Will college professors allow more students than the maximum?

Question

I am wait-listed for a class that I really, really want. There are 18 spots in the class, and I am number two on the wait-list. I was wondering if professors usually allow more than the maximum amount of students to join or if they will only allow it if someone drops the class?

Answer 1

not at the begining like when registration is taking place but like after classes are in like week 2, then they may make exceptions, again as long as there are seats available.

Answer 2

I am wait listed all the time.  In fact, I just got in a closed class after being wait listed.  I guess it also depends on the school.  There were times that the class I wanted to get in on, I had to attend the first day and have the professor sign a closed class slip.  Maybe you can try that or go and see if the professor will let you in before class starts.  Where I attend school, they almost always allow the first two people on the waiting list in the class.  Hopes everything works out for you.

Answer 3

Profs can go over the maximum, I do it all the time.  I will take extra students as long as there is a chair to sit in.  I will face my wait list next week!  (college professor)  Just show up the first day.  I won't add anyone after that.  

Answer 4

Usually the don't go over the maximum simply because there would be no place to put the xtra students.

Answer 5

Well if you're number 2 on the waitlist, you've got an extremely god chance of getting in. If there are any no-shows to the class (and believe me, there almost inevitably are), then their spots will get filled by you guys on the waitlists.

If, by some bizarre chance, everyone who is registered DOES show up, you might need to look at a different class, because most universities are bound by the seat limit (i.e. if the max capacity for a class is 50, then the instructor is ONLY allowed 50 students...and their rosters will get checked to verify they are abiding by the rules).

But if you are only second on the waitlist, I wouldn't even sweat it. I've never been in a class where NO ONE who was waitlisted got in.

Answer 6

The answer to the question is no.

But like others have said, it is extremely rare for no one on the wait list to get in (it happens, just not often). Many people sign up and drop the class because it was their second choice and they got into a class they had wait listed or because they drop out of the semester or because something comes up and they won't have time for the class. There is usually a decent overturn. I've been in classes, in which you can see a considerable drop (15+) from week one to week two.

Be sure to show up to this class for the first 2 weeks. It usually works that everyone who is signed up can only miss one class the first week. If they miss more than that they are immediately dropped and the wait listers are slid in. If you don't show up each class you'll be skipped over.