Permission to Add (PTA) Numbers

We always do our best to provide as many seats in PSC, CGS, PHI, and STS courses as we can, and can sometimes increase the maximum capacity of courses with large waitlists (depending on classroom size and TA/instructor resources). If you are trying to get into a course that is currently full, the best option is to waitlist and find a backup class in case you are not able to get in. If expansion is not possible, your only way to get off of the waitlist is if enrolled students drop the course.

 PTA requests for SUMMER 2026 will be automatically denied until JUNE 1

 PTAs requests for FALL 2026 will be automatically denied until AUGUST 28. 

This PTA policy and request form is ONLY for requesting PTAs for courses in the following departments: PSC, CGS, PHI, STS. 
We cannot give PTAs to any courses outside of these departments. Any requests received will be denied and referred to the appropriate department.

 

Yellow Cluster PTA Policy Guidelines

PTAs will only be issued for the following situations

Verification or documentation is required. Please note that students who attempt to mislead their instructors and/or department staff about their situation in attempts to justify the need for a PTA may be referred to Student Judicial Affairs.

  • Reason 1: Graduating Senior
    • You are a graduating senior, meet all the prerequisites, and must take this specific PSC/CGS/PHI/STS course this quarter (and there are no alternative available options) otherwise your graduation will be delayed.
  • Reason 2: Dropped Due to Non-Payment
  • Reason 3: Dropped Due to University Error
  • Reason 4: Prerequisite Petition Incorrectly Denied
    • Your prerequisite petition was denied, but you have proof of meeting the prerequisites.
  • Reason 5: Time Conflict
    • You have a time conflict with another class and the instructor of the class you would be missing part of approves it (e.g. one of the courses is asynchronous), and there is room in the course.
  • Reason 6: After 10th Day, Seats Available, and Up-to-Date on Coursework if all of the following are true:
    • It is after the 10th day of instruction
    • You meet all the prerequisites
    • There are seats in the course in Schedule Builder (or sufficient room on exam days based on how many students will be taking the exam in an alternative location)
    • You have been attending class and keeping up with any homework/quizzes/exams
    • The faculty or instructor approves your request
    • Department staff approves your request
    • Note: You MUST have a backup class so that you are registered for at least 12 units in case a PTA cannot be issued.

  • Reason 7: After 10th Day and Variable Unit or Thesis Course (e.g. 198, 199, 194HA/HB)

    You must submit a Variable Unit Form to [email protected] and receive a CRN before submitting the PTA request

  • Reason 8: Other
    • If you have an extenuating circumstance that does not fall under any of the categories above, please select other and explain your situation in detail. If you are a post-bacc or graduate student, please use Reason #6: After the 10th day. Requests that are not an extenuating circumstance will be returned with instructions on how to submit a PTA for the correct reason. 

      Situations that do NOT qualify for this reason:
      Needing 12 units to meet full-time status
      Wanting a class that is NOT required for major or college/university requirements
      Accidentally dropping a course; we do NOT provide PTAs for accidental drops
      Being dropped from the waitlist
      Wanting to skip the waitlist
      Needing to fulfill GE requirements
      Finishing requirements to transfer to another University 

      To prevent delaying your PTA, please read through the other options listed above first. 

PTAs will NOT be issued for the following situations

  • You accidentally dropped the class
  • You are trying to bypass a course restriction in Schedule Builder
  • You missed your Pass 1 or Pass 2 registration
  • You don't meet the prerequisites for the course (submit a prerequisite petition in Schedule Builder instead)
  • You need the course to complete a minor
  • You want to take the course to meet a major requirement but there are other opportunities to take the course and it does not delay graduation beyond usual graduation timeline
  • You want to get to full time status
  • You want to meet the minimum progress requirement
  • You are trying to take a course a 3rd time (go to OASIS > Forms & Petitions > Multiple Repeat of a Course instead)
  • The Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA) has advised against issuing a PTA.

Other Add/Drop Resources

  • Request a PTA number for a different course (e.g. HDE course or NPB course) from the advising office for the department offering the course
  • Request a Petition to Drop (PTD) Number from your college advising office
  • Request a late action (add, drop, grade mode) with a Course Change Form
  • Request a retroactive action (add, drop, grade mode) with a Retroactive Change Petition
YC PTA Request Form (PSC, CGS, PHI, STS Courses Only)

Please request PTAs by the 8th day of instruction, if possible. PTA requests submitted before the 8th day of instruction will be processed and you will be sent a notification via email on the 10th day of instruction. (Or the 5th day of instruction for Summer Sessions.) PTA requests submitted after this point will be reviewed and processed on an ongoing basis. You will notified via email about approval or denial.