Records and Registration

Waivers of Permission and Prerequisites, Credit Load Increase, and Seminars & Colloquia Limit

Permission of Instructor

A few courses require permission of the instructor. It is your responsibility to obtain permission and then forward it to the Office of Records and Registration. Use the  Course Permission and Prerequisite Waiver Request Form (pdf: 12.6 KB)  available online. During the bidding cycle, COURSES will not allow you to request courses requiring permission.

  • Please note that courses which require the permission of the professor for enrollment in a class are not to be included in the bidding cycles. You should follow the information stated by the professor in their course description regarding enrollment. Once they have made a decision, the professor will provide the Records Office with a list of names. At that time, a waiver will be entered on your COURSES record and the Office of Records and Registration will notify you that you are able to register for the class. You are responsible for bidding zero points on the class, effectively registering yourself.
  • Permission of instructor may not be used to gain entry to a course that is closed.
  • Permission of the instructor is necessary but not sufficient to gain entry into a closed seminar. Even if the instructor has provided you written permission to take such a seminar, unless you receive confirmation from the Office of Academic Services that you are registered you should not assume that you have been admitted. A faculty member may (but is not required to) admit up to two students in a closed seminar pending space availability. Permissions may not be signed by the instructor, or submitted to the Office of Records and Registration, until the first class meeting of the seminar in question.

Prerequisite Waivers, Prerequisite Checks, and Mutually Exclusive Courses

  • Review the course description and curriculum update pages online to learn whether or not a course has prerequisites or is mutually exclusive with other courses.
  • Pre- or Co-requisites: All students must meet course prerequisites. If you seek a waiver of a prerequisite, you must obtain approval in writing from the instructor. Use the form available online. All signed waivers (by the instructor) must be received in the Records Office no later than the deadline published in the Registration Calendar. If you have not taken the prerequisite nor provided prior JD/LLB confirmation of the course(s) taken at another law school by submitting the waiver form, COURSES will not permit you to bid on the course. During the bidding cycle and add/drop period, you will be notified if the course you are requesting has a prerequisite. If you have submitted a waiver form, it will then be checked to see if there is a waiver and add/drop on file.
  • Note: Prerequisite waivers for courses must be filed each semester.
  • Mutually Exclusive Courses: Check course descriptions to see whether courses are mutually exclusive with other courses. notification. COURSES will not permit you to register for two courses that are mutually exclusive.

Corporations (LAW-LW.10644)
For LLM students, this course will serve as a co-requisite for any course that requires Corporations as a prerequisite. This information is not specifically listed in each course description. When registering for a course that has Corporations as a prerequisite, a prerequisite warning message will appear in COURSES. If you have registered for this course, you can disregard this warning.

Approval to Increase the Maximum Number of Credits

JD students 

JD students who want to register for more than 15 credits must obtain the approval of the Office of Academic Services; use the Permission to Increase/Decrease Credit Load form found on this website. The bidding cycle will assign courses to a maximum of 15 credits only. During add/drop, COURSES will not allow you to exceed 15 credits without a waiver. After the bidding results are available, students can submit a request to increase their credit load. With good reason and a strong academic record, students may petition to take 16 credits. Students registering for a 3 or 4 credit language course may take up to 19 credits with permission.

Graduate students 

Graduate students may register to take more than 15 credits only under exceptional circumstances.

Tax and International Tax students

Tax and International Tax students must obtain permission from the Director of the Tax Program.

All other graduate students

All other graduate students must obtain permission from the Director of Graduate Affairs using the Credit Load Permission form.

Part-time students 

Part-time students may only register for up to 6 credits per semester. Students who are working full-time, however, are strongly advised to limit their course load to 4 or 5 credits per semester.

Your registration will be delayed until you receive approval. A delay may mean you do not get into a particular course.

Approval to Waiver the Two Seminar/Colloquia Limit

JD students

JD students who want to register for more than two seminars or colloquia must obtain the approval of the Office of Academic Services, using the Permission to Waive the Two Seminar/Colloquia Limit (JD) form. After the first round of bidding results are available, students can submit a request to bid for a third seminar or colloquium. If permission is granted, students must bid for the third seminar or colloquium.

LLM & Exchange students

LLM and Exchange students who want to register for more than two seminars or colloquia must obtain the approval of the Office of Graduate Affairs, using the Seminar Waiver Limit form. After the first round of bidding results are available, students can submit a request to bid for a third seminar or colloquium. If permission is granted, students must bid for the third seminar or colloquium.