Columbia University's Vergil: A Next-Generation Student Information System

Columbia University has transitioned from the Student Services Online (SSOL) platform to Vergil, a next-generation and innovative Student Information System. Vergil is the primary hub for accessing academic records and managing personal information, including registration and the course search directory, while certain features and services may still require access through SSOL during this transition. This upgrade provides a more robust and efficient platform for the Columbia community.

Key Updates and Features of Vergil

Columbia University has made available a variety of resources to assist students with this transition. Administrative Registration, as well as Roster and Wait List management, will take place in Vergil starting with the Summer and Fall 2025 terms.

Vergil Registration and Enrollment

Launched in Fall 2025, Vergil Registration and Enrollment includes several key features:

A new registration platform for students, seamlessly integrated with Vergil Course Search.
Upgraded Rosters and Wait List Management tools for Faculty and Course Administrators.
Enhanced Vergil Course Search, along with improved Student Planner and Schedule features.
A brand-new Administrative Student Registration Platform.

Impact on Students and Administrators

Students will begin using the new Registration platform starting with Summer and Fall 2025 registration. All remaining registration transactions for Spring 2025, including Post Add/Drop approval requests, Summer B-term registration, and P/D/F elections, will be completed in SSOL. All Administrative Registration transactions will be managed in Vergil going forward.

Understanding Registration and Enrollment in Vergil

Within the University and the Registrar's Office, "registration" and "enrollment" have distinct meanings. Vergil is used by students to enroll in courses and by instructors to manage their course rosters and grades.

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Early Registration and Appointment Times

Current students have the opportunity to register for classes during the early registration period in the preceding semester. Early registration for Fall classes occurs during one week in April, and early registration for Spring classes occurs during one week in November. After the initial early registration period, students can continue to add and drop classes from their academic programs for the upcoming semesters during designated registration change weeks before the beginning of the term. The deadline for adding a course in a Fall or Spring semester is always the second Friday of the term (i.e., the end of the second week of classes).

During registration weeks, students are assigned registration "appointment times," which are windows of time on weekdays when students can perform registration activities through Vergil. Seniority determines the appointment times during the week of early registration, with current seniors (in Fall) or rising seniors (in Spring) given appointment times on Monday; the current juniors (in Fall) or rising seniors (in Spring) on Tuesday; the current sophomores (in Fall) or rising sophomores (in Spring) on Wednesday; and current first-year students (in Fall) on Thursday. Most students' appointment times are randomly assigned within that structure, and a student's appointment time may begin while the student is in a current class meeting, leading to a competition for the student's attention.

Waitlist Management

The electronic waitlist for each course is optional. Instructors can disable the online waitlist for a class through Vergil if they do not wish to have one.

If the waitlist is enabled, the instructor can choose between two options:

Automated: If a student drops the course and is removed from the course roster, the student at the top of the waitlist will automatically be added to the course roster. (This update will be reflected on the course roster the following day.)
Self-Managed: The instructor selects specific students off of the waitlist to be added to the available spaces on the roster. This option can be useful if enrollment should privilege certain populations of students-for example, declared majors in the program; specific populations of students (e.g., first-year students for introductory courses, or juniors and seniors for advanced courses); those selected through an application process.

It is important for instructors to have a communication strategy to help students understand the specific waitlist processes associated with their classes. Students need specific guidance to understand the particular expectations of a particular instructor, given the hundreds of faculty and many different ways of managing course enrollments.

Adding Courses After the Deadline

The "change of program" period for a Fall or Spring term is the first two weeks of the term. Students in Columbia College and Columbia Engineering who wish to add a course after that deadline must have the permission of the instructor of the course and petition the Committee on Academic Standing.

Course Overlaps

Given the different class meeting times for lectures, seminars, language classes, and laboratories, it is possible that two courses that meet in different time periods could overlap by a certain amount of time. Students may wonder if it is possible to take both courses despite the overlap if that time overlap is modest (e.g., 10-15 minutes). It is expected that students will attend the full class meeting of any course in which they are enrolled, so overlapping course enrollments are strongly discouraged. Permission is rarely granted, and then usually only to seniors for whom both classes are necessary to graduate, if the overlap does not exceed 10 minutes.

The petition form to the Committee on Academic standing requires the signatures of both instructors of the relevant courses. Instructors should sign the form only if they approve the overlap -- i.e., if they believe that the lost minutes of class time will not adversely affect the student's progress in the course and if they believe that the student's early departure or late arrival will not adversely affect the experience of the other students in the course.

Auditing Classes and R Credit

Columbia College does not permit students to audit classes. No point credit is given for R credit. Students who take a course for R credit may be required to complete certain work as specified by the instructor. The exact nature of the work should be determined by the instructor when the student registers for the course. An instructor may fail a student who has not completed assigned work.

Courses in Excess of 124 Points

The courses are in excess of the 124 points required for the B.A. degree; the courses are taken in the last two terms of the student’s attendance in Columbia College; the courses are not used to fulfill a requirement for the B.A.

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