Registration FAQs

General Registration Overview

1. Q. What is the difference between Regular Session and Special Session?
   A. Regular Session is state-supported and state-subsidized and is for students who live within the catchment area of San José, California (zip codes: 939xx – 958xx). The cap on the number of Regular Session students who are accepted to the MLIS program each semester is related to the amount of money received from the state. Regular Session students can also take advantage of San José State University student services such as Santa Clara County transit services, 2student body organizations, health care, and recreational activities.

   Special Session is totally funded from student fees and is for students who live outside the catchment area of San José, California (e.g., Southern California, the rest of the United States, and the world.)

   Regular Session and Special Session students must meet the same graduation requirements (i.e., same required courses, same number of elective units, same total number of units to graduate). All MLIS courses are offered entirely online. SJSU iSchool no longer offers any face-to-face classes.

2. Q. Can an MLIS student switch from Regular Session to Special Session?
   A. Yes. Regular Session students have the option to change their status to Special Session after completing 19 units (slightly less than half of the units needed to graduate). Once their designation has been officially changed to Special Session, they can take Special Session classes. Please fill out the status change request form. Note that students cannot take both Regular Session and Special Session courses during the same semester.

3. Q. How do I register for classes?
   A. Students register for classes using the PeopleSoft system accessed through the MySJSU Web site. Select your classes in our iSchool current class schedules before registering in MySJSU. See details about the registration procedure.

4. Q. Do you offer every class every semester?
   A. Courses are scheduled based upon an established rotation (see the rotation schedule) which indicates when particular courses will be taught.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q. What registration information can I find on the SJSU iSchool website? The University website? What registration questions do I ask my advisor? My instructors?
   A. The SJSU iSchool website:
   • Course schedules for upcoming, current, and previous semesters
   • Specific procedural information
   • Faculty syllabi for current and many previous semesters
   • Yearly course rotation
   • Suggested career directions, e.g., academic librarian, public librarian, etc.

   The University website:

   • Registration times
   • Registration processes
   • Registration deadlines such as add/drop periods
   • Charges for classes based upon the add/drop dates

   Your Advisor:

   • Questions about courses needed to meet your career goals
   • Questions about prerequisites
   • Questions about numbers of courses you should plan to take

   Your Instructors:

   • Clarification of issues you do not understand from your review of their syllabus
   • Academic queries about the course content and work load

2. Q. How will I know when Advance Registration starts for my first semester?
   A. iSchool faculty and staff email this information as well as other important announcements and last-minute administrative changes to current students through the iSchoolAlert notification system. All currently-enrolled MLIS and MARA students are automatically members of iSchoolAlert and will receive announcements regarding registration.

3. Q. When can I register for classes?
   A. Regular Session students: You will be given an appointment time that will appear on MySJSU (see the tutorial How To View Enrollment Appointment. You may register for classes any time after your appointment time. For information about priority registration, see SJSU’s Priority Registration page. Appointment times are set by the Registrar’s Office; the School of Information has no control over them. Contact erecords@sjsu.edu regarding these issues.

   Special Session Students: We at the iSchool set a date for Special Session registration. All Special Session students have the same appointment time and can enroll at any time after Special Session enrollment opens. Please check the iSchool master calendar often to see when the registration date is each semester.

4. Q. How do I register for classes? How do I add a class?
   A. You must register for your classes through the university registration process via MySJSU. See: Class Registration Process

5. Q. How do I get on a waitlist? How do waitlists work? How long will I be on the waitlist before I know if I’ve been enrolled? What if I am enrolled in one section because it is open but I really want another section of the same class?
   A. If a class is full but still has an open wait list, you will be able to get on the waitlist if you select the “waitlist” option when trying to add it. Here’s how the waitlist works: when a registered student drops a class, a space opens up. The first person on the waitlist automatically gets registered for the class and everyone else on the waitlist moves up a spot. You will receive a message in your MySJSU notifying you when and if you have been registered for the course.

   If there is a long waitlist to get into a class and you are further down on the list, you should probably stay with the class you’re already in. If you are already in a section of the class and add yourself to a waitlist for another section, the system will ignore you.

6. Q. What will my tuition be?
   A. See: Fees

7. Q. Do I pay for the entire degree up front? How and when do I pay my tuition fees?
   A. You only pay tuition fees for the classes you register for each semester. Once Advance Registration starts, go to MySJSU, add your class(es), then go to the “Finances” section of your MySJSU Student Center web page and use “account inquiry” to find out how much you owe, how to pay, and when your payment deadline is. Payment deadlines may as short as 2 days after or as long as 3 weeks after you register.

8. Q. Who do I contact with registration problems?
   A.
   • If you cannot access the system: Email info-support@sjsu.edu
   • If you have problems seeing the correct screen or problems with incorrect IDs: Email registrar@sjsu.edu
   • Problems with holds: The hold will tell you who to contact
   • Other problems: Contact our Student Services Team.

