Early registration and improved software for Yale College

In spring 2021, Yale College will be the first school at Yale to go live with Leepfrog PATH, a new registration application that will replace Online Course Selection. The new mobile-friendly software offers improved accessibility over the aging current technology. In addition to streamlining the registration process by eliminating a wet signature requirement, PATH will also allow Yale to leverage more baseline features in the student database.

When the new software is launched, the Early Registration project will also implement a key change to the registration timeline. Students will begin registering for the next term during the current term to reduce the challenges associated with shopping period. Yale College students will meet with their advisers and pre-register for fall 2021 courses during the final months of the spring term.

When early registration closes in May, departments will be able to use the summer months to review course demand, make course changes, allocate teaching fellows, and plan for room assignments. In August, registration will re-open and students will be able to make changes and shop classes through the end of the add/drop period.

ITS and the University Registrar’s Office are currently working with the vendor to adapt the new software, PATH, to Yale specifications. The ITS team is beginning the gating process while the functional team is focused on developing a communication plan to prepare campus users for the pending changes.

Future phases of the project will transition all schools to online registration, and the long-term project impacts include the eventual retirement of Yale custom tools like Online Course Selection and Section Management.