information is displayed through the My Registration online service. It is your responsibility to notify the Office of the Registrar of any information that is incorrect.

Major/Minor: Many courses at SDSU are restricted to certain majors or minors. If the major listed at My Registration is not correct, contact the Office of the Registrar at (619) 594-6871. Minors are not listed on My Registration info.

NOTE: Many departments have filing deadlines to change a major/minor.

Registration Priority: Registration priority is determined by class level. The units and class level displayed through My Registration include all units in which you are enrolled at SDSU during the current semester and those completed in previous terms at SDSU. It also includes units from other schools that SDSU has evaluated, accepted and have posted to your record. It does NOT include courses in progress at other institutions or any courses numbered 397. It does not include Open University courses or Extension courses in which you are currently enrolled.

Any units transferred or posted to your record after registration date and times are assigned will be used towards the next Registration assignment cycle. Dates and times cannot be changed when new coursework that affects your student level is posted to your record after registration assignments have been made.

Registration Limits: During the regular registration period, all students can enroll in up to 18 units with the exception of majors that require more than 18 units in a semester. The unit limit is lifted on the first day of classes.

Registration Holds: You cannot register if there is a hold on your registration. If My Registration shows a registration hold, contact the appropriate office to get clearance. Once the hold is cleared, it may take up to 48 hours before you can register.

NOTE: A "C" hold may be placed on your record any time you owe the university money. If a hold is placed on your record after you have registered and you attempt to modify your schedule, you will not be allowed to add any classes. You will only be allowed to drop or list your classes.

Fee Payment Date: The University Cashiers Office must process your fee payment by the Fee Payment Deadline to ensure that you can register on your appointed date and time. Review the Fee Payment Options for methods of payment.

Registration Access Date and Time: This is the first date and time that you register for classes. You can, however, register anytime after your appointed date and time until registration ends, although it is recommended that you register as close to your designated date and time as possible to ensure a seat in your classes. Your registration date and time cannot be changed for any reason.

Residency: The correct residency classification for each student must be determined in order to assess appropriate fees. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the Office of the Registrar at (619) 594-6871 of any changes in residency status. This includes changes from nonresident to resident and from resident to nonresident.

Email and Mailing Addresses: If your email address or mailing address differ from what is listed at My Registration, you need to provide an update. Email is an official means of communication with SDSU students. Please check your email regularly for important messages from SDSU. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that their email account is able to receive these messages. If you use spam-blocker software or services, be sure to accept messages from any sdsu.edu domain.

Search Options: The Class Schedule search options display course titles, section and schedule numbers, units, days and times, locations, instructors, and the numbers of open seats.

  • Search: Looking for a particular instructor or class? The Search option allows you to search the course offerings for a specific department, course number, and/or instructor. You may also search for classes that will fit into a particular timeframe. For instance, you may specify that you would like courses between 0800-1500, MWF. Or, you may choose the My Time Preference button to search for classes within the Time Preference that you set ahead of time. Flexibility on class meeting times will give you the most course options.
  • Browse by Department: Browsing by department allows you to view all of the classes in a specific academic department.
  • Browse by General Education (GE): Completing your GE requirements should be a top priority when registering for classes! The Browse by GE feature lists applicable courses for each GE category (i.e. humanities, explorations, etc.). You may then choose courses that will count toward satisfying your GE requirements.
  • Browse by College: Choose this option to browse the course offerings in one of the seven colleges: Arts & Letters, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Health & Human Services, Professional Studies & Fine Arts, and Sciences.

My Classes: Choosing the My Classes option displays the courses in which you are currently enrolled. From this page, you may drop or substitute classes that are not required. This option also allows you to view your schedule in a timetable format.

My Wait List: My Wait List is a list of courses you selected to add to the wait list. These courses did not have any open seats while registering for classes, so you added them to your wait list. Having classes on your wait list DOES NOT mean you are enrolled in them. When you are searching for courses, select Wait to have the class section added to your wait list. You will automatically be enrolled in the course section when an open seat is available or when faculty release seats from their wait lists. For more information, visit the Wait List website.

My Planner: My Planner is a list of classes you have indicated that you may want to take. Having classes on your planner DOES NOT mean you are enrolled in them. Please be aware that the class(es) on your planner could potentially fill up prior to your registration date. When you are searching for classes, select Plan to have the class added to your My Planner. When you are ready to enroll in a "planned" course section, go to your My Planner and select the Add action link next to the course section you want to add.

Add a Class: You may add classes while using any of the search options on the class schedule in the SDSU WebPortal. While viewing the class schedule, choose the Add option on the right side. Choosing this option will take you to a page where you must confirm your enrollment in the class. Be sure the course has been added before moving on.

