Spring Course Registration Guide

What You Need to Know and Where to Find More Information

Spring Course Registration Guide
Students relax and walk among golden autumn trees and colorful chairs on the lawn of Harvard Yard.

Your first semester at Harvard has given you new experiences to draw on as you plan your spring courses. You may have discovered an unexpected interest, learned more about how you approach academic work, or begun asking new questions about what you want to study. 

Good academic advising starts with your questions. This guide will help you understand the registration process, explore your options and find people who can help you make informed decisions.

Download the Spring Course Registration Guide (PDF)

 

On This Page

Important dates and tasks Choosing courses Course-specific information Resources for exploring courses Your next steps

Important Dates and Tasks

Oct. 21

Crimson Cart opens

Beginning Oct. 25

Required entryway advising meetings begin

Oct. 29 - Nov. 10

Make-up entryway advising meetings with FDO staff

Nov. 4 - 18

Spring Course Registration

11:59 p.m. Nov. 18

Spring course registration deadline – you need to be registered for 16 credits by this date

Jan. 19-Feb. 1, 2027

Open add-drop period: no instructor permission needed (unless required for an enrollment cap, etc.)

 

All first-year students must attend an entryway advising session to have their spring course registration advising hold lifted. Your proctor and PAFs can tell you when and where your entryway meeting will take place. Bring your laptop so you can begin exploring courses and building your Crimson Cart.

Remember: Just adding a course to Crimson Cart does not register you for it. You must complete registration during the November 4-18 registration period.

If you cannot attend your proctor's meeting, register for a make-up session: 

  • Visit scheduler.fas.harvard.edu.
  • Select “Academic Advising Workshops.” 
  • Find a session with available seats. 
  • Click the three vertical dots beside the session and select “Book.”

What Should I Consider When Choosing Courses?

Finally, consider exploring (or continuing to explore) concentrations via gateway courses. While you won’t need to declare your concentration until October of your sophomore year, it’s important to experience departmental coursework so that you can narrow down your concentration choices. Find a list of Spring 2027 gateway courses you might consider for each of Harvard’s 51 concentrations in the “Resources for Exploring Courses” section.

Specific Course Information

Expos

  • If you’re taking Expos Studio 10 now, you will enroll in Expos 20 or Expos Studio 20 in the spring. Talk to your preceptor about which is right for you.
  • Students recommended for Expos 20 were assigned to take it in either the fall or spring.

If you’re scheduled for either Expos 20 or Expos Studio 20 for the Spring, keep this timeline in mind:

  • Early Nov.: You’ll hear from the Writing Program about the registration process. Keep an eye on your Harvard email. 
  • Tuesday, Nov. 10: Sectioning for both Expos 20 and Expos Studio 20 opens at 9 a.m. in my.harvard. Start entering your sectioning preferences then. 
  • Wednesday, Nov. 11: Sectioning for both Expos 20 and Expos Studio 20 closes at 11:59 p.m. You must enter your preferences before then. 
  • Thursday, Nov. 12: Sections are assigned and students will receive an email about their final assignment. It will also be posted in my.harvard.

Remember: You cannot add or drop section assignments for Expos through my.harvard. If you have changes you need made, you must be in touch with the Writing Program at expos@fas.harvard.edu.

First-Year Seminars

If you applied for a Spring First-Year Seminar and received a seat, you were notified in August. You will be automatically enrolled in your seminar for the spring.

Students who no longer wish to take their spring seminar may drop it when registration opens – but think carefully about that decision! First-Year Seminars are an excellent way to get to know a faculty member and a small cohort of classmates in an intimate, intellectually engaging setting. They’re a great addition to your schedule, and the first year is the only time you may take one. 

Students who did not receive a spring placement can investigate seminars with available seats and follow the First-Year Seminar Program’s application process. Browse seminars and see application information.

Gen Eds

Enrollment-capped Gen Ed courses (which is not all of them!) with demand exceeding available seats use a coordinated ranked-choice lottery. You can see which Gen Eds have caps and are therefore lotteried easily via their course catalog.

Note that this is different than when you enrolled in Gen Ed courses this fall.

If you’d like to lottery for a capped Gen Ed, you’ll do that through my.harvard. Learn more about the lottery here. 

Here are the important deadlines:

  • 11:59 p.m. Monday, November 9: Deadline to rank lottery Gen Ed courses 
  • Tuesday, November 10: Gen Ed lottery runs 
  • 11:59 p.m. Thursday, November 12: Deadline for claiming your seat if you are offered one

Math

Introductory Math Courses (Ma/b, LS, 1a/b, 21a, 21b, 22b)

What you need to do depends on your fall experience:

Your Math SituationWhat's Next?       
You took math this fall and are continuing in sequence
You can proceed to the next course without another placement exam
You want to skip ahead in your math sequence
You must take the Math Placement Verification Exam (MPVE) to assess options
You did not take the MPVE in the fall
You must take the MPVE to assess options
You want to place above the level permitted by your fall MPVE result
You must retake the MPVE to assess options

 

If your situation requires that you take the MPVE in the spring, you will sit the exam on the first day of class, which happens at the day/time you selected when you registered for Math PL.

