Timetables & Classroom Scheduling

Departments should schedule no more than 70% of their classes during peak hours (also known as “prime time”). Spreading out class times makes it easier for students to find courses that fit their schedules. 

Be mindful of offering a mix of upper- and lower-division courses throughout the week. This helps avoid scheduling conflicts for students who need to take classes at different levels. 

If you’re offering cross-departmental courses (like co-requisites, cohort courses, or minor requirements), work closely with other departments to coordinate schedules. This ensures students can take all the classes they need without unnecessary conflicts. 

To use a centrally managed (campus-hosted) classroom, a class must fill at least 80% of the room’s capacity. Classes that don’t meet this requirement may be reassigned to a different space. 

Classes that do not meet the standard minimum must be scheduled in department-owned rooms. Standard class size minimums are as follows: 

• Lower-division Undergraduate Courses: 15 Student Minimum
• Upper-division Undergraduate Courses: 12 Student Minimum
• Graduate-level Courses: 9 Student Minimum

Standard minimum class size rules do not apply to evening classes that start after 5 PM ET. 

Classes must begin and end at approved times to qualify for campus-hosted rooms. If your class uses an unapproved time, it may not be assigned a room unless reviewed and approved by the Vice Provost, Associate Dean, and the Office of the University Registrar. Standard class times receive priority consideration for campus-hosted classrooms. Lab sections must also follow this rule— make sure all times are valid and aligned with approved time blocks. 

Classes meeting once a week during prime time must be held in department-owned rooms. This includes lectures, seminars, and discussion or recitation sections. This rule does not apply to fourth-hour components of 4-credit courses. 

Classrooms across all areas of campus— including the west/agriculture campus— will be used to ensure efficient and appropriate assignments based on university guidelines. 

All classroom assignments will be visible to students when the timetable is published to provide time for students to build schedules that align with their needs. As such, the Registrar strives to keep the timetable as stable as possible once published.

Once the timetable is live, you can make the following updates without affect classroom assignments: 

• Assigning or changing the course instructor
• Cancelling the course section
• Adjusting class size (as long as the room size still works)

Changes that do affect room assignments must be requested through the Office of the University Registrar. 

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

Valid Class Times: 70 Instructional Days

All 3-credit course offerings during Fall and Spring terms should adhere to valid class time options. Courses worth a different number of credits should start or end in alignment with a valid class time. 

Mini and Summer Sessions allow for greater flexibility in scheduling. Departments may set their own class times and often integrate various instructional methods to offset reduced contact minutes. Examples of possible meeting times for all sessions can be found below. 

Synchronous mini-term offerings are expected to meet during all 10 available instructional days during the mini-term. This would result in 70 minutes per credit hour per meeting. 

Here are examples of how synchronous summer offerings might be scheduled by a department. Due to increased flexibility with classroom space, departments may choose their own times for their offerings. Departments should collaborate with complementary subjects to try and avoid conflicts for students enrolled in multiple offerings. The following examples use a 5-day a week meeting pattern. 

The edit period follows a set schedule to make sure all classroom assignments are finalized before students can view the timetable. If you need extra help, the Office of the University Registrar offers office hours for one-on-one support. 

Yes! You can replace a class scheduled during prime time with a different course, even if it meets at a different valid prime time slot. Just note that the original classroom is not guaranteed as room assignments depend on overall prime time availability. 

No. Recitations and discussions must be scheduled: 

MWF: at 8:00 AM or after 2:40 PM ET

TR: at 8:10 AM or after 3:45 PM ET

No. You can’t replace canceled or unused courses with recitations unless those recitations follow the approved time blacks listed above. 

MW classes are included in prime time. Recitations must be scheduled outside prime time, even if scheduled on Fridays. 

Yes, but this decision is made at the Department Head or Dean’s level. If a recitation is online:

• It can be asynchronous or synchronous
• It must have a meeting line in the timetable so students are informed
• It will also require a Hybrid modality designation.

Prime time recitations are allowed online if in-person sessions take place in department-owned spaces. 

Yes, those can still be accommodated! As long as the class meeting times stay the same, your classroom assignment will be kept. 

Course modality changes must be approved by your department head or dean. Schedulers should contact the Registrar’s Timetable team if: 

• A new section is added
• A section changes its modality

This ensures the correct modality attribute is listed in the system.