January 16, 2026

Dear Student,

You are receiving this email because you are still waitlisted for one or more courses this semester. All waitlists will be purged on January 21, which is also the last day to add a course for the spring 2026 semester. Students will not be able to self-enroll in classes after this date, and any remaining waitlisted students will be removed from class rosters and from Canvas.

We understand you are still hoping to get into the course(s) for which you are waitlisted. We want to be sure you are being proactive in both determining whether or not you are able to move off a waitlist into a class AND have a back-up plan in case that does not happen. We encourage you to explore alternative classes and plans prior to the last day of the add period (January 21) so you don't fall behind on the course material. Please review your options with your undergraduate advising team or your graduate advisor. If you choose to add a course, it is recommended to converse with the instructor if the course has already met to confirm you are able to catch up accordingly.

Please remember that having access to a class Canvas page is not the same as being enrolled. Waitlisted students have access to Canvas, but if you do not see your enrollment in SIS, you are not yet enrolled in the class. After waitlists are purged, any student not officially enrolled in the class in SIS will lose access to Canvas.

Students who are billed per credit will incur additional charges if enrolled from the waitlist and should make sure to understand how the per-credit refund policy applies to their adding and dropping of courses (including swaps).

Please see below for follow-up questions you may have:

In many cases you can reach out to the instructor and possibly get more insight into what may happen with the waitlist or additional enrollment. You should have an alternative plan in the event that you do not get into that course.

Being on the waitlist is an exercise in patience. You cannot "skip ahead" of other students ahead of you on the waitlist. If you are at the end of a waitlist and there has been little to no movement, you should utilize your alternative plan in place. Sometimes instructors can let you know if they will have the space to accept students from the waitlist.

You can drop the course and add your preferred course, as long as it is done by January 21 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Note that January 21 is the last day to add a course; make sure to reference the refund policy if you are billed per credit; the last day to receive 100% refund for a course is before the add deadline.

Remove the course from your shopping cart and then re-add it before the add deadline. Remember that you have a limit as to the number of credits you can register for each semester and waitlisted courses count toward that total. If you are waitlisted for the course you were given permission by the instructor to add, you will need to drop yourself from the waitlist, add the course back to your shopping cart, and then complete the enrollment steps before the add deadline to successfully enroll.

Sincerely,

Sarah Harvey
Registrar, Arts, Sciences, & Engineering
Tufts University