FAQs | First-Year Course Registration

Academic Advisor assignments will be finalized in early July. At this time, please use the breakdown below to connect with a specific advisor, or email us at businessadvising@lehigh.edu 

• Last Names B&C: Contact Kerry Madden McCann, kam621@lehigh.edu
• Last Names A, D-J: Contact Damla Alkan, dma223@lehigh.edu
• Last Names K-Pi: Contact Katie Pederson, cai218@lehigh.edu
• Last Names Pj-Z: Contact Lauren Knecht, lar423@lehigh.edu

We hope that you are able to attend one of our First-Year Course Registration webinars to have an opportunity to meet your Academic Advisor - please check your Lehigh email for more information sent by Business Advising. 

Many of the questions you may have will be addressed in the webinar and we will have many opportunities to connect upon your arrival to Lehigh. We will have 15 minute advising appointment offerings the week of July 13th, available upon request if questions remain after attending a webinar. Webinar attendance is required to access the meeting link. You are also welcome to reach out to your advisor over email with questions. 

1. During the week of registration, connect with an advisor via Live Chat from Monday, July 20 - Thursday, July 23 from 9am-12pm, EST.
2. Email businessadvising@lehigh.edu - this inbox will be monitored by an Advisor on our team throughout the day.
3. Attend a First Year Course Registration webinar, hosted by the Business Advising Team. Please check your Lehigh email for updates from your Advisor on our webinar dates. This will be the best way to connect with your advisor prior to course registration.

Step 1. Use this link to go to the ALEKS assessment go.lehigh.edu/aleks and enter your Lehigh login information.

Step 2. In the On Hold Classes section, in the box called First-year Students, Fall 2026/Higher Education Math Placement, click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner, then on Apply Access.

Step 3.  The page asks, "Do you have an access code?"  Click "No, I need to purchase an access code." Click on CONTINUE.

Exception:  Students who can't afford to buy an access code should connect with the Office of Financial Aid.

Step 4.  Enter "Lehigh University" for the school, and click continue.

Step 5. Enter payment information and you will be directed to take ALEKS.

As indicated in the ALEKS Placement Guide, Calculus courses require certain scores in order to be eligible to take them. In some cases, you may be eligible to take a course, but a different one may be recommended to you (for example, a score of 65-69 makes you technically eligible to take MATH 081, but we may recommend taking MATH 061/062 instead). In that situation, it is up to you to decide which course would be the best fit for you. 

The ALEKS section on this FAQs page contains more information on specific MATH courses and we recommend reviewing them carefully. You are also welcome to reach out to your advisor if you need further guidance.

You will be able to take your ALEKS assessment up until and throughout registration this July. However, we recommend completing your ALEKS training modules before registration week begins on July 20 to provide a smoother registration process

If your score on your first ALEKS attempt is below 80, we recommend working through the tutorial modules and taking ALEKS again. Working through the modules will help you prepare for Calculus and your future coursework.

MATH 081 is Calculus with Business Applications, whereas MATH 021 is Calculus 1.

While many BSBU students take MATH 081, some consider taking MATH 021 if they are thinking of pursuing a 4+1 masters program, upper-level MATH coursework, or a minor (like Engineering) that may require Calculus I as a prerequisite. Your eligibility will also depend on your ALEKS assessment placement. 

MATH 061/062 fulfills the same requirement as MATH 081, but the course is spread across two semesters and includes additional review of the material. Students will take MATH 061 (2 credits) in the Fall and MATH 062 (2 credits) in the Spring, and after that point, they will have fulfilled the equivalent of MATH 081.

If you are technically eligible to take MATH 081/021 but Calculus is not your strongest subject and you’d like to take a slower paced course, you may be eligible to take MATH 061/062. Please connect with your advisor for more information. 

If you receive AP credits (score 4 or 5) for Calculus, you will not be required to take the ALEKS exam. You are also not required to take the next level up for your Business requirements, however if other math courses are of interest to you or assist you in other areas of study, you may take additional courses, which would apply towards your Non-Business College Elective requirement.

The most common issues students encounter when registering for a MATH course are: 

1. You are not adding the linked recitation course. MATH 081 and MATH 021 both require a linked recitation. Please review the Registrar's instructions on how to add a linked recitation.
2. You are attempting to add a course that you are not eligible for based on your ALEKS Assessment score. If your score does not meet the entry requirements for that course based on the ALEKS Placement Guide, you cannot register for that course. However, please note:
   1. If you are eligible for MATH 021 but would prefer to take MATH 081, you can register for MATH 081.
   2. If you are eligible for MATH 021 or MATH 081 but would prefer to take MATH 061/062, you will need to contact your advisor for an override into that course. 

Any questions regarding AP credits, including if and how it is applying at Lehigh, should be directed to the Office of The Registrar (ras@lehigh.edu). You may also review this Advanced Placement page for more information.

