Stanford
Student Services

Enrollment Groups

Autumn enrollment 2023 begins August 30 at 6 p.m. For the first time, we are introducing staggered enrollment start times.

What is Staggered Enrollment?

To ensure a smooth and efficient enrollment process, degree seeking students will be divided into enrollment groups of roughly 2,000, allowing each group to begin enrolling every 30 minutes beginning at 6 p.m. on August 30. All students with an enrollment group assignment will be granted access to enroll by 11 p.m. 

Students will be assigned to an enrollment group based on their academic progress. That means those who are closer to graduation based on the number of completed quarters will have earlier start times than those who are newer in their academic journey. It is important to note that regardless of your designated start time, there will be no specific end times for these groups. Enrollment will remain open until the Final Study List deadline on October 13.

Transaction Limits Per Minute

To ensure the system can handle the load, we are implementing limitations on the number of enrollment transactions you can submit per minute. You will be able to submit a maximum of five individual classes and up to two batch enroll requests within a minute. System-wide, a limit of 9,000 transactions can be submitted per minute. If this limit is reached while you are trying to enroll, you will receive a notification asking you to wait a few seconds before trying again.

Enrollment Group Times

Group Start Times

6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m.

  • Undergraduates: rising and super seniors; transfers with 3 or more completed quarters
  • Second-year graduate and GSB students

Group Start Times

7:30 p.m., 8 p.m.

  • Undergraduates: rising juniors; transfers with 0-2 completed quarters
  • First-year graduate students

Group Start Times                            

8:30 p.m., 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m. 

  • Undergraduates: rising sophomores and last year’s frosh who took leaves
  • Third-year and beyond graduate students
  • Graduate and GSB students on TGR

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why is Stanford introducing staggered enrollment groups?  
    • A staggered approach to enrollment comes in response to student feedback and the ever growing need to optimize your enrollment experience. By strategically staggering students into groups, we can effectively address the system crashes that have occurred in the past, all while working within the limitations of our legacy technologies. This approach will greatly reduce the excessive load on our system that typically arises during the opening of enrollment, ensuring a smoother and more stable student experience.
  • When and where can I find my enrollment group and unique start time?
    • On August 10, you will receive an email with your enrollment group and unique start time. This information will also be available in Axess in the "Enroll in Classes" section under the My Academics menu. Your unique start time will also display as a banner in SimpleEnroll.
  • What was the methodology used to determine which students were assigned to what enrollment group?
    • Our prioritization strategy is designed to support you in the fairest way possible, regardless of your status as an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student. We will use the number of completed quarters with enrollment to determine proximity to degree conferral and priority enrollment start time. 
      • For undergraduates, we will give preference to those with the most enrolled quarters at Stanford. Transfer students will require fewer completed quarters to enroll at similar times to their social cohort. 
      • For graduate and GSB students, we will prioritize second-year students first, followed by first-year, third-year, and then fourth-year and TGR students. 
      • If you are part of Law, MD, or MSPA, you will begin enrolling on August 14 and will not be included in our August 30 staggering.
  • How can I request a change to my enrollment group?
    • The assignment of enrollment groups is based on the number of quarters completed, prioritizing students nearing degree conferral. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate requests to change these appointments. We appreciate your understanding and encourage you to make the most of the available options during your assigned enrollment start time.
  • How long will I have to enroll in classes?
    • Once your enrollment group begins, you are free to enroll and make adjustments to your study list until the Final Study Deadline. Law, Med, and MSPA students can enroll in their respective classes starting on August 14. These students will encounter an enrollment interruption for the entirety of August 30 while enrollment groups are enrolling. They will be able to enroll in general university classes starting at midnight on August 31.

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Enrollment Group Determination

Our enrollment group strategy is designed to support students in the fairest way possible, regardless of their status as an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student. Students will be assigned to an enrollment group based on their academic progress. That means those who are closer to graduation based on the number of completed quarters will have earlier start times than those who are newer in their academic journey.  

  • For undergraduates, those with the most enrolled quarters at Stanford will get earlier start times. Transfer students will require fewer completed quarters to enroll at similar times to their social cohort.
  • For graduate and Graduate School of Business (GSB) students, second-year students will get first access to enroll, followed by first-year, third-year and beyond, and then Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) students. 
  • Law, MD and MSPA students will begin their enrollment on August 14 and will not be included in the staggering process on August 30. Enrollment opens to Law, MD, and MSPA students for all course career classes on August 31 at 12 a.m. (Midnight). 
  • Students in two degree programs (either coterm or graduate plus GSB) will have the same enrollment start time for both degrees to facilitate their enrollment experience. 
  • Students pursuing a MD or Law degree, as well as a graduate or GSB degree, will be given an enrollment start time for the evening of August 30 in addition to their August 14 opening of enrollment.

Timeline

August 10

Degree seeking students will be notified of their enrollment group and start time via email and in Axess.

Students not eligible for enrollment groups will be notified enrollment opens at midnight on August 31.

August 14

Law and Med students begin enrolling in their courses. ExploreCourses opens for autumn quarter.

August 28

Planning opens for undergraduate, graduate, and Graduate School of Business (GSB) students.

August 30

Students begin enrolling at their designated start time per their assigned enrollment group.

August 31

Enrollment opens to all students for all courses at 12:00 a.m.

 

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