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The following page is a three column layout with a header that contains a quicklinks jump menu and the search CSUN function. Page sections are identified with headers. The footer contains update, contact and emergency information.

Registration

Topics on this Page

Table of Contents

What is the SOLAR Student Center?

The SOLAR Student Center is your one-stop shop to view and manage your academic, financial and personal information. Use the SOLAR Student Center to:

  • add and drop classes
  • pay fees and charges
  • check financial aid status
  • view and print class schedule
  • view grades and print an unofficial transcript
  • plan classes for future terms with MAP
  • and more

For access to the SOLAR Student Center, log into myNorthridge at www.csun.edu (top right corner) with your CSUN User ID and Password. In the My Path to Graduation box, click Student Center (SOLAR).

SOLAR Self-Service Registration

CSUN students register in classes by logging into the myNorthridge Portal at www.csun.edu for access to the Student Center (SOLAR).

To learn more, tour the SOLAR self-service How To Guides for Students. No login is required.

Activate Your CSUN User ID and Password

If you are a CSUN matriculated student (i.e., admitted to CSUN) who has never logged into myNorthridge, you need to activate your account. Follow these steps:

  1. Locate the “Activate CSUN User ID and Password” letter sent to you by the Office of Admissions and Records.
  2. Go to myNorthridge at www.csun.edu and enter your CSUN User ID and initial Password in the login area at the top-right corner of the page. Note: Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 or higher, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari. Other Web browsers such as AOL, Netscape, or Internet Explorer for Mac and are not fully compatible with myNorthridge.
  3. Read and accept the campus IT policy that displays. You must agree to the policy to continue.
  4. On the next page, set up your Password, your Authentication Question and Answer, and CSUN e-mail delivery preferences. Then click the “Create Your Account” button.
  5. The next page will confirm your account information.

Congratulations! You can now access myNorthridge and the SOLAR Student Center. Remember your CSUN User ID, Password and e-mail address. Never share your Password with anyone.

For help with account activation, visit the Information Technology (IT) Help Desk Web site.

Registration Appointment

CSUN students are assigned a time to register for the fall and spring semesters. For summer terms, students self-appoint a time to register. Regardless of the academic term or semester, the following points are true of your registration appointment:

  • You will not have access to registration on SOLAR prior to your appointment time
  • Your registration appointment is not negotiable.
  • Your registration appointment displays in the SOLAR Student Center >Academics (section) >Enrollment Appointments (link).
  • After your appointment has arrived, you may use the SOLAR Enroll in a Class pages as often as you like within the registration period dates.

Fall and Spring Semesters

CSUN students are assigned a time to register for the fall and spring semesters. Your registration appointment date and time are based on the number of units you have completed at the time the mailer is produced. Your appointment is not negotiable.

For the fall and spring semesters, approximately 2 to 4 weeks before the registration period begins, all students who are eligible to enroll in the upcoming semester are sent a Registration Access Mailer. It contains:

  • Your priority enrollment appointment for the Registration-by-Appointment period
  • Your name and nine-digit CSUN ID
  • Your residency status for fee purposes and information on how and when to pay fees and tuition
  • Your major, minor and class year (at the time the mailer was produced)
  • A list of Academic Advising Centers and EOP Satellites
Review your Registration Access Mailer carefully. Report any discrepancies in person or in writing to the Office of Admissions and Records. Changes or corrections to the mailer will not affect your appointment day or time. Failure to receive this information in the mail does NOT relieve you of the responsibility for meeting deadlines.

Summer Term Self-Appointment

For summer terms, CSUN students self-appoint a time to register on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are a regular CSUN student (admitted to CSUN), self-appoint a time to register in the SOLAR Student Center between March 24 and April 14, 2008. Then register for classes during the Registration-by-Appointment period, April 8-14. Beginning April 15, no appointment is needed.

Set an Online Appointment

If you are a regular CSUN student, the SOLAR Student Center will automatically issue you the next available registration appointment when you take these steps:

  1. Log into myNorthridge at www.csun.edu with your CSUN User ID and Password.
  2. Under My Path to Graduation, select Student Center (SOLAR).
  3. In the Student Center (SOLAR) under Academics, click the Summer Appt/Enrollment link. If you are eligible for the regular term, your appointment will display.

Visiting summer students should enroll through The Tseng College.

Registration Holds

Registration holds prevent students from enrolling. Before registering on SOLAR, clear all holds. Students with advisement holds must contact their academic advisor in the Student Services Center/EOP Satellite Office for the college of their major. Undecided majors must contact the Advising Resource Center (ARC)/EOP. Students with financial holds must immediately pay their account balance in full to be eligible to register.

To view holds: Log into myNorthridge at www.csun.edu. In the pagelet My Path to Graduation, click Student Center (SOLAR). Hold messages display in a box on the Student Center page. Click the Details link for instructions.

Registration Periods

Each academic term has three registration periods:

  • Registration-by-Appointment Period – By appointment only, eligible students may access SOLAR to add, drop, or swap classes; change the grading basis of a class; and confirm their schedule. Registration in repeated courses is not permitted.
  • Nonrestrictive Registration Period – Students may access SOLAR to add, drop and swap classes; change the grading basis of a class; and review or confirm schedule. No appointment is necessary. Registering in repeated courses is possible.
  • Late Registration/Schedule Adjustment Period – Late Registration and Schedule Adjustment begins with the first day of classes. SOLAR is available for adding and swapping classes with permission numbers only, dropping classes and changing the basis of grading. Registration in repeated courses is possible. To learn more, go to Adjusting Your Schedule.

