Using My Planner

My Planner allows you to plan your courses for one semester or for future semesters by searching the course catalog or by using the academic requirements for your degree. To ensure that the courses added to your Planner will satisfy your degree requirements, it is suggested that you use the Plan by Requirements option.

Note: The My Planner option is not the same as actual enrollment in a class, it is only a planning tool.

To Access My Planner

To access My Planner, you must be logged into MyVWCC and inside the Student Information System.

  1. Click on your Student Information tile.
    SIS Student Home Screen
  2. From the Student Center you can either click the Plan link in the Academics section or select Academic Planning > My Planner from the left-hand menu.
    link to planner

Adding Courses to My Planner

Using the Plan By My Requirements Option

  1. On the My Planner page, click Plan By My Requirements. You may also use Browse Course Catalog (instructions below), but this is not the suggested method. Using Plan By My Requirements ensures the planned courses will satisfy your degree requirements.
  2. The required courses for your degree program will be displayed on the page. Note: By default, satisfied requirements are collapsed and not satisfied requirements are expanded.
    Key:
    collapse all button – Collapses all of the sections of a report
    expand all button – Expands all of the sections of a report
    Taken Indicator – Indicates if a class has been completed
    In Progress indicator – Indicates if a class is currently in progress and not yet graded
    Planned Indicator – Indicates if a class is planned
  3. To add a course to your planner, click on the Description link for the desired course under The following courses may be used to satisfy this requirement.
    add class to planner
  4. Information about the course, such as the course description, will be displayed on the Course Detail page.
    planner - course details
  5. Click Add to Planner, or View Class Sections. If you use View Class Sections:
    1. Click on the drop-down menu and select the Term, then click the Show Sections button. In some instances, the course you select may not be offered for the term selected. If the course is not offered for that term, the following message will be displayed: *** This course has not been scheduled. ***
    2. If you select a term and the Select button for class sections is not available, then the enrollment planning period has not yet started or has passed. For some terms, students may plan for their enrollment several days prior to the beginning of the open enrollment period.
    3. If the Select button is clicked, the class section is added to your Enrollment Shopping Cart where you can continue through the enrollment process (if enrollment is open) or click Next to continue adding courses to your planner.
  6. To continue planning by your requirements, click Return to Plan by My Requirements. You will see the courses you have selected. The status of these courses will be Planned (planned indicator).
    class added to planner
  7. To view courses in your planner, click My Planner at the top of the page. Any class sections that were added to your enrollment shopping cart will not appear in your Planner but will appear on your Plan By My Requirements Report. The i icon (i icon) indicates that the course will satisfy a requirement for your degree plan.
    My Planner

Using the Browse Course Catalog Option

Caution: When using this option, all courses are returned, not just those required for your degree program.

  1. On the My Planner page, click the Browse Course Catalog button.
  2. On the Browse Course Catalog page, select the letter of the alphabet that corresponds to the subject code of the course you are searching for.
  3. Scroll through the list of subjects until you find the one you need, then click on the subject code to display the courses.
    Planner course browse
  4. From the displayed list of courses, click the box in the Select column to add the course to your planner, then click Add to Planner.
    add course to planner with browse
  5. Note the message that indicates the course has been added to your planner. To view your planner, click My Planner at the top of the page.

Moving and Deleting Courses in the Planner

After adding courses to your planner, you can also delete these courses, organize them into specific terms, or move them from your planner to the enrollment shopping cart (if enrollment is open).

To delete a course, use the trash can icon (trash can icon). To delete all courses, use the Delete All button.

To move a course, check the box in the Select column next to the class you wish to move, use the Move selected courses to Term drop-down to select a term, and click move. You will receive a confirmation message.

To move a course to your enrollment shopping cart:

  1. Make sure the course has been moved to the correct term in My Planner.
  2. Click the Shopping Cart tab at the top of the page.
  3. If necessary, select the desired term and click Continue.
  4. Select My Planner and click Search.
    search planner
  5. Click Select next to the appropriate class. A listing of available class sections will be displayed. Click Select next to the desired class section. The class will be added to your enrollment shopping cart where you may continue through the enrollment process.

Withdraw From a Class

To withdraw from a class, use the instructions for dropping a class.

The last date you may drop a class and receive a refund of tuition for a class can be found on the Academic Calendar. If you are unsure of the date for your class, contact 24/7 Student Support at 855-874-6690 for assistance. No refunds of tuition will be made after the specified dates. If you drop a class during the refund period, the class will be removed from your schedule and no grade will be awarded.

