Course Bidding Tips and Tricks
Please review the bidding tips below.
Bidding Basics
Q. How many bid points will I have?
A. If you are an MBA student, you will be allotted 1000 points for Fall and 1000 points for Winter course bidding. Points are not carried over from previous cycles. One MBA/MAcc/MSCM/MM/MBAn bidding cycle is for the entire Fall or Winter semester (A, B, and full-semester courses, combined). In addition, all OYM students participate in course bidding, with points varying by program as follows: MBAn and MM – 300 points, MSCM – 150 points, and MAcc – 500 points.
Q. How do I get into a course?
A. If you bid enough points to make market clear, a seat will be reserved for you in that particular section of the course, up to class capacity. This is provided you do not have conflicts with a different class for which you bid higher points to earn a seat, and that you have not already filled your schedule with the maximum number of credits. The bidding system assigns your classes in order of your bids – starting with the highest bid.
Q. How many courses can I bid for?
A. There is no limit to the number of courses for which you can bid. The only limit is your allotted points.
Q. How many credits can I bid for?
A. There is no limit. However – there is a limit to the number of credit hours for which you will be registered.
- MBA2s, MAccs, MSCMs, MMs, MBAns: You will be scheduled for a maximum of 16.5 credit hours in the full term, and 10.5 credits per half (A/B) term. To determine half term limits, all full term (14 week) class credits are divided in half. If, for example, you bid for 26.5 credit hours, the bid system will only accept up to 16.5. Let’s say that you do not get into two courses for which you made high bids. In this case, the system will automatically go to the next courses down, and try to place you there (and so forth), until you’ve reached 16.5 credits. Once registration begins after course bidding, you should go to Wolverine Access to confirm your schedule and make adjustments (if desired), up to 18 credit hours.
Q. Can I change my bids?
A. You can return and change your bids as often as you wish during the bidding period window. We recommend that students NOT wait until the last minute to place or change their bids.
Bidding Clarifications & Strategies
Q. What if more students bid the market clear than the number of seats?
A. In this event, an algorithm is used to randomly assign seats to the tied bidders. This is also why we encourage students not to bid the predictable even-break numbers (e.g., a bid of 311 will top 300 and only cost 11 more points).
Q. May I bid for more than one section of a course?
A. Yes, you may bid for more than one section of the same course. However, please note that the system will only place you in the course once (including waitlists). For example: You bid 50 points for section 001 of a course and 25 for section 002. Section 001 has a market clear of 70 but section 002 doesn’t fill. You will be allotted a seat in section 002 and will NOT be placed on the waitlist for section 001.
Q. I would like to increase my chances of getting a particular course. What should I do to improve my odds (I’m interested in any section)?
A. You should bid at least a few points on each course, or each section of a course that you want. In this way, if a particular section of a course you desire doesn’t fill (thereby making the clear price = 0) you’ll secure a spot in the class prior to Wolverine Access Registration. Note that the system will only place you in the course once.
Q. If bidding hasn’t started, how can I see what courses will be available for bidding?
A. We will post Excel documents listing the available classes before the start of bidding. You can also go to the University schedule of classes or view the course catalog through Wolverine Access. When the bidding list is available it can be found here. Note that some courses may not be included in course bidding if they are reserved for select populations (e.g., MBA1s, MSCM students), or if they require permission of instructor.
Q. I bid 200 points for a class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 and I want to bid 150 points for another course on the same days and at the same time. What happens?
A. If you receive the higher bid course, your lower bid will not be accepted because of the time conflict. When a higher bid is added to your schedule, it automatically preempts a lower bid when a time conflict occurs. Please note that in the instance that you are awarded the higher bid class, you will NOT be placed on the waitlist for the lower bid class.
Waitlists
Q. What classes will I be waitlisted for?
A. The bidding system will only waitlist you for classes that fill with higher bidders. Wolverine Access does not allow us to waitlist students for a class if they are also enrolled in another section of the course, nor does it allow us to waitlist students for multiple sections of the same course.
Q. If I’m registered for the maximum credits in the term, can I be waitlisted for additional courses beyond the credit hour limit?
A. Yes – if the waitlisted courses are in your top bids. If the system successfully places you into all of your highest bid classes and reaches the term credit limit, it will NOT place you on waitlists for classes you bid fewer points for.
Q. Will I be waitlisted for a class that has a time conflict with another class?
A. Yes – but only if it is the class you bid higher for out of the two that conflict. If you bid high enough to make the market clear and are enrolled in the class you bid highest for, you will not be placed on the waitlist for the lower bid class.
