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Office of the Registrar

Choosing Courses

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Course Enrolment Summary

Determine how many courses you need to take or are eligible to take. Make a list of your first choices and back-ups in case your first choices are full.  

Courses fill up fast. Check your enrolment start time in ACORN and enroll in all your desired courses at the beginning of that start time. You can continue to make changes to course enrolment in ACORN before classes begin without financial penalty. 

Start time and Year of Study

Your course enrolment start time depends on your year of study. Your year of study is determined by how many credits you’ve earned (not by the number of years you’ve attended university) as follows: 

Year of study 

Degree student 

Timeline to view start time in ACORN 

Timeline to begin course enrolment 

1st - 3.5 credits or fewer 

Yes 

late June

early July

2nd - 4.0 – 8.5 credits 

Yes 

late June

mid July

3rd - 9.0 – 13.5 credits 

Yes 

late June

mid July

4th - 14.0 + credits 

Yes 

mid June

late June

Any 

No 

Not applicable 

mid July

Review the dates and deadlines section of our website for more information. 

Waitlists 

Add yourself to the waitlist if it is available and the lecture section is full. ACORN will automatically enrol you if a space becomes available. Check your invoice and timetable in ACORN often to see if you’ve been enrolled in waitlisted courses so you can pay the associated course fee when it is due. There is no fee to waitlist a course.  

You can waitlist a maximum of 1.0 credit per session, and it will count toward your total course load registration for that session. If you no longer want to take a course, remove yourself from the waitlist. You will be placed at the end of the waitlist queue if you re-add yourself to the waitlist. 

Some courses have multiple lecture sections. Do not enrol in one lecture section and then waitlist for a different lecture section for the same course. This will remove you from the original lecture, and any tutorial or practical. 

Credit/No Credit Courses (Cr/NCr)

You can declare courses as Credit/No Credit on ACORN during the request period.  

This allows you to count the course toward the degree credits needed to graduate but will not impact your CGPA.  

Instead of a numerical grade, you will get a “CR” or “NCR” on your transcript. To earn a credit (CR), you must have a final grade of 50%. A grade below 50% will result in no credit (NCR). The numerical/letter grade in courses taken on a CR/NCR basis will not be unofficially released or reported in any way. This grade will not be released to the student. 

The following are eligible for CR/NCR: 

  • Elective courses 
  • Maximum of 2.0 degree credits  

The following are NOT eligible for CR/NCR: 

  • Program requirements
  • Supervised study/independent study courses 
  • Courses taken by alumni, after graduation date (e.g. if you graduated in June and enrolled in the Summer semester, an attempt to declare CR/NCR will be void and a percentage grade will appear on your transcript)  

View the Credit/No Credit request periods on the Academic Dates section of our website. 

Repeating courses as “Extra” (EXT)  

As of September 2023, there is a new process for students who wish to re-take a course they have already passed.  

Submit requests to re-take a course on eService. This cannot be done in ACORN. Requests to re-take courses will open after course enrolment for all years of study because priority is given to students that want to take the course for the first time. Approvals are subject to space availability and enrolment restrictions set by the academic department.  

Repeated courses will be recorded as “extra” (EXT) and will not count toward your CGPA or overall credit count. If appropriate, they may be used to satisfy program requirements. Visit the UTSC Calendar for additional details on the EXT policy. 

Second Attempt for Credit (SAC) *NEW* 

If you have been approved to re-take a course you have previously passed, you may request that the second attempt count toward your CGPA by making a Second Attempt for Credit (SAC) request on eService. View the request period in the Academic Dates. 

The following criteria must be met for a SAC request to be approved: 

  • Up to 1.0 credit can be taken with SAC 
  • You must be a degree student 
  • The second course attempt was taken in the Fall 2023 session or later  
  • The course must be a true repeat meaning the course code for both attempts is identical. No exclusionary courses on UTSC, UTSG or UTM campuses qualify 

Students wishing to retake a course as SAC will not: 

  • be approved for SAC if they’ve already completed 1.0 credit using SAC; the course will be marked as extra (EXT) and not count toward CGPA or show on your record 
  • have their academic standing from prior sessions re-assessed 
  • be guaranteed admission or re-admission into limited enrolment programs; these decisions are made by academic departments 
  • be guaranteed enrolment in the course 
  • be given priority over students wishing to take the course for the first time  

If you are uncertain if the SAC policy or retaking a passed course is the right choice for you, consult the Academic Advising & Career Centre or your program advisor. Visit the UTSC Calendar for additional details on the EXT policy. 

Course enrolment resources 

  • UTSC Academic Calendar – all academic policies, programs, and course descriptions. Use it to decide what courses you need and want to take. 
  • UTSC Course Timetable – listings of when all courses are offered. Use it to ensure you have no conflicts in your schedule. 
  • ACORN – U of T’s primary system to manage registration, financial and personal information and academic records. Use it to enrol in your courses. There are tutorials for using ACORN to get you started.  
  • The Registrar’s Guide – a collection of tips and advice for course enrolment and registration. Use it to answer questions you have about course enrolment.