Find more information on introductory math here. Students with questions about their individual placements should consult the math advising team at calculus@math.harvard.edu.

Important Information about Intro Math Midterm Exam Scheduling 

Introductory math courses have a set midterm exam time of 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays (not every Thursday, but when there is an exam, it will be during this time).

When you register for Math PL, choose one exam session: 

  • Main session (most students): Thursday, 6-9 p.m. 
  • Academic conflict or DAO accommodation ONLY: Thursday, 3-6 p.m.

Students must keep their scheduled midterm exam times free. A conflict with a Thursday evening exam can be accommodated only when the conflict involves a required component of another course and that course offers no alternative time. 

Students with Disability Access Office (DAO) accommodations will receive exam time slots appropriate to their approved accommodations.

Alternative exam times will not be publicly posted. Students with qualifying conflicts should contact Sarah Chin (schin@math.harvard.edu) to arrange an alternative.

Resources for Exploring Courses & Your Schedule

My.Harvard Tips 

Crimson Cart

Crimson Cart: Collect potential spring courses and compare your options before registration. Adding a course to your Crimson Cart doesn’t obligate you to take it, and it allows you to access the course’s Canvas site.

Advanced Course Search

Search for courses by subject and relevant academic requirements, including Quantitative Reasoning with Data and divisional distribution.

In my.harvard, expand the menu to the left of the course search button, then expand the FAS options to access additional search features.

Academic Advising Report

Review progress toward degree requirements (i.e., see what your courses fulfill). Find it in the “Academic Program” tab.

What-If-Report

Explore how your completed and planned coursework might fit the requirements of different concentrations. Find it in the “Academic Program” tab.

Gateway Courses

Courses can help you explore unfamiliar disciplines, investigate possible concentrations or build on interests that emerged during the fall. Departments have identified spring 2027 courses that serve as useful introductions to their fields.

Spring 2027 Gateway Courses
Person in an orange knit sweater writing in an open notebook with a pen, beside a laptop and a stack of books on a bright white desk.

Using Available Resources as You Consider Courses

A course title and description in my.harvard is only a starting point – you'll also want to carefully review its Canvas site and its syllabus as you consider whether to enroll in it. When investigating a course, consider:

  • What questions and subjects does it explore?
  • What kinds of assignments and assessments are involved?
  • What background knowledge does it expect? (And do you have it?)
  • How does it fit alongside your other courses?
  • What makes you excited or uncertain about taking it?

If you don’t have information for any of these questions, you should talk to either departmental advisors (for course-specific information) or a member of your advising network (PAF, proctor, Resident Dean, or FDO advising team).

Taking Five Courses (20 credits)

A course title and description in my.harvard is only a starting point – you'll also want to carefully review its Canvas site and its syllabus as you consider whether to enroll in it. When investigating a course, consider:

  • What questions and subjects does it explore?
  • What kinds of assignments and assessments are involved?
  • What background knowledge does it expect? (And do you have it?)
  • How does it fit alongside your other courses?
  • What makes you excited or uncertain about taking it?

If you don’t have information for any of these questions, you should talk to either departmental advisors (for course-specific information) or a member of your advising network (PAF, proctor, Resident Dean, or FDO advising team) before making grading-basis decisions.

Navigating the Academic Advising Network & Getting the Right Information

Harvard has a wide academic advising network of people who can help you explore your interests and plan your education. Remember that different people bring different kinds of expertise.

Proctor

Your Proctor can help you reflect on your academic experiences, develop effective habits, navigate campus resources, and identify people who can help with your questions.

Peer Advising Fellows

Your Peer Advising Fellows (PAFs) can share their experiences as undergraduates, help you navigate opportunities, and connect you with appropriate resources. They are valuable guides to Harvard life, but they do not replace specialized academic advisors.

Faculty and departmental advisors

  • Faculty and departmental advisors can answer questions about particular disciplines, course sequences, prerequisites, concentration requirements, and opportunities within fields of study. 
  • Departments organize advising differently. You may encounter Directors of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), Assistant or Associate Directors of Undergraduate Studies (ADUS), undergraduate program staff and other advising professionals. You can find this information on each department’s website.

First-Year Academics team in the FDO

The First-Year Academics team in the FDO can help you consider course choices, academic options, degree requirements, and more. They can also refer you to appropriate sources of specialized guidance.

Resident Dean of First-Year Students (RDF/Yard Dean)

Your Resident Dean of First-Year Students (RDF/Yard Dean) can provide guidance on academic circumstances requiring additional support, policy interpretation, or formal approval.

Not sure whom to ask? Start with someone you know (your proctor, PAF or an FDO advisor) and ask for help identifying the appropriate expert. You don't have to know the entire advising network before using it.

More Advising Opportunities for You