Plan Ahead is the feature in My Banner/Personal Access Pages that students use to request courses for registration. The Registrar’s Office creates plans for students: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5. Students add course requests to those plans. The Registrar’s Office processes student requests on the dates announced.
To access Plan Ahead, you will need to authenticate with DUO.
Getting Started
Before you start, we recommend gathering a list of 10 to 12 courses to provide the system with alternate courses to attempt when a priority course encounters an error. Create a list in a spreadsheet-- use the linked sheet as an example. Keep the following in mind: the timing of classes, types of classes, types of assignments, levels of classes, size of classes, and familiarity with course content by reading course descriptions when prioritizing your list.
Always add your primary section to each plan (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, and Round 5) before adding any alternate section. During registration processing, your requests will be attempted in the order courses were added and saved to the plans.
Music lessons and ensembles must be added during the drop/add period; do not include them in your plans.
Year long courses will be added the Monday after your registration. Don't add these to your plans. Be aware of time conflicts and maximum enrollment.
Video Library
We highly recommend that first-time Plan Ahead users watch the videos below. You can also scroll down for detailed step-by-step instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Select Plan Ahead then select the semester that you would like to search. Click Continue.
Click “Edit” to begin working with a plan.
Sections must be added to the plan in the order in which you would like the system to attempt to add the section. Prioritize your courses then add the priority section to each plan before adding any alternate sections.
Search for the first course by clicking “edit” for the plan. Enter your search criteria to begin looking for the sections of the course that you would like to add to your selected plan, click "search."
The search results will be displayed. Courses offered for the upcoming semester will show with “View Sections”.
To view details about the section, select the course title -- course description, pre-requisites/co-requisites, and permission of the instructor.
Click “view sections” then select the section by clicking “add” to the plan-- see the example below. Without the CRN, the system will ignore the course request during registration processing.
NOTE: The list of courses is not displayed in the order the courses were added. Follow the instructions above and your courses will be processed in the correct order because the system saves the course section with A sequence number which is used during processing. In other words, your list will look alphabetical but the back end will remember the order in which you added them.
Plans will be viewable by your advisor. You can add notes for your advisor if you would like to give more information on a course you are intending to take.
Alternate courses are not required for each round. However, if your first choice course encounters an error, without an alternate course in the plan you will miss a chance to add a course to your schedule. Note: the credit is increased by 0.50 units/4 semester hours before each plan is processed.
Round 1 (up to 0.75 units/6 semester hours will be registered)
Priority course
Alternate course
Alternate course
Round 2 (up to 1.25 units/10 semester hours will be registered)
Priority course
Alternate course
Alternate course
Round 3 (up to 1.75 units/14 semester hours will be registered)
Priority course
Alternate course
Alternate course
Round 4 (up to 2.25 units/18 semester hours will be registered)
Priority course
Alternate course
Alternate course
Round 5 (up to 2.25 units/18 semester hours will be registered)
0.25 course
Alternate course
Credit Increases as Plans are Processed
For Round 1 each student will be registered for up to 0.75 units/6 semester hours. Before processing each subsequent round we increase the maximum credit allowed by 0.50 units/4 semester hours until we reach 2.25 units/18 semester hours. You will want sections in each of your rounds to take advantage of these increases.
Students must meet with the faculty advisor to discuss their course schedule and get their new alternate PIN each semester.
You must add the Alternate PIN provided by your faculty advisor on Round 1 in the note icon. We will copy that to all the other plans. If you do not have the Alternate PIN on Round 1, your plans will not be processed.
Enter your Alternate PIN on the plan note by clicking the icon. Save.
Beginning the Monday of the week we process the plans for each class year of students, we run data checks on the plans. You will be emailed about errors that prevent successful registration. Possible errors are:
• Missing CRN’s-- always select view sections then add the section
• Missing Alternate PIN in the Round 1 note
• Missing one of the plans-- Click Edit to make changes to the plan
• Two or more plans with the same name
• No courses on the plan/courses added to the incorrect plans--Name any created plans Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5.
Each email will provide simple instructions on how to fix the issue(s). We run these checks each day until the day of processing your class registration.
Additional Information
The Registrar's Office will process the plans in groups based on the anticipated term of graduation. We will run Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, and Round 5 for each graduation term group in that order.
The system randomizes the students with plans for each plan processed. Each round students will be processed in a different order.
The maximum credit allowed during web registration is 2.25 units/18 semester hours. Students can add courses above the 2.25 units/18 semester hours beginning the first 7 class days of the semester.
After plans have been processed, each group will have an opportunity to make adjustments to their schedules. Instructions to add courses during the open enrollment period will be emailed when schedule processing is completed.
Be aware that the spring half of yearlong courses will be added to students’ schedules after registration has been completed for your class (including any online drop/add time periods). Yearlong courses have a “Y” in the course number. DO NOT attempt to add your yearlong courses to your schedules; they will not be added by the system.
Avoid adding courses that create a time conflict with the spring half of your yearlong courses — we will remove these from your schedule when we add the year-long course.
You must leave enough credit in your schedule to allow us to add the yearlong courses without going over 2.25 units/18 semester hours. If that does not occur, we will remove the last course or courses added that will create space in the schedule for the yearlong courses. Students will be notified of these changes.
Chalmers Library 230 (second floor)
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022