Planning Your Schedule

When planning for your fall classes, think about creating a balanced schedule by choosing courses from various subject areas rather than focusing your choices in any one area or in any one type of course. Taking several courses in a single discipline or combining several courses that are all, for example, math-focused or will require a lot of reading can be overwhelming. Try to balance your schedule by selecting courses across the Web of Inquiry, Richmond's Foundational Curriculum, potential major or minor exploratory classes, and electives.

There are three (3) steps to registration for first-year students: Pre-Registration, Preparing for Self-Registration, and Self-Registration. The details for each step are outlined below. If you have any questions about planning your schedule, please contact your Peer Academic Advisor, your Summer Advisor, or a staff member in the AARC.

Step 1: Pre-Registration

Beginning mid-June through early-July

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Familiarize yourself with BannerWeb

You will have access to the fall course listings in Banner in early May, so feel free to log in and take a look around. This is where you will go to plan your schedule and eventually register for classes, so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the system.

Need some help navigating Banner? Here are some helpful resources:

First-Year Pre-Registration Guide

GradTracker User Guide
Speak with your Peer Academic Advisor
Plan your Preferences
Deadline: July 9

Using the "Plan Ahead" feature in Banner’s Registration Self-Service system, please create two (2) comprehensive plans:
- An FYS plan with at least 20 First-Year Seminars (FYS 100) you find interesting
- A Fall plan with at least 20 other classes (not FYS 100) that you would like to take in the fall semester
Be sure your plans include the Course Registration Numbers (CRN) so that we know which sections you are interested in.

We also recommend you rank the classes on your plan by preference. Here’s how:
1. After selecting courses and adding them to your plan, click on the yellow Note icon to assign it a ranking.
2. In the notes, type "1" next to the course you are most interested in taking, then type "2" for the next course, and so on. DO NOT HIT ENTER OR ADD ANY OTHER TEXT TO YOUR NOTES, keep it simple and only use numerical digits to rank.
3. You may rank as many courses as you like. (Hint: the more information you can provide us about your preferences, the better!)
4. When you are done adding and ranking courses, finish by clicking the "Save Plan" button for each plan.
Not sure how to create a plan in Banner? Ask your PA or review the Registrar’s First-Year Pre-Registration Guide.
Your First-Year Seminar: FYS

First-Year Seminars (FYS 100) provide first-year students with a hands-on introduction to academic inquiry. First-Year Seminars offer the opportunity to explore varied interests in small class settings with close faculty contact. Every first-year student takes an FYS in the fall semester of their first year.

FYS courses are limited to 16 students (no overrides, no exceptions). For this reason, it will be important that you include several different FYS courses in your FYS preference plan. Please choose 20 First-Year Seminars that you find interesting then rank them in order from 1 to 20 using the "Notes" funtion in the plan (see previous checklist item for details).

Want to know more about an FYS? As you’re browsing for classes in Banner, you can read the FYS course descriptions in the class detail listing for each section, or check out the FYS webpage.
Your Second Plan for Pre-Registration: Fall

The second plan, or Fall plan, you create for pre-registration should include a variety of courses you find interesting. This could include a language course, a course from the Web of Inquiry, a major or minor requirement, or a course that simply caught your eye while you were browsing.

When putting this plan together, don’t limit yourself to just one discipline or focus. The more options you give us, the better chances you have of getting into one of your preferred classes.

Need help narrowing down your course preferences for your Fall Plan? Check out these resources:

Recommended Courses for Fall 2025

Web of Inquiry Courses

Exploring Major/Minor Options

Recommended First Courses for Majors/Minors

The Second Language Requirement
Do you have any AP/IB credits?

Once we receive your AP/IB scores, we will add any credits you may have earned to your record and you will see them reflected as such in GradTracker.

When planning your schedule, remember to account for units you may have earned through the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. If you received credit for a course with a passing AP/IB score, do NOT select that course in your second plan.

Be sure to have any necessary scores or transcripts sent to the university, so that the credit can be applied to your academic record.

Learn more about AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment Credits
Are you an NCAA Student-Athlete, Bonner Scholar, Oliver Hill Scholar, or Richmond Scholar?
If so, you have priority registration and will be pre-registered for a full schedule (4/4.5 units + WELL 100) using the FYS and Fall preference plans you create in Banner.

