Each semester, college students across the country prepare to register for their upcoming classes. Registration periods can feel stressful or complicated, as students navigate academic pressure, course availability, and meeting requirements for general education, majors, and minors.
On Nov. 12, The Sandspur sent out a survey to students asking about their experiences registering for Spring 2026 courses. We received 67 responses, with over half of respondents choosing to elaborate in the comments section. This represents a limited sample but provides some insight into students’ thoughts on the registration process.
Roughly 28 percent of respondents were freshmen, almost 36 percent were sophomores, about 22 percent were juniors, and around 13 percent were seniors.
Just over 34 percent of respondents reported experiencing technical difficulties during registration.
A student majoring in Business Management, one of the most popular degrees at Rollins, said, “It took forever to load, as if it were almost crashing. It was also impossible to get classes that I’d want, and the waitlists are crazy long.”
One student had the unique experience of registering on their phone after they were unable to access the registration portal on their computer. “Looking back, it was hilarious,” they said. “I was frantically panicking and searching on my computer for the course numbers and typing them into my phone. I’m lucky I got all my classes, but only because of my earlier registration time.”
Of the students who reported facing technical issues, close to 45 percent reported that the issues were quickly solved.
“I had one issue but went to the registrar’s office and they were helpful,” one student said.
About 48 percent of respondents plan on taking four classes next semester, while around 36 percent plan on taking five. Just over 10 percent plan on taking three classes, and 6 percent intend on taking more than five courses.
Nearly 30 percent of respondents reported getting into all the classes they wanted, while just over half said they were able to enroll in some of their preferred courses. About 15 percent indicated that they only got into one of their preferred courses, and fewer than 5 percent said they did not get into any of their preferred courses.
In the optional comments, a recurring complaint among students was being waitlisted for courses they planned to take.
“My issue is that RFLA 200S courses fill up way too fast, there are too few seats, and there are not enough of them offered,” said one student. “I also don’t feel that being an athlete should entitle you to priority registration unless you are D1.” In 2020, a writer at The Sandspur voiced a similar opinion and suggested that priority for course registration should be based on attendance and earned credit hours.
A student in the 3/2 Accelerated MBA program said that despite the advantage of registering before many of their peers, they still ended up on three waitlists. “If I don’t get these classes, I will be unable to continue 3/2,” the student added.
One student wrote that economics classes filled too quickly. “Everyone who wanted to take them ended up on waiting lists about double the class size,” they said.
“I feel like there aren’t enough class sections. I didn’t get either of my major classes because they only had 2 and 1 section each,” wrote one student.
Another explained that they were unsure of how the waitlist process works. “When I submitted the classes I wanted to add, some would say ‘Error, Add Waitlist’ and my screen would then freeze, unable to be refreshed… No one had ever explained to me or other people I know that we need to explicitly click the ‘Add Waitlist’ drop down when a class has filled up.”
Almost 33 percent of respondents said they were looking forward to all of their classes in Spring 2026. About 48 percent selected that they were looking forward to some of their classes, about 15 percent expressed indifference, and less than 5 percent reported not looking forward to any of their classes.
“I am looking forward to 3 of the classes I’m taking next semester, but I was not able to get into 2 that are essential for my 3-year AMP schedule,” said one student athlete. “I find it strange that the system is built on a frantic race to see who can register first. Is there not a better solution? Have other schools not implemented waitlist systems based on merit or academic standing, incentivizing students to work harder to climb higher on registration priority?”
Students struggling to secure their required courses is an issue at colleges and universities across the U.S. At a school like Rollins, where small class sizes are emphasized to provide personalized learning environments, this can make it even more difficult for students to compete for limited spaces. In the future, The Sandspur may poll upperclassmen to gather tips and tricks for managing the course registration process.
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