Registration and Course Information

The Office of the Registrar is here to help you through every step of the registration process.

The Registration Process

All students may register online, however, degree-seeking students will need to first consult with an Academic Advisor prior to registering for courses. 

The Academic Catalog

The Academic Catalog is where you find information about courses, program descriptions, degree requirements and college policies and procedures. You may also learn about the CORE Curriculum or visit the following sections of the Catalog: 

Online Registration

  • Online Priority Registration: Takes place in April for the following summer and fall terms, and in November for the following spring term.  
  • Online Open Registration for Continuing Students: Occurs the Friday of Priority Registration Week through June 30 or December 31 respectively. 
  • Online Open Registration for New Students: Once you have been electronically advised, you may register online during open registration. New or transfer students are also welcome to register for courses at the Office of the Registrar during normal business hours.
  • Late Registration: Begins July 1 or January 1 and runs through the last day to add/drop a class. Please note — late registration is not available online. Students may visit the Office of the Registrar during normal business hours or email registrar@dominican.edu. Late registration fees apply to continuing students only.

Online Priority Registration Access Times

  • Continuing Students: You will receive virtual registration notification via your “students.dominican.edu” e-mail address. In order to participate in Online Registration, you must have met with your Advisor during your advising period and be clear of Business Holds. 

How to Register

Online registration is accessed through Self-Service:

  1. Go to: Self-Service Section Search
  2. Enter: Year Term >  Search to view all courses offered
  3. Enter: Course Code Prefix in the "Course Code" field to narrow your search
  4. Click: "Search"

Adding or Dropping a Course

Registered students may Add or Drop a class online up until the beginning of a semester. After classes have begun, students must obtain an Add/Drop form. Refer to the Academic Calendar for the first and last day to Add or Drop classes in each session.

  • Adds require the instructor's signature
  • Drops do not require the instructor's signature

Student's Responsibility

  • Students are responsible for the proper revision of their course schedules.
  • Students cannot be added to or dropped from a class by the instructor. The add/drop form must be completed and signed by the instructor before being submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the student. 
  • Leaving a course without dropping the course with an Add/Drop form will result in students being charged tuition as well as receiving a permanent grade of “F” or “UF” on the student’s transcript. It is the student’s responsibility to drop or withdraw from a course which he/she no longer attends.
  • Students who wish to drop a course without a “W” on their permanent record MUST file an Add/Drop form as stated in the Academic Calendar for Session A students as well as graduate students enrolled in the Weekend Programs. 

Wait List

Students will be able to select the "Wait" option during the online registration process. The Wait Lists will be monitored/managed by the Registrar's Office throughout the registration period. As space becomes available, students will be added to the class based on major, class level, and the date they were placed on the Wait List. It is the students responsibility to monitor their schedule changes due to waitlist activity via Self-Service. The Friday before classes begin, all remaining Wait Lists will be deleted and students will only be allowed to add, using an Add/Drop form, at the discretion of the instructor.

Note: If a class has an active wait list, the number of people on the wait list will display. If by error, the Add button appears and you Add the class, you may be subject to an Administrative Drop by the Registrar's Office.

Withdrawal From a Course

A student who wishes to withdraw from a course or courses must submit an Add/Drop form to the Registrar’s Office. See the Academic Calendar for specific due dates. The official date of withdrawal is the day the form is returned to the Registrar’s Office. A grade of “W” will be posted to the student’s academic record and tuition charges will reflect the tuition refund policy. Grades of W are not calculated into the student’s grade point average.

Failure to withdraw from a course by filing an official Add/Drop form with the Registrar’s Office will result in the permanent assignment of a punitive grade (e.g. “F” or “UF”).

Auditing a course — Effective Spring 2020

Online registration is not available for auditing a course. Auditors are required to register for courses at the Registrar’s Office during normal business hours.

A student may audit a course subject to the approval of the instructor of the course. Auditors are subject to the tuition and fees rate current at the time of enrollment. Students should indicate on their registration forms any courses they plan to audit. Students who audit a class attend the class, are not required to do the course work, do not take examinations, may not ask for work to be evaluated, do not receive credit for the course. Full-time students are charged for all audited courses in excess of 18 units of combined audit/credit course work. Auditors are not admitted to classes that require personal instruction and/or individual participation, such as online courses, performance, studio, laboratory, writing, or language tutorials.

Senior citizens (62 ½ or older) may audit one classes per semester without tuition. Only two senior citizen auditors may register for each eligible course, provided the course is not full. Auditing is not permitted for classes that require personal instruction and/or individual participation, such as online courses, performance, studio, laboratory, writing, or language tutorials. Registration forms are available at the Registrar’s Office. Seniors must show proof of age and need to obtain the instructor’s signature on the registration form prior to registration at the Registrar’s Office.

Alumni Association members may audit one class per semester without tuition and only with the consent of the instructor. Alumni must first obtain the instructor's signature on the Registration Form and then present their Alumni Association Benefits Card (obtained through the Alumni Relations Office) at the Registrar's Office to register. Normal open registration times (not registration fees) and any applicable class fees apply to alumni. If a class is full with regular students, auditing students will be placed on a waiting list and admitted only in the event of a cancellation. Class size may not exceed maximum enrollment.

Special Course Information

Dominican University of California offers online courses for regular academic credit. Students register for online courses in the same way that they register for other courses. To participate in online courses, students must have regular access to a computer with internet service. The Campus Computer Lab cannot be used to take online courses. In order to participate in class, students are required to participate online several times a week. Most online courses also have a face-to-face component.

Self-Service defaults the unit count to the highest variable at the point of registration for billing purposes. If you are not taking the max units, an add/drop form is needed in the Registrar’s office to change your units.

If classes meet on one or two Saturdays or for less than a full semester, the last day to add is the Monday after the first meeting. The last day to drop is the Friday before the first meeting. Once the class has met for the first time, withdrawal (grade of "W") is the only option. To avoid a "W" for one-, two-, or three-day courses, students must drop the course no later than the day before the course begins.
Note: 1-unit Saturday classes may have pre-assignments required. Please contact the appropriate department to acquire a list of readings when registering for a 1-unit class.

A student may repeat a course in an attempt to achieve a better grade in which a ‘D’ or ‘F’ has been assigned. Both grades remain on the record, although the student receives credit for the course only once and the higher grade will be used in calculating the grade point average. Contact Financial Aid for financial regulations regarding repeated courses.

Students continuing to work on their senior thesis beyond the usual number of semesters with a member of Dominican’s faculty will be charged a flat fee for the additional semester. 

Look for the “SL:” in the title signifying that the course contain the Service-Learning requirements. The “SL:” will also appear as a notation on student transcripts indicating commitment to community and civic engagement through academic service-learning.

Cross-Registration is open to students who need to register in classes outside their usual program ( for example day students into an ADC class). Seats may be limited. Students who are ineligible to cross-register in a specific course will be notified and administratively dropped.

Cross-registration is not permitted for ADC General Education courses. 

Courses that require special contracts (i.e., Independent Studies X999; Internships X996; Teaching Assistantships X994) are not available for online registration. Contact forms are available here. Completed forms with all required signatures may be submitted to the Registrar's Office during the registration period.