Scheduling a Course

Students can schedule courses using LionPATH, Penn State's student system for registration, financial aid management, bill payment, personal information updates, and other tasks related to enrollment.

After you are admitted as a Penn State World Campus student, you will receive a Penn State Access Account. You will use this Access Account to log in to LionPATH. You will need to follow several steps to prepare for enrollment and enroll in courses.

When you begin to use LionPATH, you will be asked to accept the Consent to Conduct Business Electronically. This confirms that you agree to communicate and conduct transactions with the University electronically using LionPATH. You will be prompted to accept this agreement the first time you log in to LionPATH and then once each year while you are a student. Visit the LionPATH Support page to find more information about the Consent to Conduct Business Electronically.

Before enrolling in courses, you will need to complete the Pre-Registration Activity Guide in LionPATH. This will include updating your personal and emergency contact information and accepting the Student Financial Responsibility Agreement. This agreement confirms that you accept financial responsibility for payment of your tuition and fees. You will need to accept this agreement each semester.

You will receive an "Activity Guide" email when you have access to complete this step in LionPATH. Visit the LionPATH Support page to find more information about the Pre-Registration Activity Guide.

After you accept your offer of admission, you will have access to the Prepare for Success pre-orientation course in Canvas. Prepare for Success is a self-paced, nongraded course that can be completed within one hour. You should complete the course before meeting with your academic adviser to discuss courses.

You will also need to complete New Student Orientation (NSO). NSO is another self-paced, noncredit course in Canvas, and it will take you approximately 7–10 hours to complete. You can complete it over multiple days at your own pace. You will receive an invitation to NSO, and you should complete it before starting courses.

Visit our New and Recently Admitted Students page to learn more about the pre-orientation and orientation courses and other important steps for new students.

The first date that you will have access to enroll in courses for a specific semester is known as your Enrollment Appointment Date in LionPATH. You can find your Enrollment Appointment Date in your Student Center in LionPATH.

Your Enrollment Appointment Date is based on whether you are in a degree program and the total credits you have earned to date. Note that military and veteran students are eligible for priority (early) registration.

Using LionPATH, you can search for courses, plan the courses you want to enroll in, and enroll in courses on your Enrollment Appointment Date. Enrolling on your Enrollment Appointment Date reserves your space in those courses, and enrolling earlier does not mean you will receive a bill for those courses earlier. You will not receive your bill for those courses until bills are generated for that semester. Learn more about paying your bill.

  • Use the Class Search to search for classes based on criteria such as term (semester), campus, subject, and more. Be sure to choose World Campus as the campus when searching for classes in LionPATH. You can also check the campus for a class by viewing its Class Details page. If you schedule a class offered by another campus, even if it is offered online, you will be charged additional activity and facilities fees.
  • Use your Enrollment Shopping Cart to temporarily save a selection of classes you would like to enroll in. You can validate the classes in your shopping cart to make sure that you meet any and all requirements to enroll in those classes. Note that adding classes to your shopping cart does not reserve your space in the class. Your space in the class is only reserved when you complete the enrollment process.
  • On your Enrollment Appointment Date, you can enroll in the classes in your shopping cart.
  • Use a class Wait List if you would like to join a wait list to enroll in a class that is full.

View tutorials and additional information about searching for and adding classes, wait lists, and other important enrollment actions on the LionPATH Support page.

Enrolling as a Nondegree Student

If you are not a current Penn State student and you do not plan to enroll in a degree program at this time, you will need to enroll as a nondegree student before you can register for a course.

How to Enroll as a Nondegree Student

World Campus Registrar
100 Outreach Building
Suite 128
University Park, PA 16802

When your nondegree enrollment form or application to the Fox Graduate School is processed, you will receive additional information, including a Penn State Access Account and instructions for enrolling in courses.

Note that nondegree students are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Preparing for Courses

After you’ve enrolled in courses, there are several steps you should take to prepare for your courses to start.