First-Year Block Registration Process

At Drexel, new first-year undergraduate students receive their fall class schedules through a collaborative block registration process that involves many partners across the University. Course schedulers and academic advisors work with the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) to curate first-year schedules based on major/plan of study and placement exam results. Resources for this process may be found on the Course Scheduling Teams. Membership may be requested by new course schedulers or involved parties by emailing Academic Services.

• Major stakeholders in this process include OUR, Academic Information Systems (AIS), Information Resources and Technology (IRT), academic departments, Drexel Central, University Communications, and Intercollegiate Advising. 
• Utilizing confirmed enrollment numbers, academic departments establish their course offerings for the upcoming academic year.
• Academic departments review the University Catalog plans of study for a given major to develop a grouping of course sections (a block) in which students will be registered.
• Incoming first-year students are required to take placement exams dependent on their major, which will place them into the appropriate Math or science course (Chemistry or Physics.)
  • It should be noted that Physics outcomes are based on Calculus placement exam scores. based on if required for their major.
  • Incoming first-year students may also take modern language or information science exams.
  • International students are also assessed on their proficiency in English.
• IRT coordinates the annual setup of placement exams with the OUR, AIS and the associated academic departments as needed. 
• OUR is responsible for the mass registration of all incoming students based on the block information provided by academic departments. All students must be registered for at least 12 credits total prior to the start of term.
• Academic departments are responsible for ensuring that all newly confirmed students, students who have changed their major, and students whose enrollment depends on summer preparatory review outcomes, are registered into the appropriate courses by the start of term.
• The Bursar's Office processes the annual bill in mid-August; therefore all new incoming students must be registered for at least one credit prior to this date. The Bursar's Office also processes immunization holds for students who have not received their immunizations required to move into student housing. Holds will prohibit any changes to the student's schedule.