Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Getting on a waitlist

What happens if a class is full?

Many PCC classes have a waitlist – a line to get into a full class. When a student in the class drops, a student from the waitlist will be automatically added. You can see if a class has seats available on its waitlist in MyPCC.

How to check waitlist availability

  1. Log in to the MyPCC Home tab.
  2. Click Register for classes in the Term-to-Term Checklist.
  3. Find your class. See How to register for help locating classes in MyPCC.
  4. Check the WL Rem column to see how many remaining seats are on the waitlist.
screenshot of look up classes page with wl rem column circled

The WL Rem column shows how many seats are available on the waitlist.

How to get on a waitlist

  1. Register for the class. See How to register for help.
  2. You’ll see a message that tells you the class is full and there is a waitlist available.
  3. Add yourself to the waitlist with the drop-down menu and click Submit Changes.
screenshot of status with waitlist circled in action column drop down menu, and clicking submit changes

Choose Wait List from the drop-down and click the submit changes button.

I’m on a waitlist, now what?

If a seat opens up, the first person on the waitlist will be automatically enrolled in the class. You can check your waitlist status on the MyPCC My Courses tab by clicking Class Schedule.

How to read your waitlist status

The number after the letters WL displays your order in the waitlist. For instance, if you are WL-1, you will be the 1st person added to the class. If you are WL-3, you will be the 3rd person added to the class, etc. Your waitlist status is updated once daily.

If you are added from a waitlist, you’ll receive an email in your PCC email account. If you are added after the payment due date, you may need to pay right away to avoid losing your seat. Check your chair in the MyPCC Paying for College tab.

If you are registered for a course, you cannot be moved from the waitlist for another section of the same course. While the system will allow you to be on a waitlist, you will be dropped from the waitlist rather than added to the course because students are not permitted to be registered in two sections of the same course.

Getting added from a waitlist after a class has started

If you are still on a waitlist the day your class begins, you must get instructor permission to take the class:

  1. Go to the first day of class (for online classes, email the instructor on the first day of class).
  2. Ask your instructor if they are willing to give permission for you to register for the class. If they agree, ask your instructor to run a late add override and a class capacity override using your G number.
  3. Once the instructor has run these overrides, you will receive an email letting you know that you can register for the class. You can see your overrides by clicking See when (and if) you can register on the MyPCC Home tab.
  4. Register for the class in MyPCC. You must register for the class by the late registration deadline – see When to Register. Keep in mind that the late registration deadline is usually the same as the drop deadline, so be sure you really want this class, because you won’t be able to drop it.

Waitlists and financial aid

Financial aid stoplightYou need to be enrolled in a certain number of credits to receive financial aid. Since waitlisted classes don’t count towards your enrollment level, this may affect your award. Contact the Financial Aid Office for advice on managing your enrollment.

Have questions?

Check out questions and answers about waitlists.