## Lottery Show All | Hide All What is a Lottery? Registration is done through a weighted lottery system. There may be some highly sought-after courses in which demand outweighs seat availability. The weighted lottery system will give all students in one cohort (e.g., with the same graduation date) an equal chance of getting into the classes they’ve chosen. How do I lottery for courses in Albert? Please refer to our Albert lottery [how-to guide](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TzSyC0bExU54H8uzAXCGFNxHaztHbWWk/view) for step-by-step instructions. Why am I not given an option to lottery on Albert? Please verify your current expected graduation date. Students who have an expected graduation date for the current semester will not be able to participate in the upcoming lottery. If you need to update your graduation date, you may do so following the instructions listed [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IHGLyNtn5HWpDyWGCfFzVwuwS3TO27hn/view). Another common reason why a student may not have the option to lottery is because they did not maintain matriculation for the previous semester. For details on maintaining matriculation, please contact [Academic Affairs and Advising](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/registrar/policies-procedures/student-records-1). If neither of the above scenarios apply to you, please provide us with your N# and we will further research the issue and provide you with an update as soon as possible. Where can I go if I need assistance in prioritizing my lottery selection? I want to know how many students are allowed in certain popular classes. We advise students to prioritize their sections in order of preference. However, for information on maximum enrollments, our **[elective enrollment history dashboard](https://opendata.nyu.edu/t/Guest/views/FTPTMBAElectiveCoursesSchedule/FTPTMBA-CourseList?iframeSizedToWindow=true&%3Aembed=y&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=no&%3AshowVizHome=no&_ga=2.143513842.671695363.1681758354-499735796.1680544588)** may be helpful. Should I always rank the course I want to take most #1 in lottery? We advise students to prioritize their sections in order of preference. **Hint:** The [enrollment history dashboard](https://opendata.nyu.edu/t/Guest/views/FTPTMBAElectiveCoursesSchedule/FTPTMBA-CourseList?iframeSizedToWindow=true&%3Aembed=y&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=no&%3AshowVizHome=no) was created to assist our MBA students with their lottery and schedule planning. Does including alternates reduce my chance of getting the course I really want? Absolutely not. The lottery will evaluate your primary choices before reviewing alternate selections. Including an alternate will reduce the likelihood of not getting a course at all. I want to submit two 1.5 credit alternate classes for my 3.0 credit primary selection. How do I do this? Number your two 1.5 alternate selections the same number as your primary selection. For example, alternate selections "Alternate 1a" and "Alternate 1b" correspond to your primary selection "1". I want to submit one 3.0 credit alternate class for my two 1.5 credit primary selections. How do I do this? The system will not allow you to submit your 3.0 credit alternate selection. Instead, submit all your lottery selections including your two 1.5 credit primary selections with no alternate selection and send an e-mail to . Include your University ID (N#), course and section number of your 3.0 credit alternate selection and the corresponding two 1.5 credit primary selections. Where do I go to obtain a listing of courses that are pre/co-requisites for other courses? You can use the reverse course lookup tool in [Albert](http://albert.nyu.edu/albert_index.html). How would I find out if the class I registered for counts toward a certain specialization? You can find the list of specializations and the corresponding classes [here](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/registrar/course-information/specializations). You can also contact the [Office of Academic Affairs & Advising](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/academic-affairs-advising) if you have any further questions. What should I do if I don’t get a course I still want to take? You can place yourself on the waitlist during Add/Drop. Be sure to include and special considerations surrounding your request. Do not ask instructors for permission to enroll as they do not control enrollment or manage waitlists. A course has no instructor listed, do you know who the professor is? There are two reasons a course may appear unstaffed. Either the course will be taught by a new instructor who is not yet on the system or the course is truly unstaffed. I’ve been approved to take the Michael Price Investment Fund course. Can I submit it as one of my lottery selections? You should not put that class as one of your selections. You should come to the Office of Records and Registration in person during the add/drop period and we will manually register you for that class. Please make sure to obtain a credit overload from the [Academic Affairs and Advising](https://www.stern.nyu.edu/portal-partners/academic-affairs-advising) office if necessary. Do I need to include by-application courses in my lottery selections? No. Specific instructions will be e-mailed to you if you are accepted into the by-application course. However, please be aware that if the addition of the by-application course exceeds the term max credits then you will need to request a Credit Overload (full-time students) or an Acceleration of Program (Langone students) with Academic Affairs.