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The University of Maryland School of Law

Advance Registration Process and Procedure

Enrollment Priorities

  1. Class Code Priority - Many priorities are determined by Class Codes. The class codes are:
    LD1 = 1 dayLP1 = 1st year part-time day
    LD2 = 2 dayLP2 = 2nd year part-time day
    LD3 = 3 dayLP3 = 3rd year part-time day
    LE1 = 1 eveLP4 = 4th year part-time day
    LE2 = 2 eveLSD = Law Non Degree Day
    LE3 = 3 eveLSE = Law Non Degree Eve
    LE4 = 4 eve
    Students requesting permission to switch from day to evening, evening to day, etc. should submit the "Registration Status and Exception Request" form to OR&E, suite 280 prior to the due date for any paper or on-line registration. First year students may not request changing divisions until they have completed their first year.
    1. Enrollment priority for elective courses for which first year students are not eligible:

      Priority for enrollment in evening elective courses by Class Code is: LE4, LE3, LD3/LP4, LE2, LP3, LD2/LP2, LSD/E.

      Priority for enrollment in day elective courses by Class Code is: LD3/LP4, LE4, LP3, LD2/LP2, LE3, LD1, LE2, LSD/E.

      Elective courses which begin later than 4:10 and earlier than 6:25 or on Saturday are open equally to day and evening students; priority is LD3/LE4/LP4, LD2/LE3/LP3, LE2/LP2, LD1, LSD/E.

    2. Enrollment priority for elective courses for which first year full time day and first year evening students are eligible and are considered after upper division students:

      Priority for enrollment in day elective courses by Class Code is: LD3/LP4, LE4, LD2/LP3, LP2, LE3, LD1, LE2, LE1, LSD/E.

      Priority for enrollment in evening elective courses by Class Code is: LE4, LE3, LD3/LP4, LE2, LP3/LD2, LD1, LE1, LSD/E.

      Elective courses which begin later than 4:10 and earlier that 6:25 or on Saturday are open equally to day and evening students; priority is LD3/LE4/LP4, LD2/LE3/LP3, LE2/LP2; LD1, LE1, LSD/E.

    3. Enrollment priority for elective courses for which first year full time day and first year evening students are eligible and are considered prior to upper division students:

      Priority for enrollment in day elective courses by Class Code is: LD1, LE1, LD3/LP4, LE4, LD2/LP3, LP2, LE3, LE2, LSD/E.

    4. Enrollment priority for summer courses:

      Summer session course priority is LD3/LE4/LP4, LD2/LE3/LP3, LE2/LP2.

  2. Priority Number If selection cannot be accomplished by using other priorities, enrollment priority will be determined by computer generated random selection except for Wild Card, Clinic/LTP/Cardin and Non-senior Seminar Preference in November’s advance registration for spring 2008 for which the SSN priority will be used.

  3. SSN Priority for Wild Card, Clinic/LTP and Non-senior Seminar Preference If selection for Wild Card, Clinic/LTP and Non-senior Seminar Preference (and other instances) cannot be accomplished by using other priorities, then a random selection system is used to assign places in oversubscribed courses. The last four digits of each student's Social Security Number is the student's random selection number. Each year a randomly selected four-digit number is used for the entire academic year (summer session, fall and spring semesters), but in the spring semester the order is reversed. The number selected for 2008-2009 is 5505.

    For the Summer session and Fall semester the student with #5505 had the highest priority for admission to limited enrollment courses. The series then continued through 9999 followed by 0000, and then in the normal sequence through #5504. Thus, the student with #5504 had the lowest priority at this stage. In the Spring the order is reversed; #5504 has the highest priority and #5505 has the lowest priority. However, if a student is admitted on the basis of the priority number, this will be recorded and thereafter, summer, fall and spring, the students' order of admittance to oversubscribed courses will follow those students whose numbers were not yet used. The priority number is automatically used in all cases when a course is oversubscribed and the other priorities are not sufficient to determine enrollment.

