By Lucia Sacerdoti
TAMPA, FLA. — At The University of Tampa, there are more than 11,000 students currently enrolled. Therefore, getting the classes that they want could be limited by the spaces and times they are offered.
On the UTampa website, it states the steps that students need to follow to meet their requirements to be able to register for classes. One of them is to meet with their academic advisor; this will ensure they meet their needs and requirements to graduate on the expected date. Advisors typically help with core requirements and classes students need to take as prerequisites, as well as elective options to have more relaxed classes against those classes that require a lot of attention. Lastly, they help them with their career goals to succeed in their future career.
Students access these classes through MyUTampa and register on Workday, where the classes are offered for the next semester. Navigating through the classes students need to take is challenging.
Junior and sophomore students gave their version of what it is like to register for those classes needed and how they are navigating these registration deadlines.
Zara Mendes, a senior who is graduating in December 2025, is majoring in Communication, Media and Culture. She is trying to get classes like Social and Emerging Media Strategy and Analytics as well as Advertising Campaigns, 400-level classes with certain professors.
“Being that it is my last semester, I am excited to finally have the opportunity to take classes that I’ve wanted to take but couldn’t due to my class standing,” said Mendes. “Every semester without fail, most of the student body has issues with registration, whether that’s classes filling up too quickly, limited times for certain classes, or prerequisites.”
She talked about how she initially never truly intended to study at UTampa; however, due to her scholarship, it would have been too big to turn down. Coming in, Mendes knew that the class sizes were small, but she saw that as a pro until registration, when she would consistently not be getting the classes or the schedule she wanted.
Sophia Petersson, a sophomore graduating in December 2026, is a business management major, and she plans on taking FIN 310, MGT 330, MKT 300, and UTPSC 200.
“It has been hard to get into the highly rated business professors’ classes, especially any SPE 208 class or any interesting core social science class,” said Petersson. “I am looking forward to my marketing and management classes as they are more closely aligned with my major,” said Petersson.
Petersson talked about the issues she faced when trying to get into a class: “The only issue that I’ve had in the past is getting into a SPE 208 class [Speech for Business and the Professions] with one of the highly rated professors at the time I wanted to take it at [12-2 p.m.]. Instead, I had to take it at the end of the day at 4 p.m.”
She talked about her overall experience here at UTampa has been great aside from not getting housing for her sophomore year. Class registrations have not really been an issue, although it was stressful when she was choosing classes during registration slots and had to alter her schedule the day before at the last minute since some classes filled up.
Morgan Rudowicz, a sophomore who graduates in 2027, said she needs classes that are “impossible to get,” such as Advertising Creative Direction, Writing for Public Relations, Advertising Campaigns, and Public Relations Campaigns.
“So far, the classes that I’ve been in haven’t been impossible to get into. Mainly, just the level 300 classes are harder because so many students need them,” Rudowicz said.
Rudowicz said that she heard people around her have problems.
“All my roommates have had problems getting classes they need, especially my roommate that is a finance major. The classes fill up so fast that it’s so difficult and frustrating to get the ones you need,” said Rudowicz.
Students have different opinions of why they applied to their college in the first place, and that means that no matter what, they love UTampa and will have to face those situations to get into classes.
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Photo courtesy of The University of Tampa website.