You may withdraw from a class and receive a grade of “W” when you drop a class after the last date for a refund but within the first 60% of a full session. The last date to withdraw from a class is found on the Academic Calendar. If you are unsure of the date for your class, contact 24/7 Student Support at 855-874-6690 for assistance.

Important: If you withdraw from a course with the Drop process after the first 60% of the session, you will receive a grade of “F”.

Drop a Class

To drop a class, you must be logged into MyVWCC and inside the Student Information System.

  1. Click on your Student Information tile.
    SIS Student Home Screen
  2. Click on Enrollment in the left menu, then Drop Classes.
  3. Click the Select box next to the classes you wish to drop.
    Drop a Class
  4. To process your drop request, click Drop Selected Classes.
  5. To confirm your drop request, click Finish Dropping.
    Confirm Dropped Class
  6. View the results for drop confirmations or errors. If there are no errors, each class will display Success in the Message column. If an error is identified, Error will display in the message column.
  7. To view your revised schedule, click My Class Schedule & Book Info.

Important Notes

  • If you drop after the last day to receive a refund for the class and prior to the class withdrawal deadline (see academic calendar), you will receive a grade of “W”.
  • If you drop after the class withdrawal deadline (see academic calendar), you will receive a grade of “F”.

Wait List – When and How to Swap Enrollment

These instructions explain how to use the Swap Enrollment feature to swap into a closed class section with a Wait List. The Swap feature would be used for the following situations:

  • If a student is already enrolled in another section of the same class which they want to Wait List, SWAP should be used. It is important to note that the SWAP feature does not work when the student is enrolled in a lab science where multiple labs are available for one lecture.If the student fails to use SWAP (except as noted above) and instead uses the Enroll/Add feature to get on a Wait List for a different section of the same class, they must Drop the section in which they are enrolled before they will be moved from the Wait List into the preferred class section. By using SWAP, the student remains in their original class section and are only dropped from this class section if they are moved from the Wait List to the preferred class section. As multiple enrollments for the same class in the same term are not permitted, failure to use the SWAP feature will result in the student being ignored by the Wait List process. Note that if the student is enrolled in a lab science where multiple labs are available the student must first drop that class before adding to the class section with the Wait List. Enrollment in the wait listed class section is dependent upon a seat becoming available in the wait-listed class section.
  • Students may also use SWAP if there is a known time conflict between an already enrolled class section and the preferred class section they want to Wait List. If the student gets on a Wait List using the Enroll/Add feature, they will not be auto-enrolled into the wait-listed class (if a seat becomes available) until they Drop the class that presents the time conflict.
  • Students may want to use SWAP if they are already enrolled in the maximum number of units for the term and want to still get on a Wait List for a closed class section. If a student gets on a Wait List using the Enroll/Add feature, they will not be auto-enrolled into the wait-listed class until they Drop a class that would allow the wait-listed class to fall within the maximum number of units to be enrolled in for a term. This is dependent upon a seat becoming available in the wait-listed class section.

How to Swap Enrollment

To swap enrollment, you must be logged into MyVWCC and inside the Student Information System.

  1. Click on your Student Information tile.
    SIS Student Home Screen
  2. Click on Enrollment on the left menu, then Swap Classes.
  3. The Swap a Class page will be displayed. Choose the class you wish to drop.
  4. Under With this Class, use the search, select from your Shopping Cart, or enter the 5 digit class number to find the class you wish to add and click Enter.
    Class Swap Screen
  5. The Swap a Class – Enrollment Preferences page will appear with the status of the class. If a Wait List is available for the closed class section, you will see the Wait List icon (wait list icon). For additional information on using the Wait List, refer to Using the Wait List for Closed Class Sections.
  6. Click the checkbox next to Wait list if class is full and click Next.
    Wait List Box
  7. Confirm your selection and click the Finish Swapping button.
    Finish Swapping
  8. View the results for enrollment confirmations and errors. Review the message and status to determine if you were successfully added to the Wait List and your position number on the list. Note that the Success icon in the Status field does not mean that you were enrolled in the class. It means that you were successfully added to the Wait List.
    Swap Results
    Note: When you are swapping into a class section that has a Wait List, you are not dropped from the class section you selected to swap from, unless you are enrolled from the Wait List into the class you are swapping to.
  9. To view your schedule, click My Class Schedule & Book Info. Notice that you are still enrolled in the class you want to swap from and the swap to class section has a status of Waiting.
    Schedule after Swap

Using the Wait List for Closed Class Sections

About the Wait List

The Wait List function allows students to place themselves on a Wait List for a class section that is full and be given a position number.   If seats become available in the class section, the wait list process will run to auto-enroll students according to their Wait List position number.

