The University has mandated universal course caps, which will take effect the 2026-27 academic year. Under the new policy, all courses will have enrollment limits — including large introductory lectures.
As of April 16 — or the day where pre-registration opened for rising sophomores — 211 sections are at or over capacity, according to Rob Fitzgerald, the University registrar. Of those sections, 17% of the courses are capped due to space limitations, Fitzgerald wrote in an email to The Herald. That marks just 2.8% of classes overall that are at or over capacity after being capped because of space, he explained.
“These data suggest that caps placed on course size because of room assignment in Registrar controlled spaces have so far had relatively little adverse impact on access to courses,” Fitzgerald wrote. The University assigned rooms to classes based on historical enrollment and department input.
“The University is committed to making optimal use of the existing and currently reduced classroom inventory,” Dean of the College Ethan Pollock wrote in an email to The Herald, noting that there is less academic space following the Dec. 13 shooting. Ten classrooms in Barus and Holley will remain closed during the 2026-27 academic year.
Some students said this change made them less likely to take risks with their class choices.
This semester, Amara Fuchs ’29, who is considering concentrating in international and public affairs, said she shifted away from the exploratory approach she usually takes to pre-registration. “I’m gonna try to register for the classes that have the lowest cap, just so that I have a spot in them,” she said.
“Shopping period is very important to me,” she said.
Pollock noted that students may have only pre-registered for capped courses in the past, adding in uncapped classes later. Now, “Students and advisors should know that that approach will not be as advantageous because there are no uncapped classes,” he wrote.
Of those at or near capacity, more than half the courses have historically been capped due to other constraints, including lab space or teaching assistant availability, according to Pollock.
Talinn Hatti ’29, who is studying cognitive neuroscience, said that universal caps have made it harder to prioritize courses during pre-registration.
“Previously, I would just enroll for the classes that were capped, and then the uncapped ones I wouldn’t worry too much about,” he said. But Hatti believes that even if “pre-registration isn’t perfect,” shopping period allows for enough leniency to “still figure it out.”
“Students are encouraged to ‘shop’ classes as they always have and use the opportunity to drop some of the classes that they preregistered for and register for different classes,” Pollock wrote.
Moe Shishido ’27, a Meiklejohn peer advisor, said that her advisees are “definitely feeling a little scared about registration.”
Shishido noted that her students are putting an emphasis on considering when prerequisites are offered, given that courses may be capped. “Some of them want to make sure they’re finished with their requirements,” she said.
While students “might not be on the timeline that they want to be on,” Shishido said that she believes departments are “making efforts to make sure that everyone can be accommodated.”
Eva Strelchenko ’29, who is studying mathematics and computer science, said she had difficulty enrolling in MATH 1630: “Real Analysis I,” a course that would help with her research and required for her math concentration. The class has not been capped for the past two years. Despite the professor increasing the course cap to 49 students, it filled quickly.
It was “the only course that I was set on taking,” she said. “But right now, it’s capped.”
As many math classes are only offered in certain semesters, Strelchenko noted that missing the enrollment could disrupt her academic timeline.
In previous semesters, uncapped courses that “outgrew” their assigned classrooms during shopping period could sometimes be moved to larger spaces, according to Pollock. But the limited classroom space and increased enrollment during certain class times “curtailed” the University’s ability to make these changes, he added.
Fuchs said that the course capping policy may undermine the Open Curriculum.
“That’s the whole point of shopping period,” Shishido said, noting that “people want to explore” and that the Open Curriculum is also a large part of why many students “want to come to Brown.”
“It makes me feel like I can’t fully explore the Open Curriculum,” Strelchenko said.
In Provost Francis Doyle’s initial announcement to the University community, he acknowledged that “given the traditional flexibility to sample courses as part of the Open Curriculum, undergraduate students may be particularly impacted.”
The Office of the Registrar will continue to monitor the state of capped courses. The office plans to review the data with senior administration so “students have access to the classes that they desire,” Fitzgerald wrote.
The new system may also provide more accurate enrollment data earlier in the process, Pollock wrote. This will “allow us to make possible adjustments within the constraints we now are facing,” he added.
Administrators are working to ensure that “the supply of classrooms is sufficient to meet the needs of the university for the next” five to 10 years, Pollock wrote. “The goal remains to allow students to explore their interests and to find a set of classes each semester that helps them meet their academic goals.”
Miriam Davison is a Senior Staff Writer for University News covering Academics & Advising. She is a first-year from Los Angeles, CA and plans to study tentatively the realm of International & Public Affairs and English, though her interests span from linguistics to history to music. In her free time, she plays on one of Brown's ultimate frisbee teams and likes writing silly poems.
