Registration in first year can be stressful – but it doesn’t have to be. We have developed resources to provide you with all the information you’ll need to successfully register for your courses at Queen’s. Need support? We have a team of dedicated academic and peer advisors who are here to help you every step of the way.
Registration Important Dates
- June 1: Visit the Queen’s University Class of 2027 webpage to “meet” your peers and get advice from upper-year students.
- June 26: Login to SOLUS and see which courses are available in each term and the times of each course.
- July 6-9: Attend SOAR. Our Summer Orientation to Academics and Resources aims to help ease the transition for you and your family. Learn more by visiting the SOAR webpage.
- July 17: Login to SOLUS and view your enrolment appointment time.
- July 17: Begin adding courses to your shopping cart on SOLUS, make sure to hit the validate button to check for any timetable conflicts.
- July 24: BAH, BFAH, BMUS students can begin to enrol on SOLUS. Be sure to login and enrol when your enrolment appointment starts to ensure you have as much choice as possible.
- July 25: BSCH, BCMPH students can begin to enrol on SOLUS. Be sure to login and enrol when your enrolment appointment starts to ensure you have as much choice as possible.
- July 31: Class reserves are lifted on all first-year courses for first year students. Science students can now add arts courses and vice versa.
- Aug 1: Registration Pause Day, no activity can be completed on SOLUS.
- Aug 7-20: Registration Hiatus. There will be no registration activity during this period.
- Aug 21: Registration reopens (Open Enrolment begins)
- Sept 1: Tuition fees due for Fall term for students without an Alternative Payment Arrangement
- Sept 5: First day of classes. PASS advising appointments resume.
- Sept 18: Change your mind? You have until September 18 to add, drop, or swap any fall term or full-year courses.
Please note: SOLUS has recently been updated to provide a more user-friendly experience for students. Updated screenshots and tutorials reflecting these changes will be provided prior to the registration period.
Choosing Your Courses
Step 1: Review Recommended Courses by Plan
Most Arts and Science first-year students are admitted to a Degree Program that doesn’t yet have a Plan specified. While you indicated a major of interest in your application, you do not have to stick that that plan and are encouraged to explore all your interests. After first year, you will be required to select a Plan that will shape your Degree completion, and there are hundreds of potential options for you to aim for. We have compiled a list that allows you to choose what courses to take in first year so you can maximize your Plan selection options, and you’ll have confidence that you’ve got the courses you need for the Plans you’re considering.
If you are in a direct entry Program, you will hear from your Department or School on course enrolment for your Plan. Skip to step 2.
Pick the Right Courses For Your Plan
Step 2: Rounding out your schedule with Electives
If you still have room in your course load once you’ve chosen courses that leave all your preferred doors open for Plan options, review our Courses for First Year Students webpage in the Academic Calendar to determine what electives you want to fill your schedule with. However, it is important to know that any courses that will not be used to fill requirements for your major after first year, will be counted toward your elective credits.
Step 3: Course Enrolment
Load your courses onto your Shopping Cart on SOLUS and complete your enrolment during the registration period. For more information on how to enrol, review our FAQ dropdown below.
Registration Webinars
These program-specific sessions will walk you through the steps to register, how to build a timetable, how to choose and add classes in SOLUS. It will also provide some information on the academic cycle, what happens in first year and when (December exams, mid-year grades, final grades, Plan selection, other important dates), next steps, future years, and where to go for information and advice as a first-year student.
Find all these webinar recordings at the Student Experience Office’s website:
- General Arts students (BAH)
- General Science students (BSCH)
- Music students (BMUS)
- Computing students (BCMPH)
- Kinesiology students (BSCH KINE)
- Life Sciences/Biochemistry direct entry students (BSCH LISC/BCHM)
Still have questions leading up to registration?
Get Ready for ArtSci Registration – Zoom Drop-In For Questions
Come see us on July 21, 2023, anytime between 9:00-11:30am and 1:00-3:30pm ET to get answers from academic advisors! Join Drop-In Advising
Select the right Math, Physics & Computing course
Not sure which Math, Physics, or Computing course to choose? We've developed a guide with descriptions of each course and who should take them, to help make your course selection as simple as possible.
How to Get Help
Before Registration begins
- Join a Peer Academic Support Service (PASS) advising Zoom session weekdays until July 20 for a one-on-one advising conversation, 9:00-11:00 am and 1:00-3:00 pm.
- Connect with a PASS Registration Assistant by email: passhelp@queensu.ca
- Attend the SOAR Registration Info Session specific to your degree – July 17-19
- Attend the “Get Ready for Registration” drop-in advising session on Zoom, hosted by staff advisors and PASS advisors on Friday July 21 from 9:00-11:30 am and 1:00-3:30 pm
- Call our main phone line: 613-533-2470 - Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to noon, and 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
- Stop by in person at the Faculty Office, Student Services:
Dunning Hall - First Floor, 94 University Ave. Our doors are open Monday-Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
During Registration (July 24 - August 4)
- Call the First-Year Hotline for the quickest help: 613-533-6708. The hotline will be available July 24 & 25, from 9:00 am to noon; 1:00 to 7:00 pm EST and July 26 - 28 & July 31 - August 4 from from 9:00 am to noon; 1:00 to 4:00 pm EST
- Live Chat: click the “chat” button on the bottom of our Arts and Science website the screen from 9-noon and 1-4, during the registration period
- Call our main phone line: 613-533-2470 - Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to noon, and 1:00 to 4:00 pm.