To view Registration Periods and other dates by semester, go to Calendars

To view the Fee Payment Schedule, go to Money Matters

Course Requisites and Registration Features

The following bullets explain course requisites and registration features:

  1. A multiple component course is a graded lecture class that has a required nongraded zero-unit lab or discussion. First enter the 5-digit class number of the lab or discussion. The system will automatically enroll you in the corresponding lecture class.
  2. A corequisite is a course or condition for which concurrent enrollment in another associated course is required (usually a lecture or graded lab). During Registration-by-Appointment or Nonrestrictive Registration, students must enroll in all specified corequisite courses, or already have completed them in a previous term. Review class notes to find out which corequisite class number(s) you need to take.
  3. A preparatory course or condition is recommended to be completed or met prior to enrollment in another course. Consult the academic department.
  4. A prerequisite course or condition must be completed or met before enrolling in another specified course. An unmet or non-completed prerequisite course or condition will bar enrollment in a course on SOLAR. Except for the following courses in Mathematics, CSUN courses in which students are currently enrolled (i.e., work in progress) at the time of registration will satisfy prerequisite requirements. Work-In-Progress (WIP) does NOT meet prerequisites for: MATH 102, 103, 104, 105, 131, 140, 150A, 150B, 210, 250, 255A, 255B, 262, 280, 310. Transfer work in progress at another institution will not satisfy prerequisite requirements.
  5. A restricted class requires permission to enroll at all times. Obtain permission by contacting the instructor or the department that offers the course (see permission number below). All classes are restricted during Late Registration. In the SOLAR schedule of classes, restricted classes have the words “Department or Instructor Consent Required.” In the static Class Schedules, they are designated with an “R” at the end of the class number. (Do not enter the “R” on SOLAR.)
  6. A permission number is required to add a restricted class at any time and to add all classes during late registration. To obtain a permission number, contact the department or the instructor. Permission numbers do not override registration holds or time schedule conflicts. However, they are re-usable in the event of an enrollment error. Permission numbers expire when enrollment is successful, at the end of the late registration period, or on the date set by the academic department—whichever comes first.
  7. The swap classes option allows you to add and drop classes at the same time. The swap function will not relinquish your place in the class until after you have successfully registered in the new class. For instructions, see SOLAR How to Guides for Students.
  8. Time conflicts (simultaneous enrollment): It is the policy of CSUN that no student be permitted to enroll simultaneously in any two or more classes meeting during the same time period. Students are advised to enroll in an alternate section of the class that does not conflict with the rest of their schedule. Exceptions to this policy will be permitted ONLY if one of the classes does not meet on a regular basis, such as an independent study, internship or lab class that permits independent lab work. Students who meet the acceptable criteria must submit a completed Time Conflict Petition form to Admissions and Records no later than Friday of the third week of classes. Petitions will not be considered after the deadline. No Petition will be accepted without the signatures of the instructor and department chair for each class.

Top 10 Registration Tips

  1. Activate your CSUN User ID and Password. Each student needs a CSUN User ID and password to log into myNorthridge and the SOLAR Student Center to enroll in classes, pay fees, and view or update student information. For account activation instructions, see SOLAR Registration.
  2. Check your CSUN e-mail regularly for important notices about your registration and other student affairs. All students receive a CSUN e-mail box when they apply for admission.
  3. Clear holds that may prevent you from enrolling in classes. SOLAR will block your enrollment unless all registration holds have been cleared.
  4. Get advised before registration! Meet with an academic advisor in the college of your major to develop a list of classes. Undeclared majors should go to ARC/EOP.
  5. Prepare a worksheet of possible schedules in advance. Be flexible. Plan alternate class schedules in case your first choices are closed or cancelled. To find other sections of the same class, use SOLAR Class Search. Using Internet Explorer browser version 5.0 or higher, log into myNorthridge at www.csun.edu with your CSUN User ID and Password. In the My Path to Graduation box, click Class Search.
  6. Familiarize yourself with important calendar dates. Mark your calendar with your enrollment appointment, the registration periods, fee payment deadline and other dates important to you.
  7. Read the current university catalog for course requisites, the GE plans, and academic policies related to enrollment. Read the Schedule of Classes guide for registration instructions, updates to enrollment rules and regulations, and the course listing.
  8. Obtain permission for restricted classes. Get permission from the instructor or department before attempting to enroll in a course that requires consent (restricted).
  9. Plan your enrollment within the allowable number of units. Undergraduate students in good academic standing may enroll in 19 units or fewer during Registration-by-Appointment. Graduate and credential students in good standing may enroll in 15 or fewer units. To exceed maximum loads, students must complete an Extra Unit Authorization form and secure the signature of the department chair of their major at the beginning of the Nonrestrictive Registration period. Students must return the approved Extra Unit Authorization form to Admissions and Records, where the extra units will be added in SOLAR.
  10. Review and prepare to meet your financial obligations. View Money Matters.