Your FYS plan should only include 20 sections of FYS 100 courses (ranked), and your Fall plan should include a variety of courses you would like to take. Please also be sure to include some sections of WELL 100 on your Fall plan, and rank as many of these courses as you would like.

You may want to consider the following types of classes when building your Fall Plan:
- A second language course
- An introductory course in a potential major or minor area
- A course from the Web of Inquiry
- An elective course that sounds interesting
- A .5 unit music or dance course
For help, contact your Peer Advisor or the AARC!

Step 2: Prepare for Self-Registration

From mid-July to early-August

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Plan your remaining courses

Once again, you will use the "Plan Ahead" feature in Banner’s Registration Self-Service system to plan for your remaining courses. When you log into Banner this time, however, you will see the courses you were pre-registered for so you can plan around them. Your final plan should only include the one or two additional units you need for the fall (do not add the courses you were pre-registered for) plus one unit of WELL 100. You may save this plan with any title of your choosing.

Need help with Banner? Check out these helpful resources from the Registrar’s website:
Banner 9 Student Registration Instructions
Banner 9 Registration Tutorial
Registration FAQs

We strongly recommend that all students take a total of 4 units their first semester (4.5 units if you are adding a 0.5 unit music lesson/ensemble or business class). Not surprisingly, you may experience a feeling of transition during your first semester at college—living away from home, making new friends, adjusting to college-level classes and work—so taking 4 units will help ensure that you are successful. That usually means taking four courses, unless you’re taking a two-unit language course, in which case you would take three courses totaling four units.

Please note, to be considered a full-time student, you must be enrolled in at least 3.5 units. During the summer registration period you will be limited to registering for 4.5 units. Students interested in taking 5 or more units should register for 4 or 4.5 units during the summer registration period, then talk with an academic advisor during New Spider Orientation about adding another unit.
Things to consider
For your remaining courses, consider taking:
- An introductory course in a potential major or minor area
- A course from the Web of Inquiry
- An elective course that sounds interesting
- A .5 unit music or dance course
Note that first-year students typically take 100 or 200 level classes. 300 and 400 level classes are usually for upperclass students.

Since there are limited seats available in most courses, having several alternatives in mind when registration opens is wise. Courses fill quickly on the day of registration, so being able to move easily from a course that fills to finding a seat in one of your alternate courses can reduce anxiety and stress. Having a prepared list of back up classes is the best way for students to have a successful registration.
Speak with your Summer Advisor

In addition to having the help of a Peer Advisor, new Spiders are also assigned a faculty or staff Summer Advisor. Your Summer Advisor will contact you in mid-July to make a virtual/remote advising appointment to discuss your plans for the self-registration period. Please be prepared for this meeting by creating at least one more plan in BannerWeb with one or two more classes you would like to take in the fall.

Your Summer Advisor will check your plan for balance (i.e., what types of classes are you taking?), rigor (i.e., are your classes appropriate for a first-year student?), and availability (i.e., will there be open seats when you go to register in August?).

Your Summer Advisor can answer just about any question you have, so don’t be shy. Tell them a little bit about yourself and share your academic (or career) goals with them so they can help you get started on the path toward achieving them!
What about your AP/IB credits?

When planning for registration, remember to account for any units you may have earned through Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) scores. If you earned credit for an AP/IB exam, you will see them reflected in GradTracker. We do not recommend you register for a course for which you already received credit with a passing AP/IB score.

Don’t see your AP/IB credits in GradTracker? First, check the Credit by Exam Policy to see if your score is applicable. If your score earned you credit, make sure you had the scores or transcripts sent to the university.

Learn more about AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment Credits
Second Language Requirement and Placement

There is a second language requirement at Richmond, and it is recommended that students demonstrate proficiency early in their academic career. Please refer to this page for more information about the requirement.

If you wish to study a second language, consider your placement in that language before registering for a course.

Note that French, Italian, and Spanish have "intensive" course options (7 hours of class time per week) that are worth 2 units. If you take a 2-unit intensive language course, you will only have room in your schedule for two more units.
WELL 100 Course

In addition to the 3.5-4.5 units you will register for, all students must complete WELL 100: Introduction to College Life at UR during their first semester at UR. This course is a non-credit requirement that meets once per week for 75 minutes.

Students should register for a WELL 100 section that fits within their schedule. If you do not register for a WELL 100 section, you will be assigned to one after registration closes.
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