Common Registration Error Messages

You may encounter registration problems while trying to add courses. Most you can resolve on your own, others may require help from your Academic Advisor.

Here are some of the most common error messages:

“Registration is not permitted at this time”

  • Registration is available 24 hours, but you may be trying to register between 12:00am to 12:03am (Atlantic Time), when registration is temporarily unavailable for a few minutes).
  • You may not be eligible to register at this time. Check our Registration Dates to see when your category is open.
  • There may be holds on your account preventing registration.
  • If it’s been over a year since you last registered for a course, you’ll need to reactivate your status. Contact the Admissions Office.
  • If you’ve applied to graduate, you cannot register in future terms. To register you must either withdraw your graduation application; or re-apply through the Admissions Office to continue studies in a different term.

“Program Restriction or Level Restriction”

  • You may be trying to register for a graduate level course (5000 or 6000 level) or a program specific course (i.e. Engineering). You cannot register for this course unless you’ve been accepted into that specific program.

“PREQ and Test Score Error”

  • The class you are trying to add requires a prerequisite course. If you do not have the necessary prerequisites, you will not be able to register for your class.

What is a prerequisite?

A prerequisite is a course you must successfully complete (either in a previous year or term) in preparation for a more advanced class. Many courses in the 2000 level or higher will have prerequisites. Check the Academic Calendar for a list of prerequisites required for each course.

Important: If you register for a prerequisite course in the fall term, you can register for the advanced course in the Winter term. If you fail or withdraw from the fall course, you will have to drop the winter course that requires the prerequisite (e.g. You can register for SOCI 1211 in the winter if you are registered for SOCI 1210 in the fall.)

“Closed Section”

  • The course you are trying to add is full. If a registered student drops the class, a seat will become available.
  • Some courses will offer a waitlist for registration if the course is at capacity. Check if the course has a Waitlist (WL) capacity on the registration page. Visit our Waitlist Registration page to learn about waitlisting and how to add yourself to a course waitlist.
  • If a waitlist is not offered for a closed course, contact your Academic Advising Office to seek special permission to register. 
  • The number of seats remaining in each course can be viewed online through the academic timetable. Please note that some courses are “cross-listed.” Although there may appear to be seats available, you will still receive an error message indicating the course is closed.

What is a cross-listed course?

Cross-listed courses are offered jointly by two departments. Each department has a certain number of seats reserved for students in their program. If the number of seats available in your program is full, you cannot register for the course.

“Link Error: L1/R1 Required”

  • Many courses have mandatory labs or recitations. You cannot register for the course without also registering for the lab/recitation at the same time.

Important: When viewing the academic timetable, please take note of the Attributes for each section of the class.  Some courses require that you take a specific lab/recitation. 

“Time Conflict with 1xxx or 2xxx”

  • You are trying to register for a class offered at the same time as another course you’re taking. The number in the error message indicates the CRN (course reference number) of the other course.

Important: You cannot register for a course offered at the same time as a lab/recitation, even if that lab/recitation is only scheduled once a week.

“Duplicate CRN”

  • You are trying to register for the same course twice.

“Repeat Count Exceed 0”

This is a warning. One of two things are preventing your registration.

  • You may be trying to register for a course that you have already passed. If you’d like to upgrade your mark, this error message will not prevent your registration.
  • You may be trying to register for the winter portion (YY) of a full year course. The system will not allow you to add the course unless you are also registered in the fall portion (XX).

“Maximum Hours Exceeded”

  • You cannot register for more than 6 courses per term (18 credit hours).

“Major Restriction”

Quick Links:

Back to Top

Page Feedback