9. Q. What is Canvas?
   A. See: iSchool Online Learning and Canvas tutorials.

10. Q. I don’t have a Canvas account — how do I get one?
    A. See your New Student Checklist.

11. Q. I forgot my Canvas login, could you give it to me again?
    A. Your Canvas login information is the same as your SJSUOne (or MySJSU) login. 

12. Q. Now that I have registered for my classes, what happens next?
    A. Nothing until classes begin. Go over your New Student Checklist to be sure you have completed all the steps you need to. Look for textbook information to be available about six weeks before classes begin and class syllabi to be available a few days before classes begin. Check your MySJSU Student Center web page regularly for messages.

13. Q. How many classes are “part-time” and how many do I need to take to be a “full-time” student? How many classes do I need to take for financial aid?
    A. We at the iSchool do not set a full time or part time limit. The Bursar’s Office regards 9 units as full time for a graduate student taking 200 level classes. Students need to enroll in at least 4 units (200 level courses) each semester in order to maintain eligibility for financial aid. The amount of aid awarded is based on how many units you take.

    If you are a Regular Session student and have any other questions about financial aid, please contact The SJSU Financial Aid Office at 408-283-7500.

    If you are a Special Session student and have applied for Financial Aid, you may email Carol Garcia or call her at 408-924-6081 for further assistance.

14. Q. MySJSU won’t let me re-register for a class I took but failed last semester. What do I do?
    A. For Core Courses (INFO 200, 202, and 204): Students who entered the iSchool in Spring 2009 or later must make a B (i.e. a B- or less) in the core classes. If you make less than a B in a core class, you will be put on Administrative Notice and you must repeat that core class. Approximately two weeks before the end of Advanced Registration, MySJSU will allow students to enroll in a retake of a core course or elective. Check the SJSU Registrar’s Calendar for the specific date. If you do not make a B the second time you take the class, you will be disqualified from the MLIS program.

    For INFO 289: If you take this course and receive a “NC” grade, you will be placed on Administrative Notice. Approximately two weeks before the end of Advanced Registration, MySJSU will allow students to enroll in a retake of a core course or elective. Check the SJSU Registrar’s Calendar for the specific date. If you do not make a “Credit” grade the second time you take this class, you will be disqualified from the MLIS program.

    For All Other Courses: Approximately two weeks before the end of Advanced Registration, MySJSU will allow students to enroll in a retake of a core course or elective. Check the SJSU Registrar’s Calendar for the specific date.

15. Q. Why am I being blocked from registration?
    A. Some possible reasons:
    • Make sure you are registering for the upcoming semester, not for the current or a past semester.
    • You are trying to register for a class for which you are not eligible — Regular Session students cannot take Special Session classes and Special Session students cannot take Regular Session classes.
    • You have not met the prerequisites (see Course Descriptions).
    • You have not enrolled in classes for more than a semester and have become an “inactive” student.
    • Check your MySJSU account to make sure there are no holds. Some common causes for holds are:
      1. Cashiering hold: Non-payment of tuition for previous semester.
      2. Admissions hold: You are unable to register until all final admission documents have been submitted.
      3. Academic Notice hold: Your GPA falls below 3.0.
      4. Administrative Academic Probation hold: You do not reach a standard we have set, i.e., if your grade is less than a B (B- or lower) in a core class, or if you receive a “NC” in INFO 289.
      5. Dropped from the University: You did not register for classes for two semesters in a row (excluding summer) and did not file a leave of absence request form.
    • Once Advance Registration closes, SJSU has a week-long blackout period where you cannot add or drop in MySJSU. You will not be able to register until late registration begins on the first day of classes and you will need a permission number.

    If none of the above apply, contact registrar@sjsu.edu .

16. Q. Why am I being asked for a permission number?
    A. Some possible reasons:
    • You are trying to register for a class for which you are not eligible — Regular Session students cannot take Special Session classes and Special Session students cannot take Regular Session classes.
    • You are trying to register after Advance Registration closes.

17. Q. I’ve registered for classes but now they’ve disappeared.
    A. You may have been disenrolled from your classes for non-payment of tuition. In this case, you will need to contact the professors of the courses you want to take and ask them for permission codes to re-enroll, as well as pay your tuition fees as soon as the payment option becomes available again. If the class is now full the instructors do not have to add you back into the classes.

18. Q. I didn’t see any deadline in MySJSU for paying tuition and now all my classes have been dropped. I found out that I only had one day to pay, I thought there would be more time than that.
    A. Payment deadlines are listed under the “Finance” section of the Student Center on the MySJSU page. Payment due dates are dependent on when you register. In the future as soon as you register for a class, immediately check the “Finances” section of your MySJSU Student Center web page for your payment due dates.

19. Q. Why isn’t MySJSU’s add/drop link working?
    A. If Advanced Registration has just closed and you are in the week before classes officially start, SJSU is in a blackout period when you cannot add or drop. When classes officially begin, you can only add a class with a permission code.

