Advance Registration Process and Procedure

Enrollment Priorities

  1. Class Code Priority.  Many priorities are determined by Class Codes. The class codes are:
    LD1 = 1st year dayLE1 = 1st year eve
    LD2 = 2nd year dayLE2 = 2nd year eve
    LD3 = 3rd year dayLE3 = 3rd year eve
    LSD = Law Non Degree DayLE4 = 4th year eve
    LSE = Law Non Degree 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. Evening students permitted to switch to the day division must continue to take required courses, except Advanced Legal Research and courses which satisfy the Legal Profession requirement, in the evening.

    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, LE2, LD2, LSD/E.

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

      Elective courses which begin later than 4:10 and earlier than 6:30 or on Saturday are open equally to day and evening students; priority is LD3/LE4, LD2/LE3, LE2, 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, LE4, LD2, LE3, LD1, LE2, LE1, LSD/E.

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

    4. Enrollment priority for summer courses:

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

  2. Priority Number.  If selection cannot be accomplished by using other priorities, enrollment priority for each course will be determined by computer generated random selection.

  3. Wild Card Priority.  Most senior students complete the Wild Card course selection process in April’s advance registration. Senior students who did not submit the Wild Card form in April may do in November in accordance with the registration schedule. "Wild Card" gives seniors an enrollment preference in one course 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 sections 4 and 6 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 a spring seminar for which there is a non-senior enrollment preference. 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 the first course available among his/her four preferences. Reminder: each senior gains Wild Card 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, priority is determined by computer generated random selection.

  4. Non-senior Course Priority.  Non-seniors have enrollment priority for Business Associations, Evidence, Gender and Leadership Seminar, Income Taxation, and Trial Planning & Advocacy. Priority for enrollment in these courses is:

    day courses; LD2, LD3, LE3, LE2, LE4

    evening courses; LE3, LE2, LE4, LD2, LD3

    twilight courses; LD2/LE3, LD3/LE4, LE2

    In addition, seniors may not Wild Card these first-year priority courses: Administrative Law (Steinzor), Comparative Public Policy and Law Reform (Haddon/Edwards), Homeland Security and Law of Counterterrorism (Greenberger), International Criminal Law Seminar (Gray), International Law (Danchin), and South Africa: Race & the Law Seminar (Danchin).

  5. Dual Degree Program.  Students in dual degree programs who may not be able to benefit from the normal priorities due to scheduling requirements of the other program should meet (prior to the dates for submitting online registration requests) and discuss scheduling with an advisor in the Office of Student Affairs or Office of Registration & Enrollment.

  6. Enrollment Priority for Electives Open to First Year Students.  In the spring semester, in addition to electives open only to first year students, several electives will be open to both upper division and first year students. Seniors may not use Wild Card senior preference for spring semester elective courses in which first year students have enrollment preference.
    1. Continuing students will have enrollment priority in:
      • Comparative Law (Quint)
      • Critical Issues in Health Care (Hoffmann)
      • Environmental Law Seminar: Global Environmental Law (Percival)
      • Health Care Law and Policy (Lee)
      • International Women's Human Rights (Meier)
      • Law and Policy of Emergency Public Health Response Seminar/Course
    2. First year students will have enrollment priority in:
      • Administrative Law (Steinzor)
      • Comparative Public Policy and Law Reform (Haddon/Edwards)
      • Homeland Security and Law of Counterterrorism (Greenberger)
      • International Criminal Law Seminar (Gray)
      • International Law (Danchin)
      • South Africa: Race & the Law (Danchin)
    3. First year students only may enroll in:
      • Legal Profession/Reasoning & Rhetoric (McClain)

  7. Non-Senior Spring Semester Seminar Priority and Advanced Writing (Cert) Requirement.  The School of Law encourages second year day and third year evening students to complete the Advanced Writing Requirement prior to their senior year. Therefore, second year day and third year evening students may use the "Non-Senior Seminar Selection" form to request priority enrollment for spring seminars which may be taken to satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement.

    Senior Wild Card selection "trumps" the Non-Senior Seminar Selection enrollment priority for spring semester seminars. Seminars eligible for satisfaction of the Advanced Writing Requirement are noted on the Curriculum (in the column to the far right).

    Except in extraordinary circumstances, students must complete the Advanced Writing Requirement no later than the end of their fifth semester (day division) or seventh semester (evening division).

  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. Students who initially enroll in the evening program and transfer students do not have to 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 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; has taken no prior clinics
    5. Priority Five: Non-Senior needs to satisfy Cardin.
    6. Priority Six: Senior; uses Wild Card; has taken no prior clinics
    7. Priority Seven: Senior, uses Wild Card; has prior clinic
    8. Priority Eight: Senior, needs for certificate; has prior clinic
    9. Priority Nine: Senior, has taken no prior clinics
    10. Priority Ten: Senior, has prior clinic
    11. Priority Eleven: Non-Senior
    Within each priority level, if there are more requests than openings, computer generated random selection will be used to determine enrollment.

    Approved Clinic/LTP 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 in the same academic year even if you later drop the course.

  9. Advanced Legal Research (ALR).  Enrollment priorities for ALR are as follows:

    1. Priority One: Senior; uses Wild Card; uses ALR preference form
    2. Priority Two: Senior; uses ALR preference form
    3. Priority Three: Non-senior; uses ALR preference form
    4. Priority Four: Senior
    5. Priority Five: Non-senior
    Because ALR offerings are more similar than dissimilar, students may take no more than one ALR course.

  10. Courses Requiring Faculty Approval.  Enrollment in Asper Fellowship, Center for Health & Homeland Security Externship, Clinic II, Externship, Health Law Practicum, Independent Written Work, 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, during Advance Registration and must be submitted prior to the start of the semester/summer session.

  11. Credit Limits.  After completing requirements of the first year, full-time day students may request enrollment in as many as 17 credits per semester and evening students may request enrollment in as many as 12 credits per semester.  In the advance registration process in April and November, students are not registering but requesting approval to register for the courses they list and submit online.  The registration system permits day students to request enrollment in more than 17 credits and evening students in more than 12 credits.  However, when those requests are reviewed by the Office of Registration & Enrollment (OR&E) to determine who is and who is not admitted to the requested courses, OR&E will arbitrarily decide which course(s) to drop if the student requests enrollment in more than the 17 or 12 credit limit.  Due to ABA requirements, day students may take no more than 17 credits (no exceptions) in any one semester.  Using the Registration Status and Exception Request Form, evening students working fewer than 20 hours per week, however, may request an exception (typically of no more than one additional credit) to the ABA maximum of 12 credits per semester.

    In the summer session, students in all divisions may enroll in no more than 9 credits, and exceptions are not permitted.

    Rather than taking chances on which of the requested courses OR&E will drop, it is best for the full-time day student to request enrollment in no more than 17 credits and the evening student (unless an exception has been approved) in no more than 12 credits.

  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 © 2013, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. All Rights Reserved