Course Selection and Registration

There is a lot to think about prior to selecting and registering in your courses. We’ve broken the process down into 4 steps to help make this a bit more manageable. Click on the hyperlinked text with each step to go to the resource page.

New to Trent? Visit the welcome page including a list of recommended steps to follow to get yourself set up for the new academic year! You may also find the Students Welcome Page on the Office of the Registrar to be helpful and informative https://www.trentu.ca/registrar/welcome/students

Course Selection and Registration Process

Step1: Understand your degree/program requirements and prerequisites

Step 2: Choose your courses

Step 3: Create a timetable that works for you

Step 4: Register in your courses.

Frequently Asked Questions related to registration

Are you looking for help with course selection and registration?

Connect with staff in the Colleges through the Academic Advising phone line (705-748-1011 Ext. 7333) for help.

Frequently Asked Questions related to registration

I need a letter that verifies I’m taking courses this year for my parent’s insurance provider, how do I get this?

This might be a Verification of Enrollment form (VOE)​ which can be found on the Registrar’s website. Other reasons why you might need a VOE is for a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), bank for a student chequing account or student line of credit, government agency such as Service Canada, high school scholarship committees or other non-Trent scholarships, and/or third-party funding sources including, band funding, private funding, etc.

When can I register for courses next year?

In addition to the Course Registration page of the Academic Advising website, this information can be found on the Priority Registration Schedule page on the Registrar’s website.

I want to take a course that I don’t have the prerequisites for, can I?

To request to take a course without the prerequisites you will need a Prerequisite Waiver Form. Once you have completed and submitted the form, it will automatically be sent to the Department and course instructor for consideration. Someone will be in touch with you via email to let you know their decision. If approved, the email will also contain information about how to officially register in the course.

I registered in a course with a waitlist, how do I find out where I am on that list?

You may view your waitlist standing in Self-Service which can be found on the myTrent portal, under Academics → Self-Service. Your waitlist status will be one of the following: a numerical ranking of your position on the waitlist (e.g. 3/14), or permission to register when space has been offered. For more information on Waitlisted Courses, please visit the Registrar’s Office page on Course Registration.

Who do I contact if I don't get in a waitlisted course when classes start?

Contact the Academic Department offering the course you are waitlisted for to inquire about the likelihood of additional spaces opening up in the course. You may need to consider adding this course to your plans for course selection in a future semester.

I am thinking about dropping a course, how will that affect my Financial Aid funding?

Funding agreements like Scholarships, OSAP, band funding and other sources of funding often have course load requirements which should be reviewed with the source of the funding before making decisions on required course load. You should review these limits with the funding source that you are using. For additional considerations before dropping a course, please visit the Determining Your Courseload page.

Can I take a course at another university and count it towards my degree at Trent?

Trent University students may study at another accredited university on a Letter of Permission (LOP).  An LOP allows students in a degree program at Trent to take courses at another university for credit towards their Trent degree. Approval is required for each course that the student plans to take.  Students from another university can also take credits at Trent on an LOP. For more information, please visit the Registrar’s Office page on Letter of Permission

I would like to return to Trent to complete my studies, how do I register?

Review the process for readmission on the Former Trent University Student Readmit page on the Office of the Registrar’s website. Once you have reactivated your student account, we recommend reviewing the Course Selection and Registration resources on the Academic Advising website and meeting with an Academic Advisor to reestablish your degree plan for future studies.