ROSEBURG, Oregon – Waitlisting is not a new concept-even at Umpqua Community College (UCC). Yet, it is back and better than before. The road to waitlisting’s return started last year in April, and it promises to be a benefit for students and the College as well.
What is waitlisting? In a nutshell, as students register for classes, some classes tend to fill up. Waitlisting allows students to put themselves on a waiting list in order to be in line for the next available spot in a class. An opening can occur when a student drops a class, which creates an open spot. Class openings can also occur if the College opens a new class, which is called a section.
The benefits of waitlisting are as follows:
- Students will have a better way to let the College know that he or she wants to register for a class that has been filled.
- Students will have a better chance to register for a class that is needed to progress and graduate in a timely manner.
- UCC will have more data to make decisions about whether to open a new class/section.
- UCC will also have more data for long-term course planning.
When waitlisting existed at UCC in the past, it was a manual process. Therefore, it was subject to the mistakes that could occur in a manual process. Today’s process is automated, which helps ensure that more students will get the benefit in a timely and accurate way.
Once a student is placed on a waitlist, they are in line for a class and no one can change the order of the waitlist. The system is a first-come, first-served process. Once an opening occurs, the next student in line to get into the class is notified through their student email. Then, the student has a specific amount of time to respond.
It’s important to know that being added to a waitlist does not obligate the student to pay for that class. However, when a student responds to a waitlist message and registers for the class, it is then added to the student’s payment obligation.
What if a student is not sure if they should sign up for a waitlist? If the class is needed to fulfill program requirements, then ‘yes’ get on the waitlist.
Waitlisting is expected to help with College enrollment, retention, and completion. But most of all, it will help students accomplish their educational goals and dreams.
Image (top): Sophavid Choum-Starkey, UCC Federal Work Study student, will be one of many to benefit from Waitlisting.
About Umpqua Community College
Nestled in the beautiful North Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College is the regional center for higher education in Douglas County, Oregon. UCC provides high quality college degree programs, workforce development, and community learning opportunities.
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