The registration and enrollment process is seen as a rite of passage for every freshman at the University of the Philippines. Although some changes have been made thanks to the use of technology at some steps, the registration procedure is largely unchanged from the one used decades ago.

CRS and Enlistment

Everything starts with the computerized registration system or CRS, a recent addition to the process that lets students sign up for subjects online. Freshmen have an advantage in CRS because they have an earlier enlistment date, and so have priority for general education or GE subjects.

Students log on to the CRS online interface and select subjects from the list of available classes. The instructor, schedule and classroom are listed on the system along with the class code, subject restrictions and course weight in units. Once the online enlistment period is over, the system will then give final slots to students at random.

Take, for example, an English 1 class with a capacity of 30. Even if 39 other people had already enlisted for English 1, you will still be able to sign up on CRS for that subject but will not be guaranteed a slot. Once online enlistment is over, the 30 slots will be given at random to the 40 people who signed up for English 1, regardless of order. Coming early does not give you an advantage with CRS.

Registration Day

Formal registration opens two to three weeks before the start of regular classes, during which time you should go to the OUR and get your Form 5A. Your Form 5A will be the official record for all your enrolled classes, and is a valuable document for all students.

Once the registration and enrollment period starts, students can also perform enlistment at the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) itself. However, all slots that were taken during online enlistment will already be occupied, and the selection will be much, much narrower. You can immediately get into any classes that have not yet been filled on enlistment day.

Should you find yourself still short of units but without any more slots for enlistment, you can also go around the campus to do what’s known as pre-rog. With pre-rog, you can personally approach the instructor whose class you want to enter, and then ask him or her to include you in the class list and sign your Form 5A. Manually signing up for classes this way can sometimes get you into classes that have been listed as already full.

Freshmen can usually finish enrolling in a few hours thanks to the special procedure that’s afforded them. For non-freshmen, on the other hand, registration and enrollment can take up to two full weeks, especially when many subjects must be taken via pre-rog.

Payments

After all your enrolled classes have been recorded on your Form 5A, the form must be taken to the OUR for validation and payment. The validation counter will check your Form 5A and your scholarship status (if any) to determine how much tuition you should pay. The validation counter must be visited before the cashier, as your payment will not be accepted without an authorized validation signature.

Once your Form 5A has been validated, it’s time to queue for payments. The OUR has its own windows that accepts enrollment payments, but payments can also be made at the Cashier’s Office located near the Shopping Center. Once you’ve paid and your Form 5A has been signed by the cashier, you’re officially a UP student for a full semester.

Reminders

• Dress comfortably. Chances are good that you’ll be walking long distances and waiting in line for hours. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can walk in.
• Don’t hesitate to ask. You lose a lot of time when you line up at the wrong queue or do things in the wrong order. Save time by asking the student assistants or guards so that you only have to do everything once.
• Keep your Form 5A. The consequences of losing your Form 5A are disastrous. Keep it safe where it won’t get lost or damaged. And yes, you may fold it.
• Watch out for lunch hour. Like all government offices, the OUR and all offices in UP have a lunch hour that starts at 12. Plan your day accordingly.
• Be early. If you’re a non-freshman, you’ll be enrolling with thousands of other students. The earlier you get to the lines, the easier it’ll be to get subjects and the sooner you’ll finish.

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