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McGill Course Registration: Minerva, VSB and myCourses
After you accept McGill's offer, you register for courses in Minerva, McGill's student information system. For Fall 2026, new students' registration opened between June 8 and June 17, 2026, depending on your admission group. Plan your timetable in Visual Schedule Builder first. It doesn't register you, but you can copy its course reference numbers into Minerva. Once you're registered, your course pages appear in myCourses.
Sources checked September 29, 2026. View sources
Which McGill system does what
Your admission file lives in the McGill Applicant Portal until you accept. After that, most of your first-year admin runs through Minerva. Your McGill credentials give you single sign-on to your student email, Minerva and other McGill systems, and McGill has turned on two-factor authentication for every active account.
myCourses is McGill's name for Brightspace. You get access automatically to the courses you're formally registered in, and the Brightspace Pulse app sends course notifications to your phone.
| Task | Where to do it |
|---|---|
| Check your registration time ticket and classification (U0, U1) | Minerva: Student Menu, Registration Menu, Step 1 |
| Register, add or drop courses | Minerva: Quick Add or Drop Course Sections |
| Try timetable combinations without conflicts | Visual Schedule Builder (VSB) |
| Read program requirements and course descriptions | Course Catalogue, which replaced the eCalendar |
| Get course readings, assignments and announcements | myCourses (Brightspace) |
| Track degree progress | myProgress, for some faculties only |
| See your e-bill, download proof of enrolment, order a reduced-fare OPUS card | Minerva |
When Fall 2026 registration opened
Minerva opens at 9 a.m. on your first registration day and then runs around the clock. You register for the whole year, fall and winter, at the same time. McGill admits you to U1 if your highest prior education is a French Baccalaureate, an IB Diploma or at least one year of university. Scholarship winners' time tickets switch to a priority date in mid-April.
McGill hasn't published Fall 2027 registration dates yet. Expect a similar June window, and check the dates page once you're admitted.
| New student group | Fall 2026 registration opened |
|---|---|
| CEGEP students with a McGill scholarship | June 8, 2026 |
| All other CEGEP students | June 10, 2026 |
| U0 and U1 scholarship recipients | June 12, 2026 |
| All other U1 students | June 15, 2026 |
| U0 in Arts, Arts & Science, Education, Management and Music | June 16, 2026 |
| U0 in Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Nursing, Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Science | June 17, 2026 |
How to pick and register your first-year courses
McGill tells new students that most program advisers only start new-student advising in June. You'll probably register before you meet one, and you don't need an adviser's approval to register. McGill says you'll have time to review your choices with an adviser before add/drop closes.
Use the Course Catalogue for the year you were admitted as your rulebook. myProgress, McGill's degree audit tool, is only meant for undergraduates in Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Education, Engineering, Environment, Management, Music and Nursing. McGill warns that Arts and Science students will see incorrect or incomplete information there.
- Read your faculty or school's advising website first.
- Check your program's required first-year courses in the Course Catalogue.
- Build a few timetables in Visual Schedule Builder and note the course reference numbers (CRNs).
- At your time ticket, open Minerva's Quick Add or Drop Course Sections and enter the CRNs.
- Read any error message; it tells you if a section is full or needs approval or a prerequisite.
- Register for both terms, then adjust before each term's add/drop deadline.
Fall 2026 add/drop, withdrawal and fee deadlines
These dates were approved by McGill's Senate in March 2026. Miss the August 14 date and you'll pay a late registration fee.
Your first fall fee payment was due August 31, 2026. After that, McGill issues e-bills in Minerva within the first five business days of each month, due about three weeks later. The September deadline is September 30, 2026, and a balance over $100 on October 31 brings a late payment charge on top of monthly interest.
| Deadline | Fall 2026 | Winter 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Register for at least one course | August 14 | Not listed here |
| Classes begin | August 31 | January 5 |
| Add/drop | September 15 | January 19 |
| Withdraw with a refund | September 22 | January 26 |
| Withdraw without a refund | October 27 | February 23 |
| Exams | December 7 to 22 | See McGill's key dates |
Keep exploring
Sources and updates
This independent guide summarizes the official information linked below. Availability, access rules and application cycles can change; check the relevant university page before making a decision.
- McGill Campus Life and Engagement: first-year students
- McGill two-factor authentication
- McGill IT Services for students
- McGill myCourses tutorials
- McGill myCourses course access
- McGill accepted students: how to register
- McGill accepted students: when to register
- McGill: plan your schedule with Visual Schedule Builder
- McGill Course Catalogue 2026-2027
- McGill myProgress for undergraduate students
- McGill proof of registration
- McGill key academic dates 2026-2027
- McGill: when to add courses
- McGill Student Accounts deadlines and penalties
- McGill September 2026 fee payment deadline
- McGill late payment charge, Fall 2026