Registration & courses

How to register

• Review your acceptance package and return all documents requested therein to Service Point, attention Postdoctoral Office.
• Follow your department's instructions to determine the list of courses for which you should register. In some cases, your department will have invited you to an orientation / advising session, or informed you that courses should be selected after meeting with an adviser. In other cases, your department will have prepared a list of courses for which you should register. 
• Be sure to review the registration schedule.
• Register on MINERVA. Minerva is McGill's web-based information system providing service to students, faculty, and staff. It allows students to register and make course changes on the web. Please read the instructions in every section carefully before registering, including all menu items in the left sidebar of the page.
• Verify your address, telephone number, courses and fees on MINERVA.

Please note that students who are on Time Limitation, or who have outstanding holds or fees and fines from previous terms will not have access to registration or course changes. Please also note that successful completion of registration is contingent upon acceptable academic standing in the previous session.

For further information about registration, please see the registration section of the Graduate e-calendar and direct all inquiries to Service Point.

Course offerings

The University Course Calendar provides an exhaustive list of the courses that exist or that may be offered, while information about course offerings for the current or upcoming session can be found on Minerva in the Class Schedule section. In addition, many departments publish detailed syllabi related to the courses being offered in the current or upcoming terms on their own websites. Having trouble finding what you're looking for? Contact your Graduate Program Director or Secretary. 

McGill Writing Centre offers courses for graduate students whose first language is not English, and some writing courses are offered in other units. These courses cannot be counted toward the requirements of a graduate program, and are considered ‘extra courses’. The graduate e-calendar contains a full listing of extra courses for graduate students.

Registration/withdrawal policies & procedures

Students looking for information about course registration/withdrawal policies should refer to the Regulations section of the Graduate e-calendar. Among other things, this section includes information about the course change period and course withdrawal policies. 

Registering for full courses

To register for a course that is full, students must:

1. Go to the department offering the course to ask the professor or graduate coordinator if space can be made available for them to take the course
2. If the department allows the student to take the course the department must increase the enrolment limit of the course
3. Once that is done, the student can register for the course on Minerva.

Please note: some departments may issue a capacity override (permit) to allow you to register for the course on Minerva.

Registering for undergraduate courses

To register for an undergraduate course (excl. School of Continuing Studies courses and courses offered by the French Language Centre), students must:

1. Obtain approval from the department offering the course; a permit override will be placed on your McGill record
2. Submit a Request for Course Change Form available at www.mcgill.ca/students/records/forms

The Request for a Course Change Form will be sent to your graduate department. If the department supports the request, the department will forward the request to the Management of Academic Records Office, Enrolment Services, along with the recommendation from the department GPD.

To register for undergraduate courses offered by the School of Continuing Studies, student must apply directly through the Continuing Studies website.

To register for courses offered by the French Language Centre, students must:

1. Obtain a permission memo from their department
2. Go directly to the French Language Centre with the permission memo
3. The student will be given a Permit to Register themselves for the course via Minerva.

Please Note: As a result of an ongoing integration of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Enrolment Services, policies and procedures are currently undergoing review and revision.  Updates will be communicated to departments as decisions are made.

Withdrawing from/dropping/adding courses after the deadline has passed

To add/drop/withdraw a course after the deadline has passed, students must submit a Course Change Request form available at Student Records Forms to their department. If the department supports the request, the department will forward the request to the Management of Academic Records Office, Enrolment Services, along with the recommendation from the department GPD.

Withdrawal from the University

Students who wish to withdraw from McGill should consult the Withdrawal regulations stipulated in the e-calendar, and submit a Request for University Withdrawal form available at Student Records Forms. Please note that this form is sent to the Management of Academic Records Office, Enrolment Services.

Mandatory online academic integrity tutorial

Since spring 2001, graduate students must complete a mandatory online academic integrity tutorial accessed through MINERVA's MyCourses. New students must complete the tutorial within their first semester, or a Hold will placed on their record. Refer to registration deadlines for more details.