The registrar’s office has added a waitlisting system in PointWeb for when students register for the upcoming spring semester.

“It’s a great tool for students and the institution…When trying to schedule a full course, you’re going to the chair and filling out paperwork, this eliminates that process,” said Daniell Matthews, Senior Associate Registrar and Director of Registration.

According to student survey data provided by Matthews, student run-around scored a 4.39 out of seven in student satisfaction. Out of 83 questions, this ranked 75th. Implementing the waitlist is part of the strategy to improve these ratings.

With the new system, if a student attempts to schedule a course that is full, they will now have the option to be added to a waitlist. If a spot opens they will be sent an email in which they have 72 hours to claim the open spot. If the student fails to respond in the timeframe, the next student on the waitlist will be emailed and they have 72 hours period to register.

In the case that a spot opens up with under 72 hours remaining in the scheduling window, students will not have the full 72 hours, but the time that remains until the end of the add/drop period Jan. 17.

Sophomore cinema production student Luke Haid likes the changes to PointWeb.

“I think that’s a really good idea,” Haid said. “Sometimes classes fill up quick and things pop up and you just can’t schedule the classes you want, so to have that will be really nice.”

The waitlist will be first come, first serve. According to Matthews this is not by choice of the university, but how the software is designed. Students, however, will still schedule courses by class, beginning Nov. 7.

Along with cutting down student runaround, the new system is meant to help the department chairs determine if an additional course should be added. However, limitations will still exist.

“When I talked to each department chair, they were very excited about this possibility. They do understand there are limitations to opening up a new section, like if there is a faculty member and room available,” Matthews said.

Financial aid will also be affected to an extent. In the new system, if a full-time student is placed on a course waitlist, their credits for that particular course will be displayed as zero on PointWeb. Therefore, a student should not rely on getting in a class they are on a waitlist for. In order to keep a full-time credit load, Matthews recommends students should schedule at least twelve credits.

Certain classes will not be included in the waitlist system, such as doctoral and masters courses. However, most undergraduate courses will be included in the system.

Scheduling for the spring 2017 semester will begin Nov. 7 for seniors, Nov. 8 and 9 for juniors, Nov. 10 and 11 for sophomores and Nov. 14 and 15 for freshman. The specific day depends on a student’s accrued credits. The add/drop period will end for all students Jan. 17.

Adding a waitlisting system is something Point Park has been looking to include as Pittsburgh schools such as Robert Morris University, University of Pittsburgh and Carlow University have found success using this system.

An FAQ page has been posted on Point Park’s website and can be found by searching “waitlist.”