Undergraduate Overrides

This override form is for any student who cannot self-enroll in courses at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). Requests can be submitted by students who do not fulfill a course’s prerequisites (courses that must be completed before the start of the requested class) or eligibility (grade level/major) as written on SPIRE. 

Please note that we have many of the same enrollment limitations as students. We will not be able to enroll you in a course if there is a time conflict with another course on your schedule, if your total enrollment would exceed the maximum credits allowed per semester (usually 19 credits), if you are requesting a third attempt of a course, or if there is a registration hold on your account. If we encounter a problem, we will contact you to adjust your schedule, or to seek the required clearances. Your immediate response is necessary as we cannot reserve seats and cannot guarantee a seat will remain available if there is a delay.

Override Dos and Don’ts

Do

  • Submit your override as early as possible. Requests submitted during the add/drop period (first week of classes) are considered late and may not be processed.
  • Read the course notes in SPIRE. For some classes, the grade level or major restrictions will be removed at a later date and you may be able to self-enroll then.
  • Check your UMass email regularly after you submit your request. We may contact you about time-sensitive issues like schedule conflicts and registration holds that we need your help resolving.
  • Email overrides [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu (overrides[at]cs[dot]umass[dot]edu) with questions. Please include your SPIRE ID number.
  • Please have understanding for our small team processing a high volume of requests. Thank you!

Don’t

  • Don’t email course instructors to ask permission to enroll. CICS staff process enrollment, not the faculty. 
  • Don’t submit duplicate requests for the same course.
  • Don’t request an override for a course that is full. If you are eligible for the course, check SPIRE to see if a seat becomes available and attempt to self-enroll.
  • Don’t submit an override without first completing the required prerequisites or equivalent. Students without the listed prerequisites must provide alternate courses for review. 

Directions For Students With Alternate Prerequisites

Five College, non-degree, University+, or transfer students

  1. Fill out the override form.
    1. Please submit your request as early as possible. Reviewing alternate prerequisites can sometimes take weeks. Sending your request and documents early ensures a smooth registration process for all.
  2. Email us your unofficial transcript (for any coursework outside of UMass Amherst) and indicate which course you’d like reviewed as an alternate prerequisite.
    1. After submitting your override request, reply to the automated confirmation email and attach the relevant documents.
    2. If the course you are proposing does not have a valid review on file, please also submit course materials such as a syllabus, course webpage, and/or schedule for review.

Timeline 

The override form typically opens at the end of the registration period and closes at the end of add/drop week (first week of classes). Override requests may take between days or months to be processed, depending on the course and the student priority listed below.

Priority

Priority for seats in CICS courses is as follows in the table. See FAQ below for special circumstances.

Student Requesting OverrideReview Timeline
Computer Science and Informatics MajorsRequests will be reviewed, but decisions may be delayed. In general, CICS majors should not be requesting overrides, unless there is a legitimate barrier.
Non-CICS Majors with CICS Course RequirementsAfter major requests are processed. Decisions may be delayed until closer to class start. If the course is not specifically required (i.e. is one of multiple courses that could fulfill a requirement) then a lower priority will be applied.
Computer Science and Informatics ApplicantsAfter grades are finalized for the current semester.
Computer Science Minors (on Minor Intent List) and IT MinorsAfter grades are finalized for the current semester. Decisions may be delayed until closer to class start.
Non-CICS Majors requesting courses that don’t fulfill degree requirementsAfter the above groups are processed.
Five College StudentsRequests will be reviewed as quickly as possible but could be delayed until closer to class start.
University+ (formerly UWW)Decisions may be delayed until closer to class start.

Override Forms for COMPSCI, INFO, and CICS Courses

Override Form — Spring 2025

Override Form — Winter 2025  

 

Frequently Asked Questions

After newly admitted students have registered over the summer, we will will release the major restriction on these courses. For Fall semester, we are anticipating releasing available seats on August 1.

See Class Notes on SPIRE then submit an override request.

Yes. Be sure to note 'BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS CERT' on your override request. Juniors/Seniors (57+ credits earned or projected after current semester) will need to request an override. Decisions about override requests from Juniors/Seniors will be delayed until Freshmen/Sophomores are allowed to enroll. We do our best to accommodate requests from all students, giving priority based on graduation date whenever possible.

Yes, juniors/Seniors (57+ credits earned or projected after current semester) will need to request an override. Decisions about override requests from Juniors/Seniors will be delayed until Freshmen/Sophomores are allowed to enroll. We do our best to accommodate requests from all students, giving priority based on graduation date whenever possible.

Yes, we try to give Five College students priority—but if we don't know about you, we can't arrange for a seat. All students should request overrides via the online form so we know of your interest when making enrollment decisions. We arrange permission to enroll with both UMass and the Five College Registrar's Offices via email.

Yes, University+ students should request overrides via the online form so we know of interest when making enrollment decisions. We communicate permission to enroll with the University+ Registrar's Office when seats are available.

Yes, you also need to complete the Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) process to have the Computer Science prerequisite course reviewed. It is important to attend to this as early as possible so as not to miss out on a seat as courses fill.

Yes, but only for the following alternate prerequisites:

  • ECE 122 in place of CICS 110
  • ECE 214/314 in place of COMPSCI 240
  • ECE 241/242 in place of CICS 210
  • ECE 322/373 in place of COMPSCI 230
  • MATH 455 in place of COMPSCI 250
  • MIE 273 in place of COMPSCI 240

Note: MIE 124 is not an alternate prerequisite for CICS 110/COMPSCI 121.

Computer Science majors can enroll in most CICS courses on SPIRE and/or add themselves to a SPIRE waitlist, if available. In most cases, eligible students who are still trying to enroll are all equally qualified for any seats that open so we do not keep override request lists outside of SPIRE.

Informatics majors can enroll in relevant Computer Science courses on SPIRE and/or add themselves to a SPIRE waitlist, if available. In most cases, eligible students who are still trying to enroll are all equally qualified for any seats that open so we do not keep override request lists outside of SPIRE.

Undergraduates with exemplary course performance may request an override for a regular 3-credit 600+ level CS course under the following conditions:

  1. Students must have at least a 3.7 GPA
  2. Students must be in good standing with the university
  3. Students must have completed all 200-level COMPSCI courses, and
  4. Students must have completed at least one COMPSCI 300+ course.

Undergraduates meeting these minimum requirements may submit an override request. The student's request will be evaluated by both the Instructor and the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) and requires the approval of both. All decisions are final.

Non-CS undergraduates with exemplary course performance may request an override for a regular 3-credit 600+ level Computer Science course under the following conditions:

  1. Students must have at least a 3.7 GPA
  2. Students must be in good standing with the university
  3. Students must have completed at least one COMPSCI 300+ course or one advanced course in a related area such as computer engineering or math

Undergraduates meeting these minimum requirements may submit an override request. The student's request will be evaluated by both the Instructor and Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) and requires the approval of both. All decisions are final.

Undergraduates with exemplary course performance may request an override for a 1-credit 600+ level CS seminar with permission from the instructor, so students should submit an override request.

P grades in prerequisite courses from Spring 2020 should be recognized as valid prerequisites to self-enroll. If you discover an issue with a particular course, email overrides@cs.umass.edu to let us know about the problem and we'll look into it.