To see if and how your AP coursework is applying, please review your DegreeWorks audit. Advisors are continuing to work on updating Academic Plans to reflect your AP coursework. Please make sure to continue checking your plan up until registration week begins, in case any further updates have been made.

Each student has an Academic Plan available to them in DegreeWorks (use the Plans tab at the top of the page). This plan maps out our suggestions for your first two years - however, please note that your schedule is highly subject to change based on course availability and restrictions. This is normal, and also why it's very important to have backup schedules in your Plan Ahead! If you aren't able to secure courses we recommended in your first semester, please refer to your second semester for further options. 

Please also refer to your Course Registration Guide for our course recommendations. Page 5 & 6 outline appropriate first year College of Business courses and recommendations on how to balance your course load, as well as a few sample schedules for Fall & Spring.

The most common issues students encounter when registering for BUS 001 are: 

1. Sections 118 & 119 are not open to BSBU students. You must find another section of BUS 001.
2. You are not adding the linked recitation course. BUS 001 requires a recitation, and you must register for both. Please review the Registrar's instructions on how to add a linked recitation. 

In order to add BUS 003 to your schedule, you must also have successfully added BUS 001 to your schedule. 

The most common error when registering for ECO 001 is when a student is not adding the linked recitation course. ECO 001 requires a recitation, and you must register for both. Please review the Registrar's instructions on how to add a linked recitation. 

The most common issues students encounter when registering for a MATH course are: 

1. You are not adding the linked recitation course. MATH 081 and MATH 021 both require a linked recitation. Please review the Registrar's instructions on how to add a linked recitation.
2. You are attempting to add a course that you are not eligible for based on your ALEKS Assessment score. If your score does not meet the entry requirements for that course based on the ALEKS Placement Guide, you cannot register for that course. However, please note:
   1. If you are eligible for MATH 021 but would prefer to take MATH 081, you can register for MATH 081.
   2. If you are eligible for MATH 021 or MATH 081 but would prefer to take MATH 061/062, you will need to contact your advisor for an override into that course. 

The following nine sections are reserved for College of Business students. You may only choose a WRT 001 course from these sections. If you receive a “Reserve Closed” Error, that means that the section has been filled by College of Business students and you will need to try another section.

• WRT 001-052 (CRN 43524)
• WRT 001-053 (CRN 43525)
• WRT 001-054 (CRN 43526)
• WRT 001-055 (CRN 43527)
• WRT 001-056 (CRN 43528)
• WRT 001-057 (CRN 43529)
• WRT 001-058 (CRN 43530)
• WRT 001-060 (CRN 43531)
• WRT 001-067 (CRN 43609)
• WRT 001-068 (CRN 43610)

We highly recommend registering for the open section of the course. Per policy, students cannot receive an override into a section of a course if there are other sections of that course that currently have open seats. 

In the meantime, you can continue to monitor your preferred section, as seat capacities and enrollment can fluctuate - there is still a chance you may be able to switch sections if a seat becomes available. You will have until July 31 to make changes to your schedule, and after that date, you will be able to make changes again once you arrive on campus for Fall Orientation. 

Although a course may be part of your degree requirements, that does not always mean that you are required to take the course in this upcoming semester. We recommend reviewing the First Year Course Recommendations & Sample Schedules, which outlines which courses we recommend taking and different variations of what your schedule may look like. The only course that is required within your first semester is BUS 001.

You will register for courses at go.lehigh.edu/studentregistration.

Each student has an Academic Plan available to them in DegreeWorks (use the Plans tab at the top of the page). This plan maps out our suggestions for your first two years - however, please note that your schedule is highly subject to change based on course availability and restrictions. This is normal, and also why it's very important to have backup schedules in your Plan Ahead! If you aren't able to secure courses we recommended in your first semester, please refer to your second semester for further options. 

Please also refer to your Course Registration Guide for our course recommendations. Page 5 & 6 outline appropriate first year College of Business courses and recommendations on how to balance your course load, as well as a few sample schedules for Fall & Spring.

Your assigned registration time ticket will be on one of the following days: Monday, July 20, Tuesday, July 21, or Wednesday, July 22. Your registration time ticket is in the Student Registration Portal. Select “Prepare for Registration” -> Fall 2026 to view your assigned date and time.

You may continue to make adjustments and changes to your schedule until July 31. After that date, you will be able to make changes to your schedule after you arrive on campus for Fall Orientation. 

The Office of the Registrar auto assigns time tickets based on a variety of factors. You will not be able to adjust your assigned time ticket. If you feel as though an error has occurred, please connect with the Office of the Registrar.

You will be able to make changes to your schedule until July 31. After July 31, you will be able to make changes to your schedule again once you arrive for Orientation. 

Some courses have a linked recitation, which is similar to a lab. In order to register for a course that has a recitation attached, you must register for both the course and the linked recitation at once. Please review the Registrar's instructions on how to add a linked recitation, as this is one of the most common registration errors that students encounter. 

