Late registration: How late is too late?

by Cié Gee, Ed.D, Director of Registration and Records, The University of Texas - San Antonio

Raise your hand if you work at an institution where students do everything on time and there is no need for late processes. Unfortunately, ‘late’ allowances are part of our reality, but do they have to be?

Dr. Leslie Quinn, Registrar at Johnson County Community College, lead a lively AACRAO Annual Meeting session on the results of what occurred when JCCC put an end to late registration.  Her session “Late Registration: How late is too late?” presented the results from her dissertation. Quinn was trying to answer the questions that others may have pondered when considering abolishing late registration, including:

• How do we give students access without harming their success?

• We want enrollment numbers, but at what cost?

• We don't want students starting so late they can't be successful, but how late is too late?

Research shows that students value the ability to register late.  However, some of the most vulnerable or at risk populations are appearing on the first day of class unregistered.  These include unprepared first generation students, minority, or undecided students.

Even though the above seems like just cause to cast late registration to the side, it is not that clear. Quinn stated there is ambiguity in the definitions of ‘late registration’ and ‘student success.’ It comes down to how your institution defines these terms.

Students that enroll early have different personality traits.  They may be better at organization, planning ahead, are conscientious, or just a high academic achiever anyway.

Quinn’s study analyzed the data from when JCCC took late registration away in Fall 2009.  Students were not allowed to register after the first day of a course. She compared the past year’s (2008) late registration data. This is what she found:

Did enrollment behavior change?

Yes, course adds were reduced by 50%.  This did not have an effect on enrollment.

Was there a change in academic outcomes?

No, there were no statistically significant differences in academic outcomes between the two groups.

Were there improvements for specific types of students (first time, continuing, transfer)?  

No, no statistically significant changes were found.  

Recommendations

From this study Quinn makes the following recommendations for those considering changing their late add policies.

• Create late start course options (courses that start a week into the term) that match student’s skill level and fit with the cohort of full time students.

• Create late start learning communities

• If you must restrict late registration, only restrict new students, or students on probation or other high risk scenarios.

• Collaborate with advising or orientation to provide a more robust explanation of policies, especially for late enrolling students.  This includes following up with touch points to get them on track for next semester.