Registration information

This page contains general registration information and instructions for registering online.


General registration information

Registration schedule

Key dates relating to registration (including priority, open and late registration dates, add/drop periods and election of pass/no-credit grading deadlines) are posted to the Law School's academic calendar.

Courses with stated preference groups (graduating students and/or LL.M. students)

For all courses for which limited enrollment and preference for graduating students are noted, enrollment preference will be given to those students who expect to complete graduation requirements by the following December or May graduation dates (for fall registration) or by the following May graduation date (for winter registration). For courses for which space is reserved for LL.M. students, enrollment preference will be given to those students. Any spaces that remain available in such courses after stated preferences have been given then will be open to all other eligible students. Any student who registers for a course subject to the above, but who doesn't fit within the stated preference group, will be placed initially on a waiting list for the course.

Full classes

When a Law School class is closed because it has reached its enrollment limit, an error message stating "Department Approval" will appear when a student attempts to register for the class. A student who wishes to be placed on the waiting list for a full class should send a request from the student's WSU email account to lawrecords@wayne.edu. The email request must include the student's name, AccessID and the name of the course. Students on a waiting list will be contacted via their Wayne email addresses if an opening becomes available.

Dropping or withdrawing from courses

Non-required courses and upper-level required courses: A student may drop or withdraw from a non-required course or an upper-level required course at any time up to the day of the first examination, series of examinations or due date for a research paper in the course that amounts to 20 percent or more of the final grade. Courses with a take-home examination must be dropped before the first day the examination is distributed. After the last date on which a student may drop or withdraw from a non-required course as described above, a student may still withdraw from a required course, but only with the permission of both the course instructor and the assistant dean of Student Affairs. If a course is dropped before the deadline specified by the Law School (and published on the Law School website as part of the academic calendar), the dropped class will not appear on a student's transcript.  After that deadline, any drop or withdrawal from a course results in a notation on the student's transcript.

Required courses: A student may drop or withdraw from a required first-year course at any time up to the day of any midterm or other examination for credit, due date for a paper in the course that amounts to 20 percent or more of the final grade, but only with permission of the assistant dean of Student Affairs.  After the last date on which a student may drop or withdraw from a required first-year course as described above,  a student may still withdraw from a required course, but only with the permission of both the course instructor and the assistant dean of Student Affairs.  If a course is dropped before the deadline specified by the Law School (and published on the Law School website as part of the academic calendar), the dropped class won't appear on a student's transcript. After that deadline, any drop or withdrawal from a course results in a notation on the student's transcript.

If a student drops or withdraws from a course, that course won't count toward the student's residency requirement, and the student won't receive credit for the course. 

Once a course is completed and the student has received a final grade, the course may not be dropped. Under limited circumstances, a student may still be permitted to withdraw from a course.

If a student doesn't drop or withdraw from a course, and doesn't complete the minimum course requirements, the student may receive a grade of F for the course.

The last day to drop a course and receive tuition cancellation for that course is specified each semester in the Law School's academic calendar

If a student drops all courses during the priority registration period, the student won't have to pay a registration fee. If a student registers for only one course, and the course is canceled by the university, the registration fee will automatically be removed. For all other complete withdrawals processed, the registration fee is non-refundable. Priority registration period dates are specified each semester in the Law School's academic calendar.

To drop or withdraw from a course, students must use the Academica system. If a student requires assistance in dropping a course for any reason, the student should send a request from the student's WSU email account to lawrecords@wayne.edu with the appropriate course information.


Instructions for registering online

Step 1: Design your class schedule

Review the registration materials, tentative final examination schedule and block schedule on the Law School's website.

Step 2: Register via the Academica system

  1. Log on to Academica.
  2. In the Secure Access Login box (upper right), type in your WSU AccessID and Password and then click Log In. 
  3. After you log on successfully, click (1) Student Resources, (2) Registration and (3) Registration Portal.
  4. Review the directions on each page of the Registration menu. At a minimum you need to: 
    1. Select the correct term and check your current registration status by clicking Prepare for Registration.
    2. To add courses, click the Register for Classes link and enter the CRNs in the CRN tab and click Add to Summary.
    3. If you know the 5-digit Course Reference Numbers (CRNs), click the Enter CRNs classes link and enter them. Otherwise, click Find Classes to find the CRNs.
    4. To search for classes, use the Find Classes tab, type "law" in the subject box and click "search". You can then add and submit classes for registration. 
    5. To change variable credit for a course, once you have registered for a variable credit course, click on the Schedule and Options tab. Click on the Hours of a variable credit class and you will be allowed to change the number of credits. Click Submit to update your schedule. 
    6. Important: Scroll to the bottom of each web page to see all information, including any error messages. 
  5. Print both versions of your schedule as confirmation of your registration: the Schedule by Day & Time and the Detail Schedule. Each version provides important information. Links to both schedules are found on the Registration Menu and at the bottom of other Registration web pages. 

You can print additional copies of your schedule or add/drop section by following the steps above. 

When registering, a student must elect the number of credit hours for the course stated on the Sortable Class Schedule. A student may not elect more or fewer credit hours than specified in the Sortable Class Schedule for a particular semester even when the registration system states that it is a variable credit hour course.

Schedules approved during online registration are subject to change by subsequent administrative action if a schedule does not meet applicable Law School requirements.

Students may not register for classes if the meeting times overlap. Students who register for overlapping classes will be withdrawn from one of the classes.

Getting help

For help registering, contact the Law School Records Office at (313) 577-3979 or (313) 577-8023, or send a message to lawrecords@wayne.edu.

For WSU AccessID and Password or computer-related help, call the Computing & Information Technology (C&IT) Help Desk at (313) 577-4778 or visit tech.wayne.edu.

If you don't know your WSU AccessID, you can look it up by searching for your last name in WSU's Online Directory. If you haven't yet used your AccessID, your password is your 9-digit WSU Student ID, which appears on your OneCard.