Joining a Wait List does not guarantee enrollment in a course.   It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their Wait List position regularly and make enrollment decisions based on that position. Students will not receive communication from Virginia Western regarding their Wait List position or any errors that occur in the process of enrolling in a class from the Wait List.  Students will receive an email to their Virginia Western email account if they are enrolled in a class from the wait list. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor enrollment through their MyVWCC account.

The Wait List function is not currently available for all class sections.  If a class section is closed and a Wait List is available, you will see the Wait List icon (wait list icon) as the status for the class.

The following factors will prevent a student from using the Wait List:

  • Prerequisites for the class are not met
  • A negative service indicator exists on the student’s record
  • The student has already enrolled in the same class section
  • Last date to Wait List for classes has passed
  • The Wait List capacity for the class has been met
  • Maximum number of Wait List units has been reached
  • The class is not closed

The following factors will prevent a student from being enrolled in a class while on the Wait List:

  • Adding the Wait Listed class will exceed the maximum number of units allowed for enrollment
  • The student has exceeded the number of enrollment attempts for the class (repeat rule)
  • The last date to enroll has passed
  • The Wait Listed class presents a time scheduling conflict with another class
  • The student is enrolled in another section of the same class

Students may Wait List for more than one section of the same class.

  • Students cannot choose their preference for which class section they will be enrolled first.  The Wait List process will enroll the student in the class section that has the first available seat.  The student will then be removed from the Wait List for any other sections of the same class.

Students are not notified automatically when they have been moved (enrolled) from the Wait List to the class.

  • If a student adds themselves to a Wait List, they must monitor their class schedule every morning.  This is the only way to determine if they have been moved from the Wait List to the class.
  • When a student has been moved from the Wait List to the class, tuition payment must be made by the tuition payment deadline.

Wait List Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

When You Should SWAP Enrollment

If a student is already enrolled in another section of the same class for which they want to Wait List, SWAP should be used. If the student uses the Enroll/Add feature to get on a Wait List for a different section of the same class, they must Drop the section in which they are enrolled before they will be moved from the Wait List into the preferred class section. This is dependent upon a seat becoming available in the wait-listed class section.

Students may also use SWAP if there is a known time conflict between an already enrolled class section and the preferred class section they want to Wait List. If the student gets on a Wait List using the Enroll/Add feature, they will not be auto-enrolled into the wait-listed class (if a seat becomes available) until they Drop the class that presents the time conflict.

Students may want to use SWAP if they are already enrolled in the maximum number of units for the term and want to still get on a Wait List for a closed class section. If a student gets on a Wait List using the Enroll/Add feature, they will not be auto-enrolled into the wait-listed class until they Drop a class that would allow the wait-listed class to fall within the maximum number of units to be enrolled in for a term. This is dependent upon a seat becoming available in the wait-listed class section.

For instructions on using the SWAP feature, refer to Wait List – When and How to Swap Enrollment.

How to Join the Wait List

To join the wait list for a class, you must be logged into MyVWCC and inside the Student Information System.

  1. Click your Student Information tile.
    SIS Student Home Screen
  2. Use the instructions to Add/Enroll in a Class, and continue to step 3 if you find one that has a waiting list.
  3. A class that is full but that has a Wait List will be designated by a yellow triangle on the Enrollment Preferences page once the class is selected. You MUST check the box marked Wait List before you click next. Otherwise, you will get an error that the class is already full when you try to complete enrollment and it will not add you to the waiting list.
    Add Class that is full
  4. Once you complete your enrollment by confirming the classes in your Shopping Cart, you will receive a message on the results screen with your position on the wait list. You will be required to keep checking your status because you will not receive a notification once you have been moved from the wait list into the class.
    Wait List Message

Add/Enroll in a Class

To enroll in a class, you must be logged into MyVWCC and inside the Student Information System.