    If it is past the first two weeks from the start of classes, you have missed the add/drop deadline. In order to add a class now, you must obtain a permission code from the professor. They are under no obligation to add you to the class. In order to drop, you must submit a Petition for Course Drop and provide serious and compelling evidence supporting your reason for dropping the class after the deadline.

20. Q. How do I get a permission code for a late add?
    A. Beginning on the first day of instruction, You may email the professor teaching the section or course you would like to take. They are not required to add you.

21. Q. How do I contact a professor so I can request a permission code?
    A. You may email professors directly from the iSchool faculty list. You can also find links to email addresses and web pages listed with the instructor’s course on the iSchool Class Schedule.

22. Q. Will there be a problem with the Bursar’s office or Financial Aid if I drop a class now?
    A. You may obtain this information directly from the Bursar’s Office. Their contact information is available on their website.

23. Q. What is the refund policy for a late drop?
    A. See: Refunds and Pro-rata Charges.

24. Q. I submitted a withdrawal form last semester. How do I know if it has been dropped? Will I get a refund? How much of a refund will I get?
    A. Look on your unofficial transcript in the Self-Service section of your MySJSU Student Center web page; if the course has been dropped, you will see a “W” for the course grade. Refunds are handled by the Bursar’s Office.

25. Q. What’s the last day I can drop?
    A. The deadline for dropping courses without receiving a “W” on your transcript is two weeks after classes start for the semester. After that period, you must fill out a Petition for Course Drop and provide a serious and compelling reason, complete with supporting documentation, for dropping the class. Serious and compelling reasons include military service, employment, medical, death, and personal. In all cases, personal statements must be accompanied by supporting documentation (e.g. a letter from your employer, a doctor’s note, etc.).

26. Q. I have changed my name and/or address. How do I get this updated information to you?
    A.
    • MySJSU: You may update this information in your MySJSU account by logging in or sending the Change of Address and/or Change of Name form (both available here) to the Registrar’s Office.
    • iSchoolAlert: Please update your information in MySJSU. Your updated information will be pulled over into iSchoolAlert.
    • Canvas: In Canvas, only your official name on MySJSU can be used (no nicknames or preferred names). If your Canvas name no longer matches your official name on MySJSU, use our Canvas Technical Support form to submit your official name to us for Canvas.
    • iSchool: Please send an email with your updated information to the iSchool office so that we can update your iSchool records.

27. Q. Why do Regular Session students, in a fully online program, have to pay campus fees?
    A. Regular Session students are in a state-supported program and must pay all campus fees just the same as all graduate students who attend classes on campus. In order for our program to exist at SJSU, we must maintain a regular session. Regular Session students have access to all campus facilities, including health and sports centers, and can receive a Tower Card (ID card), which gives access to public transportation. They also have access to state funded grants. We realize that many of our students are not at all interested in coming to campus and receiving these benefits. Therefore, we have received permission to allow students to switch to Special Session. See the following questions.

28. Q. I want to change from Special Session to Regular Session. How do I do that?
    A. If you are a Special Session MLIS student, you can change your status to Regular Session if you move to the catchment area of San José, California (zip codes: 939xx-958xx). To change your designation, please email your request to the iSchool office and you will be placed on a wait list. You will be notified as soon as a space opens up.

    If you originally enrolled in the MLIS program as a Regular Session student and subsequently changed your designation to Special Session, you can choose to change your designation again by completing the status change request form. Each semester, Regular Session students who have completed at least 19 units can choose whether to be designated as a Regular Session or Special Session student.

29. Q. Can I change from Regular Session to Special Session?
    A. Regular Session MLIS students who have completed at least 19 units can change their designation to Special Session by completing the status change request form. If they choose to change back to Regular Session at a later date, they can do so by filling out the status change form again. 

30. Q. If I am a Regular Session MLIS student who has completed at least 19 units, and I choose to enroll in Special Session MLIS courses for one semester, how will that decision impact the fees I pay that semester?
    A. Regular Session students pay a flat rate based on the number of units they enroll in each semester, rather than paying by unit. The California State University system sets this fee structure and has the flexibility to change fees each semester. 

    In contrast, Special Session students pay for each unit they enroll in, and the cost per unit for a Special Session MLIS student is $525. Most iSchool courses are three units. Thus, for a three-unit iSchool course, a Special Session student pays $1,575.

    The table below provides a summary of these two MLIS fee structures, illustrating the fees our students will pay for Fall 2023 courses. Note that a Regular Session student who takes 6 units in a semester pays relatively the same amount in fees as a Special Session student who takes 6 units in a semester.

    Fall 2023 MLIS Fees
    Number of Units	Special Session Fees	Regular Session Fees
    3	$1,575.00	$3,207.00 (1-6 units)
    6	$3,150.00	$3,207.00 (1-6 units)
    9	$4,725.00	$4,713.00 (7+ units)
    12	$6,300.00	$4,713.00 (7+ units)

    For more information, you may visit the iSchool fees web page. You can also visit the SJSU Bursar’s Office web page, which explains Regular Session fees for Fall 2023.

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