After your first semester, the registration process is considerably easier. Provided that you pay your bills on time and return your library books, registration for fall and spring is completely automatic. Using Bear Access (Cornell's computer system) you can check ``Just the Facts" to be sure that you have been registered for the semester. If you owe money to Cornell or have any other obligations that you haven't cleared, then Just the Facts will tell you what they are. After you clear up these holds with the department that placed them, you may have to go to Caldwell Hall (DE4) or Day Hall (C5) to register.
For continuing students, summer registration sometimes requires a trip to Caldwell Hall (DE4). In those cases, if you do not go to Caldwell Hall to register for the summer, then various taxes from which graduate students are usually exempt will be withheld from your pay.
Continuing students have two choices for Course Enrollment. They can either enroll during the first three weeks of class, just like new students, or they can pre-register with Just the Facts. Despite the fact that Cornell continues to move towards all-electronic course enrollment, many graduate students never pre-register. By waiting until the start of classes, students can sample classes before they sign up. If you are reasonably sure about the courses that you will be taking, pre-registering can save you some time and trouble because pre-registration does not generally require departmental approvals. You must first obtain a registration code from your chairperson. Using this code, you can select your courses in Just the Facts at any time during the pre-registration period for each semester. If you make a mistake, you can still change your courses during the first three weeks of classes. In addition, pre-registration can guarantee your seat in popular courses not related to your major.