Force Add Procedures

• Student is unable to request a CS course (or Math 2534) during the Course Request period due to a prerequisite error or a class restriction

• Student did not earn a C or better in a CS course in the prior semester and needs to repeat the course

• Student requested a required CS course during Course Request, but did not get it and all sections are now full

• Student was just admitted to the CS major at the start of this semester and is requesting a required CS course where all sections are now full

• Student is using an approved equivalent prerequisite course that is not recognized in drop/add (ex. ECE 2514 for CS 1114, COMM 2014 for COMM 2004)

Graduating seniors must enter force-add requests as soon as possible. The longer a student waits to submit a request, the lower the likelihood that the request can be accommodated.

Please note that instructors cannot override force/add decisions made by the department, so please do not approach your instructor for special permission to get into their course. If you have questions about a force/add request, CS majors or minors should contact their CS academic advisor.

Requests are processed in priority order, so some requests may remain pending while higher-priority requests are processed.

• Submitting a force-add request is not a guarantee that the student will be added to a course. There are a variety of factors that go into the decision for a force-add request.
  

• If a student is forced-added into a course, but later drops the course, the student will not be force-added into the course a second time. Also, if a student is force-added into a specific section of a course, the student will not later be able to request a different section of the same course. Our priority is helping each student to get a seat and the department cannot faciliate schedule changes through force-add.
  

• Even if a student submits a force-add request for a CS course, the student should still continue to try to add it through the drop/add mechanism when it is available. Drop/Add & Course Request Dates
  

• If you see a message indicating you need permission when you click on the force-add survey link, please open an incognito window, sign into your VT email and try again. The permission is linked to your VT email address.
  
  
• If you have decided that you no longer need or want the course you submitted a force-add request for, please use the link below to cancel your request. If you are able to enroll in the course through drop/add, please cancel your request.
  
  
• This force-add form is for undergraduate students only. Graduate students seeking to add a course should contact csundergrad@cs.vt.edu for more information.

• Requests from CS Minors may be denied if the student already has enough courses to complete the CS minor.
  
  
• CS minors will only be added to CS Capstones on a case-by-case basis as approved by the CS Department.

• If a student is taking a prerequisite course outside of VT, the student will need to complete the prerequisite course with a grade of C or better before submitting a force-add request for the subsequent course. A screenshot of the student's unofficial transcript showing the final letter grade in the prerequisite course should be uploaded with the force-add request as proof of meeting the prerequisite.
  
  
• As an example, if a student is taking Discrete Math at NOVA in Summer 2022 and wants to enroll in CS 2506 and CS 3114 at VT in Fall 2022, the student will have to wait until they receive their final grade for Discrete Math from NOVA before submitting their force-add requests for CS 2506 and CS 3114. Both force-add requests must include a screenshot of the finished prerequisite with a final grade of C or better for the force-add request to be reviewed.
  
  
• A grade of C or better in the course taken outside of VT is required since only courses with grades of C or better can transfer into VT for course credit.
  
  
• Once the student follows the guidelines above, the Department will make every attempt to force-add the student into the requested courses as long as there is space.

Some CS courses are already open to maximum capacity on the timetable and do not have additional space for force-adds. Those courses are not included on the CS force-add form. Students should monitor drop/add regularly for an opening in the course. 

If a student is receiving a registration error for a CS course that is not included on the CS force-add form, please review the following information for next steps:

• CS/DCC/SC Majors or CS/HCI Minors who are using approved alternate prerequisites (ex: ECE 2514 for CS 1114) or facing a major/minor restriction (ex: student is a CS/DCC/SC Major or CS/HCI minor but is receiving an error) who cannot add the course via drop/add should contact their CS Advisor.
• If you are a student outside of the CS/DCC/SC Major or CS/HCI Minor who is facing a registration error for a CS course that is requried for your major/minor, please contact csundergrad@cs.vt.edu.
• Students not facing registration errors should continue to monitor drop/add for an opening if the course is not included on the force-add form.