If you know the schedule number of the course you wish to add or if the schedule number is suppressed on the section you wish to add, choose the Add a Class option from the menu on the left.

Drop a Class/Substitute a Class: You may drop a class through My Registration or you may substitute one class for another. By entering the schedule number of the course you wish to drop and the schedule number of the course you wish to add, the system will perform a search to see if your desired course is available. If it is, then you may substitute that class for the one you want to drop. Through substitution, you don't drop one class until you are sure you are able and eligible to get into another one.

Steps to Register

Paying your tuition and fees, creating a class schedule, and registering for classes are completed through your *** Broken a:173768 admissions: 1-sdsu webportal ***. To access the SDSU WebPortal, enter your RedID number and password and select Log In.

Once you have logged in, select the Undergrad tab in the upper left and select the My Registration link in the menu on the left.

Select the Undergrad link.

The My Registration screen displays your registration date and time and your fee payment deadlines on the left-hand side. My Registration also displays the contact information that SDSU has on file for you, fee payment information, pending holds, required courses, your class schedule and your wait list. Your basic tuition and fees must be paid before your assigned registration date and time.

Webportal screen with registration date/time, links for tuition and fees.

It is important to pay close attention to any pending holds that are listed in the red box beneath your contact and fee payment information. You will not be able to register for courses until all of your pending holds are cleared. If you have questions about how to clear your holds, visit the Contact Us section to determine who to contact.

Beneath the red box, the Required Courses box will display any courses that you must register in before adding any other courses. These courses may include the four fundamental General Education (GE) courses that are required during your first year. For more information, visit the Course Registration Restrictions page.

The next step to completing your registration is payment of your basic tuition and fees. Fees must be paid by the fee payment deadline listed under Fee Payment Information on the My Registration page. You will not be allowed to register for classes until your basic tuition and fees are paid. When you select Pay Fees Online in the Tuition and Fees section, you will be directed to the CASHNet™ SmartPay website.

Follow these steps to complete your payment of basic tuition and fees:

1. From the My Registration page, select Pay Fees Online and select Make Payment at the top of the page.

Arrow pointing to Student Account ServicesArrow pointing to Make Payment in the navigation.

2. Select Fall 2019 from the list.

Arrow selecting Fall 2019

3. Select Fall 2019 Undergraduate Students from the list.

Arrow pointing to Fall 2019 Undergraduate in the list Arrow pointing add to basket

4. Review your basic tuition and fees in your cart and checkout. Payment can be made with credit card (recommended), e-check (electronic check), or by foreign currency (wire payment).

Review your cart and checkout.

Before selecting courses it is important to learn and understand the vocabulary used during the registration process. Please review the following information before you plan and register for your courses.

Semester

The academic year is divided into two semesters, fall and spring. Each semester is 16 weeks. The fall semester starts in late August and ends in mid-December. The spring semester starts in mid-January and ends in mid-May. Review the Academic Calendars.

Unit

A unit represents 50 minutes of class time per week. Most classes are 3 units, but can range from 1 to 6 units. It is recommended that you enroll in 15 units each semester to stay on track to complete your degree in four years.

A 3-unit lecture class can meet:

  • Three days a week for 50 minutes
  • Two days a week for 75 minutes
  • One evening a week for 150 minutes

You will take between 120-140 units to complete your bachelor's degree. This exact number can vary by major.

Class Standing

  • Freshman—has earned 0 to 29 semester units
  • Sophomore—has earned 30 to 59 semester units
  • Junior—has earned 60 to 89 semester units
  • Senior—has earned 90 semester units or more

Course Numbers

  • 100 – 299 are lower division
  • 300 – 599 are upper division

General Education (GE) Courses

General Education (GE) courses are courses from a variety of subjects (Composition, Oral Communication, Math, Science, Humanities) required for every major. GE courses provide you with a solid foundation of skills, perspectives and knowledge preparing you for courses in your major. You will complete your lower division GE courses during your first two years.

More information about GE courses can be found in the Graduation Requirements of the General Catalog.

Major Preparation Courses

Major preparation courses are lower-division courses that prepare you for the upper-division courses required in your major. Major preparation courses are completed during your first two years. Some major preparation courses also count toward GE requirements.

Prerequisite

Course or exam (for example, Chemistry Department Placement Exam, Mathematics Placement Assessment, etc.) requirements that need to be met prior to taking some courses.

Identifying your first semester courses is a two step process:

1. View your required registration

Review the list of required courses.

2. Select My Personal Map

Log in to the SDSU WebPortal and select My Personal Map from the menu.

The map for your major, which is the recommended sequence of courses you must complete to graduate from SDSU, will be displayed.

