Registration FAQ

Transfer students may request approval of transfer credit for WRIT 5, First-Year Seminar, or Speech courses based on courses taken at other colleges or universities before matriculation at Dartmouth. The deadline for all requests for credit is the end of the first term of study, but it is strongly recommended that students submit requests for Writing 5 transfer credit as early as possible, before registration for winter term begins, since transfer students who do not receive transfer credit for Writing 5 are assigned to take winter Writing 5.

During orientation week just before the start of fall term, when incoming students get access to DartWorks via DartHub, information about your writing placement and which term you are assigned to take Writing 5 (if relevant) will appear in the DartWorks degree audit section labelled "Prematriculation Credits and Exemptions."

Information on interpreting the information in this section of DartWorks can be found on the Registrar's website.

Please note that students who have been accepted into an approved equivalent of Writing 5 (such as fall Humanities 1) will receive notification and additional instructions for registration via email but may still show a term assignment for Writing 5 in the system. This is normal and expected. This represents your term assignment for Writing 5 should you change your mind about participation in the approved equivalent of Writing 5 and decide to take Writing 5 instead.

For descriptions for the current or upcoming term, view the following pages on the website of the Office of the Registrar. These pages update to display information for the next term shortly before registration begins for the next term.

• Individual Writing 5 section descriptions for the current or upcoming term
• First-year Seminar course descriptions for the current or upcoming term

For archived descriptions from past terms, visit these pages on our website:

    Archived Writing 5 section descriptions from recent past terms
    Archived First-year Seminar course descriptions from recent past terms

The Writing 5 sections and First-year Seminar courses offered vary from year to year, but each year there is a similarly wide array of topics offered.

During initial course election, anytime before the deadline is fine (although don't wait too late in case you run into technical difficulties that need resolving).

BUT once course changes period and the add-drop period begin, course election is first-come, first-served, so earlier is better if you want to have the most choices.

Details on the dates for initial course election, the date and time when course results become available, and the dates for course changes and add-drop periods can be found on the Registrar's website.

Check in the DartHub registration system on the day that initial course election results become available.

Details on the dates for initial course election, the date and time when course results become available, and the dates for the course change and add-drop periods can be found on the Registrar's website.

If you didn't get into the WRIT 5 section you asked for, you will need to register ASAP for another WRIT 5 section with space available as early as you can after the course change period opens.

Similarly, if you didn't get into the First-Year Seminar you asked for, you will need to register ASAP for another First-Year Seminar with space available as early as you can after the course changes period opens.

No. Professors are not allowed to add students above the enrollment limit in a Writing 5 or First-year Seminar class. Writing 5 and First-year Seminar class sizes are limited to 16 students to allow for individualized attention. Enrollment above the limit is never allowed in a Writing 5 or First-year Seminar course. Open slots are first-come, first-served. No waiting lists are maintained.

Write to us: writing.placement@dartmouth.edu.