  4. Wild Card Priority Most senior students completed the Wild Card course selection process in April 2007. Senior students who did not submit the Wild Card form in April may do so now in accordance with the previously stated registration schedule. Senior "Wild Card" course selection insures seniors will be able to enroll in one course, which is of primary interest to them, during the year (summer, fall and spring). Day division students may not Wild Card evening division Clinical offerings; Appellate Advocacy Clinic, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and Mediation Clinic. Seniors may not Wild Card courses in which non-seniors have enrollment preference (See Subsection 5 below for a list of those courses). Wild Cards may not be used to gain entry in a required class over seniors who have not yet satisfied a graduation requirement. Seniors who have not previously submitted a Wild Card may submit their Wild Card for Spring 2008 seminars for which there is a non-senior enrollment preference. (See subsection 6 below.) Seniors submit the Wild Card Selection Form wherein they rank four courses in order of preference (#1 through #4). Each senior will be admitted to one of these courses, the first one available among his/her four preferences. Reminder: each senior gains admission to only one course for the entire year summer, fall and spring. The approved Wild Card will be added to the student’s on-line Advance Registration Request Form by the Office of Registration and Enrollment. If any course is oversubscribed in the Wild Card process, the random priority social security number selection system is used, with one difference: the order of numbers used in summer and fall is reversed, so that in the spring semester the student with #5505 has the lowest priority and the student with #5504 has the highest priority. For students who first submit their Wild Card selection in November for spring enrollment, #5504 has the highest priority and #5505 has the lowest priority.

  5. Non-senior Course Priority Senior (LD3, LE4 and LP4) priority, including Wild Card may not be used to obtain a place before non-seniors (LD2/LE3/LP3) in courses in which non-seniors have preference: Business Associations, Evidence, Gender & Leadership Seminar, Income Taxation, and Trial Planning & Advocacy. Priority for enrollment in these courses is:

    day courses; LD2/ LP2/ LP3, LD3/LP4, LE3, LE2, LE4

    evening courses; LE3, LE2, LE4, LD2/LP2/LP3, LD3/LP4

    twilight courses; LD2/LP3/LE3, LD3/LP4/LE4, LP2/LE2

    Seniors may not use Wild Card senior preference for spring semester elective courses in which first year day have enrollment preference but which are not limited to first year day students only: Intellectual Property Aspects of Business Law (Sung), International Law (Danchin), and Introduction to the Regulatory System Seminar (Steinzor).

  6. Electives for Upper Division and First Year Day Students In the spring semester 2009, in addition to electives open only to first year students, several electives will be open to both upper division and first year students.
    1. Continuing students will have enrollment priority in:
      • Biotechnology and Law Seminar/Course: Ethical Issues – Sung
      • Comparative Jurisprudence Seminar: Transcultural Perspectives on the World’s Legal Systems - Chibundu
      • Critical Issues in Health Care - Hoffmann
      • Employment Law – Weiss
      • Environmental Law Seminar: Global Environmental Law- Percival
      • Family Law – Czapanskiy
      • Jurisprudence Seminar - Gray
      • Introduction to the Chinese Legal system Seminar - TBA
      • Law and Policy of Emergency Public Health Response Seminar/Course – Greenberger
      • South Africa: Race and the Law Seminar/Course - Danchin
    2. First year students will have enrollment priority in:
      • Comparative Public Policy and Law Reform - Reynolds
      • Health Care Law and Policy – Doherty
      • International Law – Danchin
    3. First year students only may enroll in:
      • Legal Profession – Condlin
      • Health Law Seminar: Public Health and The Law – Hankin
      • Reasoning and Rhetoric – McClain and TBA
  7. Advanced Writing (Cert) Requirement and Non-Senior Spring Semester Seminar Priority The School of Law encourages second year day and third year evening and part-time day students to complete the Advanced Writing Requirement prior to their senior year. Therefore, non-seniors have enrollment priority for spring seminars which may be taken to satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement. The priority is:

    Day courses; LD2/LP3, LE3, LD3, LP4, LE2, LP2, LE4

    Evening courses; LE3, LD2/LP3, LE4, LD3, LE2, LP2

    Twilight courses; LD2/LP3/LE3, LD3/LE4, LP2/LE2

    This non-senior seminar priority does not affect the senior wild card priority or the priority for seniors who have not satisfied the Legal Profession requirement. Those seniors will continue to be able to "trump" the second year day/third year evening enrollment priority for spring semester seminars. Thus, a third year day, fourth year evening or fourth year part-time day student who really wants to take a particular seminar offered only in the spring can use wild card or use the senior Legal Profession preference to gain admission. Seminars eligible for satisfaction of the Advanced Writing Requirement are noted on the Curriculum (in the column to the far right).

  8. Clinic/Legal Theory and Practice (LTP) Course Priority; Cardin Requirement Each student who initially enrolled as a first year full-time day student must satisfy the Cardin Requirement. Most students satisfy this requirement by taking a Cardin eligible clinic or LTP course. Cardin eligible courses are so noted on the curriculum.

    Most students submit Clinic/LTP/Cardin Preference forms in April. Those who did not submit this Preference Form in April and wish to be considered for enrollment in a spring Clinic or LTP course must submit the Clinic/LTP/Cardin Preference Form according to the established spring advance registration deadlines.

    Following are the faculty-approved priorities for determining enrollment in Clinic & LTP courses.
    1. Priority One: Senior; Uses Wild Card; Needs to Satisfy Cardin; completing Certificate requirements and has completed six credits toward Environmental or Health Law Certificate by the end of second year and needs a Clinic/LTP Course to satisfy Certificate program requirements.
    2. Priority Two: Senior; Uses Wild Card; needs to satisfy Cardin.
    3. Priority Three: Senior; needs to satisfy Cardin
    4. Priority Four: Senior; uses Wild Card; needs for certificate
    5. Priority Five: Senior uses Wild Card
    6. Priority Six: Non-Senior needs to satisfy Cardin.
    7. Priority Seven: Senior, needs for certificate
    8. Priority Eight: Senior
    9. Priority Nine: Non-Senior
    If in any stage there are more requests than openings, the SSN priority process will be used to determine enrollment.

    Approved courses will be entered for you on your On-line Registration Request Form. To retain your place, do nothing. If you are no longer interested in taking this course simply drop it during your open on-line registration window. Once the request form is submitted, you will not get a second chance to use the Clinic/LTP/Cardin Preference Form even if you later drop the course.

  9. Constitutional Law II. Second year day students are assigned to Constitutional Law II based on their first year section assignments. Students may change sections to the extent space is available.

  10. Advanced Legal Research (ALR). Graduating seniors who have not yet satisfied the Advance Legal Research requirement and/or who have not yet taken Advanced Legal Research have enrollment preference.

    Because ALR Offerings are more similar than dissimilar, students may take no more than one ALR course.

  11. Courses Requiring Faculty Approval. Enrollment in Asper Fellowship, Center for Health & Homeland Security Externship, Clinic II, Externship, Health Law Practicum, Independent Written Work, Intellectual Property Law Practicum, Legislative, Congressional Practicum/ Externship, Maryland Legislative Practicum, South Africa Externship, Teaching Fellow Seminar and Women, Leadership & Equality Fellows requires separate faculty approval forms which must be submitted and approved during Advance Registration or prior to the start of the semester/summer session. The "Courses Requiring Faculty Approval" form is available on the Current Student web page and on the Forms Shelves outside of Suite 280. Approved forms should be submitted to the Office of Registration and Enrollment, Suite 280, Law School during Advance Registration and must be submitted prior to the start of the semester/summer session.

  12. Other Priorities and Preferences - Students should review the course catalog for course descriptions, prerequisites and co-requisites, etc.


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500 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-1786 PHONE: (410) 706-7214 FAX: (410) 706-4045 / TDD: (410) 706-7714

Copyright © 2008, University of Maryland, School of Law. All Rights Reserved