{"id":3028,"date":"2026-06-17T15:05:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T19:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.dev.www.purdue.edu\/registrar\/?page_id=3028"},"modified":"2026-07-27T23:26:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T03:26:34","slug":"pre-reg-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/registrar\/faculty-staff\/advisor\/pre-reg-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Registration Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pre-Registration Guide<\/h1>\n
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Access advisor tools and workflows, and find answers to frequently asked questions to help you support students through pre-registration.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Definition of Terms <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use these definitions to understand key terms used throughout the pre-registration process. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Advisor Course Recommendation Form (Advisor CRF)<\/p>

A form in\u00a0UniTime\u00a0advisors use to\u00a0submit\u00a0a prioritized list of courses and alternates for a student. Once\u00a0submitted, the Advisor CRF auto-populates the student’s Course Request Form.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Course Request Form (CRF)<\/p>

\t\nA form in UniTime that students use to submit a prioritized list of courses and alternates. Requests feed into an optimization algorithm that builds schedules while balancing student demand, space constraints and fairness across the student body. <\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Vital Course<\/p>

A course that must be taken in the upcoming semester for any major on the student’s record for degree\u00a0progression,\u00a0and there are three or fewer classes to choose from in order to meet the degree requirement.<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Extended Drop\/Add<\/p>

A request to change a registration that may include dropping and\/or adding course sections. Extended drop\/add requests require advisor approval; instructors must be notified of all drops and must approve all adds. At certain points in the semester, departmental designees may also need to approve changes.<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Open Registration<\/p>

The period after\u00a0batch\u00a0pre-registration\u00a0when all students can\u00a0modify\u00a0their schedules using a time ticket and PIN.<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Pre-registration Simulations<\/p>

Once the schedule of classes is published each semester,\u00a0UniTime\u00a0runs nightly simulations in the Batch Solver Dashboard. Simulations provide enrollment projections and assist in problem-solving before the final batch\u00a0run.<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Pre-registration\/ Batch Registration<\/p>

The process undergraduate students\u00a0use to submit\u00a0course requests in\u00a0UniTime.\u00a0An optimization algorithm is then applied to minimize conflicts, accommodate constraints and build the most\u00a0equitable\u00a0schedules across the student body.<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n

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Term and Definition<\/span><\/p>

Time ticket\/ PIN<\/p>

A time ticket is an assigned window when a student can enroll or\u00a0modify\u00a0courses for a term. A six-digit personal identification number (PIN) grants access to the Scheduling Assistant during open registration. Graduate and professional students use this process to register rather than\u00a0complete pre-registration.<\/p><\/div><\/article> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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