- Connect with a PASS Registration Assistant by email: passhelp@queensu.ca (please note that during registration it may take several business days to receive a reply)
SOLUS Tutorials
The SOLUS Student Centre is designed to provide you with the tools to manage all of your academic, financial, contact, and admission details during - and after - your academic career at Queen's.
Important: SOLUS has recently been updated to provide a more user-friendly experience for students. Updated screenshots and tutorials reflecting these changes will be provided prior to registration.
FAQs
What is a Program?
You have been admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Science to one of the following Degree Programs:
Bachelor of Science (Honours) - BSCH
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - BAH
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Specialization in Kinesiology – BSCH KINE
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Major in Life Science – BSCH LISC
Bachelor of Music (Honours) - BMUS
Bachelor of Computing (Honours) - BCMPH
Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) - BFAH
What is a Term?
There are three terms: Fall (September-December), Winter (January-April), Summer (May-August). Summer is an optional term.
What is a Unit?
Each course has a unit weighting. Most Arts and Science courses are either 3.0 units (single-term) or 6.0 units (Fall and Winter terms).
How many units do I take if I’m a full-time student?
A full-time student normally takes five courses in the Fall term and Winter term, to a total of 30.0 units per year but there is no requirement to take 30 units. Students in the Bachelor of Music and Concurrent Education programs usually take more than 30.0 units per year to fit their additional requirements in.
What is a Plan?
A Plan is the main academic concentration(s) in your Degree Program. A Plan can be a major, major/minor combination, joint honours (similar to a “double major”), or specialization. Most students will request their Plan as soon as their first year is finished.
Choose your course choices for first year to keep multiple options open for Plan Selection, as many students find that over the course of their first year, they change their ideas about what they’d like to study.
What are Electives?
Electives are the free-choice courses in your Degree Program, and are courses that do not form part of your Plan. The number of electives you need for your Degree depends on the Plan you choose.
I have been admitted to Arts and want to take Science courses (or vice versa); can I do this?
Yes! One of the great advantages of being in a Faculty of Arts and Science is that students may choose from a wide variety of courses. Course options in Arts and Science range from humanities to social sciences, from languages to physical and natural sciences, and even interdisciplinary courses that cross over the “traditional” academic categories. The majority of courses offered by Arts and Science are open to any student in the Faculty, as long as the student has any academic prerequisite required by the course.
However, the Faculty also must ensure that all students have priority access to the courses that they need for their Degree or Plan. For this reason, we reserve seats in some classes during the first part of registration. BAH/BFAH/BMUS students receive priority access to Arts courses, and BSCH/BCMPH students receive priority access to Science and Computing courses. Beginning at 12:00 pm (noon) EST on July 22, reserves on first year courses will be removed.
I’m planning on taking lots of Science courses – are there specific sections of each course I need to take?
Yes, it is very important for students to who are taking 3-4 of BIOL 102/103, PHYS 115/116, CHEM 112, MATH 121 to take morning lectures at Duncan MacArthur Hall and labs in the afternoons on main campus. This will ensure that there are no timing conflicts to get from one area of campus to another between classes, as well that you are in the correct math course for science students.
Who do I talk to about transfer credits? Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U or French Baccalaureate credits?
If the course was taken before you became a Queen's student, you may apply for the transfer credit on SOLUS. This includes AP, IB, A-Level, Cambridge Pre-U, French Baccalaureate courses completed in high school.
I want to get into a class but it is full – What can I do?
We know how disappointing it can be when this happens, but here are a couple of suggestions. If the class is full, you can opt to go on the wait list. If the class you want doesn’t have a wait list, or the wait list is full, keep trying. Students make lots of class changes throughout the registration period, and it could happen that someone drops the class you want to add. Keep checking for openings - perseverance pays off!
It’s wise to prepare some backup course choices, especially for elective courses. Review the courses available to first-year students, browse the department websites, or look through the Academic Calendar to see all courses offered by Queen’s.
What about if my classes are scheduled back to back?
Classes end 10 minutes earlier than they are scheduled so you will have time to make it to your next class. Be aware though that some first year classes are held at Duncan McArthur Hall. This building is about a 15 minute walk to main campus so do not schedule a class that is in Duncan McArthur back to back with one in another building.
What can I study?
It's really up to you! As a first-year student you are not yet in a specific Plan or major (unless you were admitted to a Direct Entry program) so this year is all about exploring different areas of study to find out what your true interests are. You are encouraged to take a variety of courses from different disciplines and to explore the range of subjects available to you.
How do I know I picked the right courses?
Before picking your first-year courses for Fall term and Winter term, it’s a good idea to review your list and ask yourself these questions below. If you have chosen courses that lead to many possible Plans, and you have the required courses you need to be on track for second year then you have indeed picked the right courses.
Have I left myself many options for choosing a Major/Plan at the end of first year?
It’s important to choose courses that could lead to a potential Plan in that subject – that way at the end of first year you will have lots to choose from. Make sure you read through our Recommended Courses by Plan and take the courses that are labelled [GATEWAY] – those highlighted courses are the ones required to request a Major/Minor/Joint Honours/Specialization in that concentration. Even if you have a firm idea of what you would like to major in now, many students change their minds at the end of first year so it’s always wise to have a solid back-up plan in place.
Have I added too many elective courses?
The courses listed as “Elective Courses” on the Courses for First Year Students webpage are all great and we do want you to take them, but remember you have plenty of time! These courses do not provide a pathway for a future Plan in that subject so it’s best to keep the number of elective courses you take in first year to a minimum.