Instructor Guide: Reserved Seats & Permissions Codes

What you need to know

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences reserves some seats in most online courses for “online students”—those who applied to and are currently enrolled in an online degree program. These “reserved seats” ensure that online students can enroll in the online courses they need to complete their online degree program. The number of reserved seats is determined according to enrollment trends and data. These reserved seats ensure that online degree seeking students can enroll according to their enrollment timeline, which occurs later than when on-campus students enroll due to unique needs and rolling start dates. The list of online courses with reserved seats for online students is available here: Fall 2024 Online Reserved Courses.  

The remaining seats are “unreserved,” which means that they are open to any KU student, including “on-campus” or “residential students” who primarily take in-person classes at the KU Lawrence campus, but may occasionally enroll in an online course. 

Reserved seats in online courses are released on the following dates, after which any student—online or in-person—can enroll in an online course: 

Open Enrollment Dates for Online Courses 

Fall 2024



Full Term: Aug. 12

Minimester I: Aug. 12

Minimester II: Oct. 14





Spring 2025



Full Term: Jan. 7

Minimester I: Jan. 7

Minimester II: March 10

If an on-campus student wants to enroll in an online course, they should follow the instructions provided here: On-campus Student Instructions for Enrolling in Online Classes.  

In some cases, a student may require a permission code to enroll in an online course. Requests for permission codes are not automatically granted, and instead are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Instructors and departments should use the guidance below to field permission code requests from students: 

Before Open Enrollment 

  • Issue: Before the open enrollment dates indicated above, on-campus students need a permission code to enroll in one of the seats reserved in online classes for online degree-seeking students, if: 

    • All course seats (beyond those reserved for online students) are filled, AND

    • The student experiencing a hardship or extenuating circumstance that necessitates enrollment in an online course.

  • How to acquire a permission code: Please direct the student to their Jayhawk academic advisor. The advisor will need to submit a permission code request form to the College Online on behalf of the student. Only advisors can submit this form. 

After Open Enrollment and/or When a Course is Full 

  • Issue: If an online course is full before or after the open enrollment dates indicated above, a student needs to contact the instructor directly to ask for permission to enroll in the course. It is up to the instructor whether the request for permission is granted. 

  • How to acquire a permission code: If the instructor decides to grant permission, the instructor should work with their department to issue a permission code that the student can use to enroll in the already-full course. 

If you have questions about the content above or need additional information, please contact the College Online at thecollegeonline@ku.edu.