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ISS Policies & Overrides

Thank you for taking a minute to read our policies. It’s important for you to understand this information so that you know how enrollment works for ISS courses. We want to make sure you are successful in your course selections, so please be sure to read carefully and follow any outlined steps.

Step 1: Add yourself to waitlist   

  • Overrides are generally not allowed for ISS courses, and absolutely not provided for online courses or courses with 50 or fewer seats. 

    • Online and small courses fill quickly, on a first-come, first-served basis only. While important, work schedules, physical location, and other personal factors or scheduling circumstances cannot be taken into account when considering overrides. 

  • Instead of requesting an override, you should add yourself to the waitlist for the course you prefer. 

    • If you are on the waitlist and already enrolled in another ISS course or in a course that has a conflicting schedule, use the swap function to facilitate enrollment if a seat opens in the preferred course. Learn more about the swap function. 
       

Step 2: Understand the circumstances in which overrides will be approved 

  • If you have completed an ISS 200-level or 300-level course, you will be prevented from enrolling in another course at that same level. For example, if you completed ISS 210, you will be unable to enroll in ISS 215. In this situation, overrides will be considered on a case-by-case basis in the following situations: 

    • The course is part of a study away or study abroad program 

    • The course is a requirement for your major or minor 

    • You need the course to complete an IDN requirement 

  • Requests for overrides into in-person ISS 300-level courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis in the following situations: 

    • You will complete your degree in the current semester, and this course is the only option to complete graduation requirements. 

    • You are unable to enroll into an ISS course due to the enrollment system not recognizing transfer credit or substitutions as fulfillment of a prerequisite. Requests for prerequisite overrides must be for an open section. 

Step 3: Complete the consideration form  

  • If you meet one of the criteria outlined above, you may submit a request for an override. Before submitting the request: 

    • Ensure your enrollment period is open. 

    • Ensure that any enrollment holds are removed from your account. 

    • Select one specific section for the override request and submit only one request; only the first request will be reviewed. 

    • Be sure to include all required information in the form. 

    • Do not request the course as an elective. 

  • Any requests that do not meet the criteria outlined above will not be reviewed, and no email notice will be provided.

  • If you meet one of the criteria outlined in Step 3, you may submit a request for consideration using this form. Requests will be verified using student records.

We will not add students to courses after open-add period at the start of fall and spring semesters. Instead, we offer late-start sections of courses that students can select. Check the class schedule to find the specific sections of these courses each semester.   

Disenrollments

For disenrollments, we will place students back into the course and section of their original enrollment after holds are cleared. 

Inadvertent Drops

Students who mistakenly drop an ISS class after open enrollment ends will be re-enrolled in the same section they mistakenly dropped. We will not switch sections in multi-section courses.

Please email iss@msu.edu to request reenrollment.

New Transfer Students

Transfer students, like first-time MSU students, are required to meet ISS requirements. However, transfer students may have completed courses at other institutions prior to matriculation at MSU that can be applied to fulfill their ISS 200 level requirement, their ISS 300 level requirement, or both.  

If you are transferring courses to MSU, consult Transfer MSU to determine the ISS transfer equivalencies that have been approved for your institution. If you do not find a course listed in Transfer MSU, contact your academic advisor to discuss options. You may need to provide a course syllabus and other relevant course materials for review. 

Current MSU Students

Current MSU students may fulfill ISS requirements by transferring credits from other institutions, but only when the course has been approved as an "exact match" equivalent to a specific ISS course. Consult Transfer MSU to determine the ISS transfer equivalencies that have been approved for each institution.  

If a course is not listed in Transfer MSU, contact your academic advisor to discuss options.

All Students 

If you have questions after reviewing this information and speaking with your academic advisor, please contact the Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science at iss@msu.edu.

ISS Requirement