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Art History Waitlist

The Department of Art History does not utilize the waitlist functionality found in Caesar. Instead, we handle waitlist requests internally. After a course fills, if any seats open up, we use our internal waitlists to contact students in the order they signed up, providing them with a permission number to register. Please note that not all classes choose to have a waitlist, and for most courses you will be able to enroll yourself when a spot opens in a class.

Waitlist Process

After your regular registration date has arrived, if the course you’d like to take has no available seats, do not contact course instructors. Instead, sign up for the waitlist for that course using the link below.

ART HISTORY Course WaitList

Waitlist and Registration FAQ

When and how will I be notified if I’m next on the waitlist?

Waitlists will be processed on the dates listed for the quarter (see below). If you do not receive an email by 5:00 p.m. on one of these dates, first double-check your email and your spam folder. If you haven’t received an email, you are not yet next on the list.

Okay, this is all well and good, but I have a very special circumstance and really need to take the course. Then can I contact the instructor directly?

Please do not contact course instructors to request access to an Art History course.  They will simply refer you to this page; all waitlist requests for undergraduate courses are handled centrally by the department.

Can I sign up for the waitlist before my registration date arrives if I see the course is closed already?

Some courses use staggered registration, that is, we hold back seats for each registration group to ensure the course is accessible to students from every year. For this reason, do not submit waitlist requests until after your regular registration date has arrived.

What if I need to sign up for the waitlist for more than one course?

If you are requesting to be waitlisted for more than one course, you must submit a separate request for each.

What if I need to change a previously submitted request?

If you need to change a previously submitted request, please submit a new request, and indicate in the "Special Circumstances" box that you are editing a previously submitted request. 

Wait, the course was closed, but now I see an open seat? Why won’t CAESAR let me sign up for it directly?

Once a class has been filled the system blocks any enrollment except by permission number. This is why we have an internal waitlist. If a student withdraws from the course, making it appear as if a seat is available, this means we are in the process of filling that seat from the waitlist.

What if I need to switch my current Discussion Section to a new one that I see now has an open seat?

If you need to switch Discussion Sections during or after the registration period DO NOT drop the course.  Please send an email to art-history-registration@northwestern.edu with this request and someone will assist you with switching.   

If you need to switch Discussion Sections during the first week of classes your course instructor will send you an email via Canvas on those instructions.

And if I have any other questions not addressed here?

Please contact the department at our registration specific email address: art-history-registration@northwestern.edu.

 

Important Dates for winter 2025