Winter Session

Timeline Considerations

• UMD is closed Dec. 25, 2025 - Jan. 4, 2026. During this time, University staff are unavailable to assist if there are issues with registration. Students are encouraged to register without delay.
• Online registration (drop/add) is not available 24/7. To determine availability, see Testudo Interactive Web Services.
• Online Courses: After registration, it takes 24 hours before the system grants access. Students who register on the first day of classes for a 3-week session will run into access issues.

Maximum Number of Credits

• To determine the maximum number of credits permitted for Winter Session registration, see Maximum Load Policy. 

Course Effort

• UMD follows the Maryland Higher Education Commission's (MHEC) policies on "contact hours," a shorthand term referring to the amount of time required in various forms of education to earn credit. Credit-bearing courses are divided into three types based on MHEC contact hour requirements: lectures, laboratories, and internships. This applies to courses delivered online or in person.
• One credit equals:
  • 15 hours of actual class time
  • 30 hours of supervised laboratory or studio time
  • 45 hours of instructional situations such as practica, internships, and cooperative
• In addition to the time a student spends in class, for every one credit hour of class time, successful college students spend approximately two hours outside of class studying. Below is a helpful chart that recaps a student’s obligation towards a 3-credit course during the 3-week Winter Session. Some courses have longer meeting times due to studio, lab, and other requirements.

Online registration (drop/add) is not available 24/7. To determine availability, see Testudo Interactive Web Services. 

1. Visit Testudo.
2. Select Registration (Drop/Add).
3. Log in with the Directory ID and password.
4. Select Winter 2026.
5. Enter the course(s) (ex. ENGL101) and section number(s) (ex. 0101, WB11) into the Drop/Add table and select Submit Changes.
   • A message may appear in the course block.
   • Read the message then select Ok to add the course.

How to Waitlist

1. Follow steps 1 through 5 listed in Registration Instructions (immediately above).
2. A message will state that the course is closed. 
3. Select Add to Waitlist.
4. Read the message regarding the waitlist process and select Confirm.
5. Select the section(s) to waitlist and select Add to Waitlist. If no section number is provided, the system will not give a waitlist option.

Mandatory Waitlist Check-in 

Beginning on the first day of classes, students MUST check-in daily during mandatory waitlist check-in to remain on the waitlist. See Academic and Financial Deadlines. 

• Students who fail to check in daily during mandatory waitlist check-in will be dropped from the waitlist. Students will be unable to reclaim their spot.

During mandatory waitlist check-in, the first 5 waitlisted students are granted ELMS course access.

• Although granted ELMS course access, students are NOT officially registered. Students MUST continue to check-in daily. If not, the system automatically drops the student from the waitlist and removes ELMS course access. Students will be unable to reclaim their spot.
• If the system admits into the course/section: Students temporarily lose ELMS course access until they accept the enrollment.
• If the system never admits into the course/section but had granted ELMS course access:  Students lose this access after the waitlist check-in period ends.

Contact winter@umd.edu. Inquiries or requests must be sent from a student's email of record and include the student’s full name and UID.