Registration and Lottery

Fall 2025 Gen Ed Registration and Lottery Overview

April Registration is closed.
Incoming Student Registration is Aug 12-14.
Add/Drop for both Incoming and Returning Students opens August 25.

Incoming Student Registration for Fall 2025 Gen Ed Courses

• For a searchable list of Fall 2025 Gen Ed courses by category please see our course catalog.
• Registration for incoming students will run August 12-14.
• During registration you can enroll in uncapped courses directly, making sure to choose a section that has available seats OR submit your preferences, depending on how the course is configured.
• A limited number of seats for incoming students will be added to capped courses prior to registration opening. Enrollment in capped courses is by petition. Please note there is no Gen Ed lottery for incoming students.

Returning Student Registration for Fall 2025 Gen Ed Courses

• For a searchable list of Fall 2025 Gen Ed courses by category please see our course catalog.
• Fall semester Add/Drop opens on Aug 25.
• During open add/drop you can enroll in uncapped courses directly, making sure to choose a section that has available seats OR submit your preferences, depending on how the course is configured.
• During open add/drop enrollment in capped courses is via petition. If your petition is approved you can claim a seat in a course if it is below capacity. Petition approval is at faculty discretion and is no guarantee of a seat in the course.
• If you get an error message saying a course is full and there are still available seats, it is likely that you tried to enroll in a full section. Please remove the course from your cart and add it back in, making sure to pick a section with open seats.

Looking to browse Gen Ed courses? Check out our course catalog, where you can filter by semester offered or by category.

Do you have a question or issue pertaining to lottery logistics or enrollment within my.Harvard? Get in touch with us at gened_enrollment@fas.harvard.edu.