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Informatics Registration Policies

Last Updated Autumn Quarter 2026

Registration for all Informatics courses is managed by the Informatics Student Services advising staff. Informatics instructors do not have add codes or manage registration for their course. Please do not contact instructors for add codes or permission; instead, email informatics@uw.edu for guidance.

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Add Codes & Overload Policy

The Informatics program has a strict no overload policy due to factors such as room capacity (to be in line with fire code), teaching staff availability, group project sizes, and to maintain fair and equitable registration for our courses.

Do not contact the instructor for permission to overload. Even if instructor permission is given to be overloaded, the overload might not be possible due to the reasons stated above.

Add codes are not distributed to overload our courses; however, they might be needed in certain cases for late add registration, prerequisite overrides, time conflicts or to repeat a course. Email informatics@uw.edu for guidance. 

Unauthorized Add Code Use

The Informatics program follows the tampering & abuse policy set by the University Registrar. Students given an add code may only register for the course assigned. Unauthorized use such as giving the add code to another student, over-enrollment, or registration without meeting course prerequisites (without prior approval) will result in removal from the course.

Course Repeat Policy

By default, the registration system will not allow students to repeat an Informatics course if the student has received a numerical grade, I grade, S/NS grade, or CR/NC. Departmental approval is needed to register for the course. Approval may be requested using the form below. All students may only repeat an INFO course once.

Course Repeat Request Form

Repeat requests for all INFO courses are approved during period 1 & 2 registration if the following criteria are met: 

  • The numerical grade received is below 2.0, NS grade or NC grade. 
  • Course space is available. 
  • Registration restrictions for the course are met, including but not limited to 19 credits or below during period 1 & 2 registration, time conflicts, major restrictions.

Students who intend to repeat a course for grade improvement or to strengthen their familiarity/skill with the content can be approved during period 3 registration (start of the quarter) if space is available.

The following courses are exceptions to the repeat policy and may be repeated up to the credit limit for a maximum of 5 credits taken per quarter (except for INFO 493 which can be taken for 8 credits in one quarter).

  • Special Topic courses  
    • INFO 198 – 15 credits total
    • INFO 498 - 12 credits total  
  • Research Capstone (INFO 493) - 8 credits total
  • Research Studio (INFO 494) - 16 credits total
  • Experiential Learning courses
    • Internship for Credit (INFO 495) - 12 credits total
    • Independent Studies (INFO 499) - 15 credits total 

Late Add Registration Policy

All UW courses become add code restricted during the late add period. Students may request approval to enroll into an INFO course by submitting a late add request. Submitting a request does not guarantee approval to enroll in the selected course. It is strongly recommended that students requesting to register for an INFO course sign up for other classes as a backup. Not all INFO courses allow enrollment during the late add period.

Late Add Request Process

The late add request website opens Friday at the end of week 1 of the quarter. Requests will be reviewed daily at the start of week 2 of the quarter. If approved, an email will be sent to the selected student with an add code for registration. If they do not register within the 24-hour time frame, the spot will then be distributed to another student. No students will be added after week 2 of the quarter.

Request will be accepted until the following deadlines:

  • Autumn Quarter: Oct. 13, 2026, (Tuesday) at noon
  • Winter Quarter: Jan. 15, 2027 (Friday) at noon
  • Spring Quarter: April 9, 2027 (Friday) at noon
  • Summer Quarter: June 30, 2027 (Wednesday) at 4 p.m.

For support on how to use the late add request website, please review the instructions for Late Add Request canvas page. Feel free to email informatics@uw.edu for any questions.

Prerequisite Policy

Students are expected to have course prerequisites completed or in progress at the time of registration for the next quarter. Students are not permitted to override or waive prerequisites to expedite degree completion.

In some cases, students are permitted to temporarily override or waive prerequisites for registration. Reasons Include:

  • First quarter of registration for newly admitted students who have completed Computer Science and Statistics courses at another university, and their transfer coursework has not yet been posted to their UW transcript.
  • Exchange students who are temporarily studying at the University of Washington and have taken similar coursework.

Students who meet the cases above may email informatics@uw.edu for guidance on how to proceed. Approval for overriding or waiving prerequisite courses does not waive degree requirements needed for graduation or other registration policies. Course space must be available to enroll, and registration restrictions must be met.

Prerequisites in progress at a non-University of Washington campus (community college, 4-year university, etc.) will need to be posted to your UW transcript before enrolling into the course, except for newly admitted students registering for their first quarter. 

Time Conflict Policy

Time conflicts between INFO courses or other UW courses are approved at the discretion of the iSchool course instructor. A student who wishes to register for courses with time conflicts must follow the registration process outlined by the Office of University Registrar and fill out section 1 of the registration transaction form. 

Add codes should not be needed as long as course prerequisites are complete, the course has space and registration restrictions are met for both courses. Permission from iSchool instructors to add a course with a time conflict does not override other registration policies.

Questions?

Email informatics@uw.edu for guidance

Visit our course registration page for more registration support.

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