Low-Enrolled Sections and the Section Balancing Process

To ensure that a course is offered in any given term, it is essential to meet the minimum enrollment criteria outlined in the Low-Enrolled Courses and Class Size Policy. Failing to meet these criteria may result in the cancellation of the course by the Office of the Provost. However, in certain cases, exemptions may be granted by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Curriculum and Education based on valid justifications provided by the academic department during the Section Balancing Process.

Section Balancing Process: Procedure for Requesting Course Exemptions

Approximately five weeks prior to the start of each term, the Office of the University Registrar will initiate the Section Balancing Process by sending a list of all low-enrolled sections to all academic schedulers via email.

• Schedulers and their departments are required to review these low-enrolled sections and submit justifications for any sections they wish to offer despite not meeting the minimum enrollment thresholds. These justifications should be submitted by the specified deadline, which is typically the second Friday after receipt of the email.
• Departments must promptly cancel any low-enrolled sections they decide not to offer in CLSS.
• It is the responsibility of the department to inform any affected students regarding the cancellation of these sections and render assistance in finding alternative registration for the term that will progress a student towards degree.
• Departments must also ensure that enrollments in remaining sections are appropriately distributed. This period should be utilized to balance other sections on their schedule to maintain optimal learning conditions.

Certain specialty sections, such as research, practicums and thesis sections, are determined by various factors including pedagogy, equipment, and custom space size, and are therefore exempt from the Section Balancing Process. Although these course sections may not be canceled due to low enrollment, if a persistent trend of low enrollment is observed, the the Office of the Provost may recommend reducing the frequency of these offerings to enhance enrollment.