Tips & Tricks

Do not contact Student Administration about your course registration. They do not manage your study programme.

There is usually a very logical reason why a specific course cannot be selected. Before you panic: Check the most common issues and errors lower on this page.

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Issues and errors

Most common issues and errors

 

There usually is a reason behind every error message, rather than a technical malfunction. Only your study path counselor can grant permission in the Student SelfService to deviate from the planned study programme.

Most common issues:

  • I cannot log on to the Student SelfService
  • I can log on to the Student SelfService, but I do not see the button 'register my courses'
  • Some courses are missing

     

Most common errors:

  • "Study activity is full.''
  • "This study activity is not planned."
  • "This study activity can not be added - the requirements are not met."
  • "These study activities can not be added. By adding these study activities the maximum allowed credits or courses would be exceeded for this period."
  • I get the error that I also need to register a study part called 'SELF'.
  • 'only available from dd/mm/yyyy'
  • "You can not register for this study activity. The registration period has expired."
  • The option 'search by my requirements' is currently unavailable.

Can't log in

I can't log in to the Student SelfService

Often this problem has a very logical cause. Therefore, first go over the checklist below.

1. Have you fully completed your registration for the study programme? Have you signed the registration contract more than 24 hours ago?

  • No -> Course registration is only possible when your registration is 100% complete. Sometimes the processing of your data in the administrative system takes 1 day and night.
  • Yes -> Go to 2.

     

2. Have you already activated your VUB email address and NetID? Is your login and password correct?

3. Log in to 0365 mail and VUB learning platform Canvas.

This is the ultimate test to check if something is wrong with your access to the Self Service.

  • If you are able to log on to 0365 mail and the learning platform, but not to the SelfService: report this to the Student Administration.
  • If you cannot log in to SelfService, 0365 mail and the learning platform and the PAM does not offer any solace: contact the ICT helpdesk.

No link 'Register my courses'

I don't have the option to 'register my courses' in the SelfService

Often this problem has a very logical cause. Therefore, first go over the checklist below.

Be sure to look at the opening date of the course registration. You will not see the link in your SelfService before that date.

1. Have you fully completed your registration for the study programme? Have you signed the registration contract more than 24 hours ago?

  • No -> Course registration is only possible when your (re)enrollment is 100% complete. Sometimes the processing of your data in the administrative system takes 1 day and night.
  • Yes -> Go to 2.

     

2 Most likely you have logged on with your temporary account (this is a combination of your email address and a password).

  • Yes, I have used the temporary account to log on -> Use your VUB email address to log on. You can create or adjust this in the Personal Account Manager (PAM).
  • No, I have used my VUB email address and it has already been 24 hours since my (re)enrolment -> Go to 3.

     

3. Do you still need to take exams in the second session exam period? Or will you hand in your bachelor paper of master thesis in the second session exam period?

  • Yes -> Only after the second session exam period has ended you will be able to register your courses. This is even so when you have already enrolled in another study programme.
  • No -> Go to 4.

     

4. The past academic year were you enrolled with a credit or exam contract or were you a guest student at the VUB?

  • Yes -> These registrations must first be completely 'closed' in the VUB administration. This is done in the course of week two of the new academic year. From week three you will therefore be able to register courses.
  • No -> Report the problem to the Student Administration.

Courses are missing

A course is missing in my course overview

Sometimes it happens at the course registration that the system talks about an x-number of compulsory courses, but that one is missing. The course is not visible. This has to do with programme changes between 2 academic years.

You then have 2 options:

Study activity is full or not planned

"Study activity is full"

 

Choose the WPO with the green dot instead of the blue square.

"Study activity is not planned"

 

Ask your study path counselor for help.

Search by my requirements is unavailable

"The option 'search by my requirements' is currently unavailable"

 

Most likely you have just enrolled. We advise you to try registering your courses again the next day. The system needs some time to process your registration.

Still having this problem after 48 hours?

 

If this problem still occurs after 48 hours, please refer to the Helpdesk, lower on this page.

Requirements are not met

"This study activity can not be added - the requirements are not met."

 

You try to register courses for which you do not meet the registration requirements. You can only follow certain courses together with or after completing another course within the programme. The system automatically stops you.

1. Is this right?

You can check this on the designated programme page.

  • Yes, this is right according to the pre- and corequisites (registration requirements per course). You can not follow this course now. You can discuss a possible exception with your study path counselor.
  • No, this is not right according to the pre- and corequisites (registration requirements per course) => go to 2.

     

2. Are you sure you've selected the right variant of the course, W (for working/evening student) or R for (regular student)?

You may want to register for the working student variant of the course, but you are not registered as a working student. The registration requirements state that this is a working student variant. Study components with a code ending with 'W' (see example , column 'course') are in principle only available for working students. If the code ends with an 'R' (regular student) then the course is available to all students.

  • No, I am in the wrong 'W' variant => You can still change this into the 'R' variant.
  • Yes, I am in the right variant => There may be an error in settings of the registration requirements. In that case you can fill in this form. You don't need to send an email to your faculty or study path counsellor. Through the form, your courses will be registered correctly.

Maximum allowed credits

"These study activities can not be added. By adding these study activities the maximum allowed credits or courses would be exceeded for this period."

 

You are trying to exceed the maximum number of credits allowed. This means that you have already registered courses for 72 credits and registering more is not allowed.

Do you want to register for more than 72 credits?

  • Yes. This is only possible with the permission of the Dean. More info about requesting an exception can be found here.
  • No, this is a mistake. Probably you have accidentally selected too many courses. Check carefully which you have selected and delete the unnecessary.

Missing study part

"I get the error that I also need to register a study part called 'SELF'"

 

This is an unfortunate programming error. Please refer to the Helpdesk, lower on this page.

 

Only available DD/MM/YYYY

"What should I do when at a course it is mentioned 'only available from dd/mm/yyyy'?"

 

Sometimes this message appears next to a course, even if you can select it.

You may ignore this notification and select the course.

Registration period expired

"You can not register for this study activity. The registration period has expired."

 

You receive this error message when you still have the course in your cart of last year.

The solution for this error message

Empty your shopping cart.

  1. At your home page in the Student SelfService, click on the link 'register my courses' or its corresponding icon.
  2. This takes you to the tab '1. select classes to add'. Here you can see that the course is in your shopping cart. Check the box.
  3. Click on the trash can icon.
  4. Confirm that you want to delete the course when prompted.

 

Helpdesk

The online helpdesk is not available at this moment. If you filled out the online form before the course registration deadline (15 Oct) you are on time, even if your courses are registered after the deadline.

If you applied on time but your enrolment isn't complete before the course registration deadline, don't worry. You faculty will automatically register your courses for you, once your enrolment is completed.

If you want to register or drop 1st semester or year courses at this time, you can only do so by asking the Dean for an exception.

Request an exception

Temporary course registration

Is your official course registration not complete, but you need access to courses and materials to start following classes? If you are completely enrolled and you have activated your VUB account, you can temporarily register courses in Canvas. But be aware: this does not replace the official course registration.

Register courses temporarily