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Registration FAQ and Tips

Registration Reminders

  • You can register for a maximum of 16 credit hours. If you want to take more than 16 credit hours, you may request approval via the overload request form.
  • Full-time student status: 9 Credit Hours is considered “full-time” for Federal Financial Aid purposes.
  • Independent Studies: You may seek an independent study only if the topic is not being taught as a course. This requires submission of an Independent Study Permission Form and approval from the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS = Professor Rogerson). In addition to the form, you are required to submit a written syllabus for the independent study that includes deliverables and their deadlines agreed upon with the advising faculty member.
  • Auditing a Course: MPPs who wish to audit a course or seminar may do so with the approval of the Director of Academic Services & Administration (Belen Gebremichael). No credit hours or grades are earned towards degree requirements for auditing a course but the course will appear on the transcript as AD (audited). A student must obtain written permission from the instructor, either by signature on the Course Audit Form, or by email.
  • Degree Requirements: It is your responsibility to ensure you are enrolling in the classes needed to fulfill your degree requirements. Seek guidance from Stellic and feel free to sign up for an advising appointment with Belen Gebremichael.
  • Undergraduate courses: (below 500) do not count towards the degree and require advanced permission by the DGS and course instructor via the Undergraduate course enrollment form on the Sanford registrar website.

Registration Tips

  • Priority Registration Window: MPP 800-numbered electives will open to graduate students outside the MPP program after 48 hours. Do not wait to register for electives you want to take.
  • Account Holds: Make sure there are no holds in your DukeHub account that will prevent you from registering. You will have a notice in red if you have a hold, and you will not be able to add classes to your shopping carts. Holds may also include verifying your personal information, which must be done several times during your time as a Duke student.
  • Time Conflicts: If you are trying to add a desired class and it conflicts with a course in which you have already enrolled, you will not be able to add the class. You will first have to drop the conflicting course.
  • Waitlists: The above principle also applies to Waitlists. If you are on the waitlist for a class that conflicts with a course already on your schedule, you will not be moved up from the waitlist until the conflict is cleared. If you are number 5 on the waitlist, it may be wise to stay enrolled in the conflicting course until you can assess how much movement is happening on the waitlist. If you move up to number one, you might consider dropping the conflicting course to make sure you move from the waitlist if space opens up.
  • Waitlists 2.0: Remember during the Drop/Add period that movement still happens, as some people go to the first day of class to assess if they want to keep it. If you are interested in a class that is full, always go to the first class to show the professor your interest. It is ok to let them know you are on the waitlist and want to enroll if space opens up.

Registration in Other Programs and Institutions

  • Fuqua Courses (form required): The Fuqua School of Business operates on a quarter system, unlike the rest of the university which operates on a semester system. If you enroll in Fuqua courses, it is important to remember they will not have the same schedule. Fuqua only releases a finite list of courses each semester that are open for non-Fuqua students. You will not be able to add these courses in DukeHub, but must complete a separate registration process, which will be shared via e-mail once the information is received.
  • Law School Courses (form required): Duke students from departments or schools outside the Law School may be enrolled in a Law course if there are spaces remaining in the course at the end of the drop-add period, which is seven days from the first day of class. Spots are filled on a first come, first serve basis, so it is best to get your form submitted early. If you are interested in a course and it has a short waiting list, you should go to the first class. You will not be able to add these courses in DukeHub, but must complete a separate registration process. Courses will be listed in DukeHub (under LAW). Please use the following process when trying to register for Law School Courses:
    • Find your desired course by searching DukeHub or viewing the Duke Law Course Schedule Website
    • Obtain documented permission from the teaching professor (email is acceptable)
    • Complete a Request to Enroll in a Duke Law Course form.
    • Take your signed form and printed consent from the Professor to the Office of the Registrar at Duke Law in Room 2027. Forms will be processed on a first come, first serve basis.
    • Duke Law Registrar may be contacted at registrar_office@law.duke.edu, or at 919-613-7027

Inter-institutional Courses (form required): Please review the information provided by the Duke University Registrar for inter-institutional class enrollment at schools such as UNC, NC State, and NC Central. Please use the following process when registering for courses outside of Duke University:

  • Review all information provided by the Duke University Registrar (make sure to expand and review the ‘Duke Students Visiting Other Campuses’ section at the bottom which contains step-by-step instructions)
  • Obtain written (e-mail) permission from the instructor to accompany your form.
  • E-mail your completed Interinstitutional Approval Form to the DSS to sign.
  • You will receive further instructions from the Duke Registrar’s Office once your form is received