Use Phone TRACS (815) 753-8900 or WebConnect to make changes to your schedule prior to the add/drop deadline.
Please Note: After the established drop deadlines, all course load reductions become withdrawals, with the exception of last-half-session courses. Undergraduate student requests to withdraw from a course after the drop deadline must be initiated and processed through their major college office. Graduate students and students-at-large who wish to withdraw from a course after the drop deadline must contact the Graduate School , Adams Hall 102, in person or in writing.
How Do I Swap Courses?
To replace/swap one class with another class without losing the class that is currently on your schedule, use either phone TRACS or WebConnect. If you use the replace function, the automated system will verify that there is a seat available in the requested course before dropping the appropriate course.
How Do I Drop All Of My Classes?
Undergraduate students cannot drop to zero hours using either Phone TRACS (815) 753-8900 or WebConnect. Dropping all of your courses is considered a university withdrawal. You must contact the Dean's office of your major college office to withdraw from the university.
Graduate students and students-at-large can drop to zero hours before the drop deadline using either Phone TRACS (815) 753-8900 or WebConnect.
How Do I Get A Copy Of My Class Schedule?
Your most up-to-date class schedule is always available through WebConnect.
Other Important Registration Information
CANCELLATION OF COURSES: Northern Illinois University makes every effort to offer courses that will meet the needs of our students. However, the University reserves the right to cancel any section of any course.
CLASS LOAD: The maximum number of credit hours an undergraduate may register for in a semester is 18 hours for fall and spring semesters and 9 hours for summer. Carrying more than 18 hours per semester (or 9 hours during the summer) is known as an overload. Students who wish to take more than the recommended 18 hours must obtain and complete an overload permit. Undergraduate students may request an overload permit from their major college. The college office should enter the overload permit directly into the system.
The maximum number of credit hours a graduate student or student-at-large may register for in a semester without an overload permit, including audit hours, is 12 for the fall and spring semesters and 9 for the summer. Graduate students in a degree program who wish to enroll in more than 12 hours during the fall or spring semesters (or 9 hours during the summer) must obtain prior approval from the student's major department. Students-at-large, or graduate students not in a degree program, must obtain written approval from the office of the dean of the Graduate School.
GRADE OPTION: You may designate different types of grading options on courses:
PASS/FAIL – Allows a student to take an undergraduate course on a pass/fail basis rather than a letter grade of A, B, C, etc. Undergraduate students should be aware of restrictions on P/F courses as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog . Graduate students or students-at-large may not elect to be graded on a P/F basis in a graduate course. Pass/Fail grading is not equivalent to S/U grading, which applies to all students in specific classes.
AUDIT – Allows a student to register for and attend a class regularly without receiving credit. (No grade points or credit hours are granted for audited courses.) If you wish to audit a course, you must obtain permission from the course instructor and register in the regular manner, designating the grade option as “audit,” and pay the regular tuition and fees. The department must have entered an audit permit into the system for you to enroll as an auditor via Phone TRACS or WebConnect.
REGULAR GRADING – Allows the student to take courses for a letter grade (A, B, C, S, U, etc.). Unless another grade option is designated, regular grading is assigned to a course.
REFERENCE NUMBER: The reference number is an individual four-digit number that identifies a course section. You will be asked to enter this four-digit number each time you use the add, drop, change grade or variable credit hours option, or set the repeat indicator for a course. Course sections identified with ” PERM ”require permission from the academic department to enroll. If permission is granted, you will be given the four-digit reference number assigned to that section.
REPEAT INDICATOR: When a student enrolls in a course that he or she has taken previously, TRACS will automatically designate that course as a repeat according to the repeat policies as stated in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs.
TIME CONFLICT: You may not register for two courses meeting at the same time or for courses with overlapping meeting times. If you want to take two courses offered at overlapping times, you must receive instructor approval for the courses involved and have each department enter a time conflict permit in the system. Graduate students and students-at-large need letters from each professor and must also receive approval from the dean of the Graduate School . If you want to add a course to your schedule while dropping another course to avoid creating a time conflict, utilize the replace transaction (Option 3 on the menu for Phone TRACS; select the “Swap Course” function on WebConnect).
VARIABLE CREDIT HOURS: Courses designated in the Schedule of Classes with “VAR HRS” listed as the credit hours are offered for a variable number of credit hours. Before you register or change the number of credit hours for a variable credit hours course, you should consult with the department to determine the appropriate number of credit hours. When adding a variable credit hours course via Phone TRACS or WebConnect, you will be asked to enter the number of credit hours you wish to take, within a designated range.
If the course will be taken for 3 credit hours, you will enter 3# on Phone TRACS. If the class will be taken for 2½ hours, you will enter 2*5#, with the * (star) key designating the decimal point on Phone TRACS or 2.5 with the period key designating the decimal point on WebConnect.
If you have any questions about making changes to your schedule, please feel free to check the Frequently Asked Questions or contact the NIU Office of Registration and Records at (815) 753-0681 or by e-mail at regrec@niu.edu.