Example of MyMap for a Business Administration major.

This is an example of a map for the business major. Let's say you were registering for your first semester courses. Your first semester courses are identified on the left-hand column under First Year. Some of the courses listed may have a prerequisite, which may need to be met before you are eligible to enroll in the class.

GE Written Communication

All students are required to complete GE Written Communication within their first year at SDSU. Your placement into these courses relies on your high school GPA, SAT or ACT scores.

GE Mathematics/Major Prep

All students are required to complete GE Mathematics within their first year at SDSU. Your placement into GE Math relies on your high school GPA, SAT or ACT scores.

If you are a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) major and your MAP lists Mathematics 124 (MATH 124), Calculus for the Life Sciences, or Mathematics 150 (MATH 150), Calculus I, you initially need to enroll in Mathematics 105 (MATH 105), College Algebra, and register for the Mathematics Placement Assessment on the Testing Services website. Based on your score on the Mathematics Placement Assessment, you may substitute MATH 105 with MATH 124, 141 or MATH 150.

If you are a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) major and your MAP lists Chemistry 200 (CHEM 200), General Chemistry, or Chemistry 202 (CHEM 202), General Chemistry for Engineers, you initially need to enroll in Chemistry 100 (CHEM 100), Introduction to General Chemistry with Laboratory, and register for the Chemistry Department Placement Exam on the Testing Services website. If your score is high enough on the Chemistry Department Placement Exam, then you will substitute CHEM 100 with CHEM 200 or CHEM 202. If your score on the Chemistry Department Placement Exam is not high enough, then you will remain enrolled in CHEM 100.

Proceed to reviewing the remaining requirements/courses listed on your MAP.

Before your registration date and time, use My Planner to create a plan for your classes. My Planner is a registration tool in the SDSU WebPortal that allows you to select multiple class options, which will help you to develop a final schedule. When creating your plan, it is important to be flexible with the date and time of the courses you need. The number of open seats changes daily so it's important to have many options when planning your courses. Adding classes to your planner does not mean you are enrolled in these courses. The number of open seats changes daily so it's important to have many options when planning your courses. Once your registration date and time has begun, you will be able to register for courses with open seats directly from your planner.

Let's Plan Your Courses

Using the information your learned from MyMap, you can search and plan your classes.

1. Add your required courses to your planner.

Arrow pointing to a course that may be preselected for you.

Choose a course.

Chose one class from the list to fullfil the required course.

The number of units for each class, course titles, footnotes for prerequisites and information you may need to know about the course, section number, and the five-digit schedule number appear. On the right-hand side, the number of available seats appear. Once you see a course you want to take, select Plan to have the class added to your planner. To view your planner, select My Planner under My Registration Info in your SDSU WebPortal. The list of courses in your planner will display.

Choose the day and time that works for you and select Plan. The course has been added to your planner.

2. Choose the rest of your courses according to your map.

On the left-hand side of your SDSU WebPortal, there are the different search options. You may search for classes by selecting Search or Browse by Department.

For example, select Browse by Department, select the S text box, and then select the Sociology link. All of the courses offered by the sociology department for the semester will appear.

Search link is located in Class Schedule navigation.

When it is your registration date and time, you can enroll in the classes from your planner by following the instructions in the next step.

In Step 5, you learned how to plan for registration. When it is your registration date and time, go to My Registration Information in your SDSU WebPortal and select My Planner. Review your planner for courses that have open seats and select the Add button to register for a course.

Some courses on your planner may show Wait. These are courses that do not have open seats. By selecting Wait you will be added to the wait list for this course. When a seat becomes available, you may be added to the course depending on your ranking on the wait list. If possible, you should register for courses that have open seats rather than relying on wait listed courses.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the appropriate office.

Registration Questions

Office of the Registrar

Student Services West 1641
(619) 594-6871
[email protected]

Tuition and Fee Payment Questions

Call, email or visit Student Account Services.

Student Account Services

Student Services West 2536
(619) 594-5253
[email protected]

Immunization Requirement Questions

Call or visit Student Health Services.

Student Health Services

Calpulli Center
(619) 594-4325

Disability Services Questions

If you had an IEP or 504 plan in high school, you are encouraged to continue using accommodations in college. Admitted SDSU students who require reasonable accommodations at San Diego State University (on-campus or online) should provide disability documentation to the Student Ability Success Center (SASC) as soon as possible. The Medical Verification and the Application for Services forms can be downloaded from the SASC website. Completed documents may be submitted by regular mail or by fax to (619) 594-4315.

Student Ability Success Center (SASC)

Calpulli Center, Suite 3101
(619) 594-6473
[email protected]