Courses are available to view in Banner now at go.lehigh.edu/studentregistration!

We recommend using "Browse Classes by Semester" to ensure that you are seeing what courses are being offered in a specific semester. Please just make sure to check the "Restrictions" tab when you click into a course to make sure that you'd be eligible to take it.

When viewing courses in Banner, we recommend using the "Browse Classes by Semester" search function in the upper left hand corner of your registration screen. 

It seems that using the Plan Ahead feature will sometimes pull the entire course catalog, instead of displaying only courses that are available in that particular semester. Using "Browse Classes by Semester" will ensure that you are seeing what courses are being offered in a specific semester.

You should check your account to see which office you need to contact to clear their hold:

Login to Banner (Prepare for Registration → Select a Term → Registration Status)

The most common account holds are either a Bursar’s Office hold or a Health Center hold. The Advising team cannot lift an account hold for students. Instead, you can find the contact information for these two offices below:

Bursar’s Office: https://financeadmin.lehigh.edu/bursar

Health & Wellness Center: https://studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/content/health-wellness-center

• 6 credits of Human Experience (HE)/Arts & Language (AL) 
• 6 credits of Social World (SW)
• 3 credits of Natural World (NW)

To search for a Non-Business Elective, we recommend selecting the "Advanced Search" feature in the registration portal and using the "College" search field. From there, you're welcome to search for classes in any college that's not the College of Business. 

You should find plenty of options for electives there - please just make sure to check the "Restrictions" tab when you click into a course to make sure that you'd be eligible to take it. We recommend trying to find a class in a subject that you're interested in and would enjoy taking. Your Non-Business College Electives are a great opportunity to branch out and explore your various interests outside of Business!

As mentioned above, we recommend trying to find a class in a subject that you're interested in and would enjoy taking. Your Non-Business Electives are a great opportunity to branch out and explore your various interests outside of Business! Some students use this opportunity to explore a minor outside of Business - since you are required to take a number of Non-Business Electives as part of your Business degree, these minors typically fall in under your Business degree requirements. 

Please just make sure to check the "Restrictions" tab when you click into a course to make sure that you'd be eligible to take it.

• 6 credits of Human Experience (HE)/Arts & Language (AL) 
• 6 credits of Social World (SW)
• 3 credits of Natural World (NW)
   

To search for classes with specific attributes in Banner, please use the Attribute search field and type in the appropriate attribute (for example, Business Diversity, Social World, etc). 

Tips: 

1. If you are searching for multiple attributes at once (for example, Business Diversity and Social World, make sure you pay attention to the Attributes column. The search will pull any course that has at least one of those attributes - it does not only pull courses that have both.
2. Make sure to check the "Restrictions" tab when you click into a course to make sure that you'd be eligible to take it. 

Please check the prerequisites and restrictions of the course to ensure you meet the necessary requirements for enrollment. If you do, and the course specifically says that it requires instructor or department permission, then you may email the Professor of the course and copy the Department Coordinator to express your interest in joining the course. You can typically find the Department Coordinator’s contact information by going to the department’s website and checking their contact/staff page.

However, if the course simply has restrictions and does not specifically say that instructor or department permission is required, then please find a course without those restrictions. 

If you are not eligible for a course, then please seek another course without those restrictions. You are welcome to keep checking back on the status of the course up until the course actually begins. While course restrictions may occasionally be lifted, we cannot rely on this happening consistently.

When viewing courses in Banner, we recommend using the "Browse Classes by Semester" search function in the upper lefthand corner of your registration screen. 

It seems that using the Plan Ahead feature will sometimes pull the entire course catalog, instead of displaying only courses that are available in that particular semester. Using "Browse Classes by Semester" will ensure that you are seeing what courses are being offered in a specific semester.

Please review the Office of the Registrar’s Waitlist Guide.

If a seat becomes available in a course, students will have 24 hours to claim the seat. If the student does not respond within the 24 hour window, the seat will go to the next student on the waitlist and you will be removed from the waitlist. Please note that weekend days are included in the 24 hour window to claim a seat in a course.

You may only waitlist yourself for one section of a course. You cannot waitlist yourself for a different section of a course for which you are already registered (for example, you cannot register for BUS 003 and also join the waitlist for a section that has a more preferable time slot). 

We highly recommend registering for the open section of the course. Per policy, students cannot receive an override into a section of a course if there are other sections of that course that currently have open seats. 

In the meantime, you can continue to monitor your preferred section, as seat capacities and enrollment can fluctuate - there is still a chance you may be able to switch sections if a seat becomes available. You will have until July 31 to make changes to your schedule, and after that date, you will be able to make changes again once you arrive on campus for Orientation.

We typically do not recommend emailing your Professor with waitlist concerns - though this can vary across the University, many Professors cannot remove students from a waitlist. Remaining on the waitlist is your best option while waiting to register. We encourage you to regularly check your email for updates on waitlist movements.