College registration is an exciting time—seeing friends again for the first time in months, getting your official college photo, and of course, that new textbook smell. But it's also serious business: ensuring you're in the right classes to graduate on time, getting financial clearance, and fulfilling all the legal requirements the government asks of college students (such as that official college photo). 

Fortunately, most of the steps in your registration checklist can be completed online through Self-Service, the college’s online portal. Just work through the assigned steps in the Registration Checklist, also through the portal. You are registered only after the you finish all the steps. If you don't, you aren't a college student. 

We encourage you to start early—now even. Students who consult with their advisors and reserve courses during the pre-registration periods benefit from priority access to courses and reduce unnecessary stress. For many families, financial clearance is the most complicated step, and beginning that step early can save a lot of headaches and allow for a smoother transition to college life. 

To encourage you to complete every step on time, we've put several incentives in place: 

• The registration checklist has been streamlined.  So, while there are some steps that must be completed every term, there are now several steps that only need to be completed annually, and others that are required only once during your stay at Union College! 
• The vast majority of the checklist can be completed online before students arrive on campus.  This means easier access to necessary paperwork, and less stress upon arrival.
• All students who present their completed registration checklist by 5 p.m. on registration Sunday (Aug. 9) will receive a prize and be entered into a drawing for items like dorm-sized microwave or mini-fridge, Visa gift card, or gift card to a local restaurant.
• Students who do not complete their checklist by 5 p.m. on add/drop day (Aug. 25, sixteen days after classes begin this fall) will be assessed a $50 fee.  Each day after that an additional $10 will be assessed, up to a maximum of $120. Also at the end of the add/drop period (Aug. 25, 2020), reservations for classes are canceled for students who have not completed registration.
• Students with only the Financial Documents and Payment Plan step left forty-eight hours prior to the add/drop deadline (Aug. 25) will not be assessed a penalty, but will lose their spot in their courses until the they have worked out a satisfactory plan with Student Financial Services. If the step is not cleared by 5 p.m. on add/drop day, the student will no longer be enrolled at Union College.  
• The registration checklist handout identifies who to ask questions about any step.