  1. Click on the Student Information tile.
    SIS Student Home Screen
  2. On the left menu, select Enrollment > Add Classes or click the Enroll link in the middle of the page under Academics.
    Add Classes link on Student Center
  3. Verify that the Term, Type, and Institution are correct before proceeding (i.e. 2021 Fall | Credit | Virginia Western Community College). This page will show you any classes you have already added to your Shopping Cart. You must complete the process detailed here to officially register for the course. Please note that any class left in your Shopping Cart will NOT hold a spot for you and will continue to fill up.
  4. To find additional classes, enter the 5-digit class number in the Enter Class Nbr field and click Enter. This number can be found under the Class header when performing a Class Search.
    SIS - Add Classes to Cart
  5. If you do not know the 5-digit class number, select Class Search and click the Search button. On the following page enter at least two search criteria and click Search.
  6. If you are adding a class to your Shopping Cart you will be sent to another page to confirm your selection. If your class has a Lecture and Lab component it will require you to confirm both selections before returning to the main Shopping Cart screen. You will need to click the radio button to select the available Lab before you click the Next button and confirm the Lecture portion. Note that Lecture/Lab classes are linked and if one is deleted from the Shopping Cart, both entries will be removed.
    SIS - Add Classes - Select Lab
  7. Once you have entered the 5-digit class number in the Enter Class Nbr field and clicked Enter, you can view if the status is Open, Closed, or available for a Wait List option. To confirm your selection, click Next. If a Wait List is available for the closed class, you will see the Wait List icon. For instructions on using the Wait List, refer to Using the Wait List for Closed Class Sections.
  8. Repeat this process until you have added all the classes you want to your Shopping Cart.
  9. Once you have finished adding all your classes to the Shopping Cart you can click the Proceed to Step 2 of 3 button.
    SIS - Add Classes - Proceed to Step 2
  10. On the next screen you will need to click the Finish Enrolling button to process your request and complete your registration for the classes from your Shopping Cart.
    SIS - Add Classes - Finish Enrolling
  11. The final screen gives you a confirmation of enrollment for the selected classes or displays any errors, such as prerequisites for certain courses or time conflicts with other scheduled classes.
    SIS - Add Classes - Enrollment Results
  12. To view your schedule, click the My Class Schedule & Book Info button. There are two different views available: List View or Weekly Calendar View.
    SIS - Add Classes - Class Schedule

Browse the Course Catalog

To browse the Course Catalog, you must be logged into MyVWCC and inside the Student Information System.

  1. Click on your Student Information tile.
    SIS Student Home Screen
  2. Click on Class Search on the left menu, then select Browse Course Catalog.
    Browse the Catalog
  3. Make sure Virginia Western Community College is selected as the institution.
  4. You will see the Course List. To navigate to a different section of the catalog, click one of the letters at the top of the screen, then click the arrow beside a listing to expand that category.
    Class Search Screen
  5. Select the Course Title of the course you are interested in. The course description is shown, along with prerequisites for the course. You can add any of these courses to your student planner by clicking the Add to Planner button.
    Class Search - Class Details
  6. To view the sections of a course, click the View Class Sections button. This will pop open a new section for the Course Schedule at the bottom of the screen. Make a selection in the Term Offered dropdown and click the Show Sections button to update the displayed classes.
    Class Search - Section List
  7. If you would like to see more details for a class you can click the link in the Section portion of the listing.
    Class Search - Section Details

Change Your Password

In order to change your MyVWCC password, you must know your current password and already be logged in. If you do not know your current password, click here for instructions for resetting it.

If you have difficulty changing or resetting your password, please contact the Help Desk at 540-857-7354. Passwords cannot be reset via email, you must call or visit the Help Desk in person (Business Science M273).

To change your password:

  1. Once you are logged in to MyVWCC, click on your account profile in the upper right-hand corner and select Change Password.
    Account link on MyVWCC
  2. You will need to enter your current password, then create a new password and repeat it. Passwords must have between 8 and 32 characters. Your password must contain a combination of:
    • at least one UPPERCASE letter
    • at least one lowercase letter
    • at least one number (0-9)
    • at least one special character (e.g. !`~@#$%^&*()_+{}[]-/\?:,)
    • cannot contain your first or last name or VCCS ID in any combination
    • cannot contain a space
  3. Click Save.

You should receive a confirmation that your password has successfully been changed. Once you see this notification, close your browsing windows and wait at least 10 minutes before you attempt to login again.

Logging in to MyVWCC

If you know your username and password, you can log in to MyVWCC by going to https://vw.my.vccs.edu. If you are unable to locate your username or reset your password by following these directions, please call the Help Desk at 540-857-7354 for assistance.

First Time Users/Don’t Know Your Username

First time users can look up their Username by clicking on the Forgot my Username button. For students, the personal email must match what you used when you filled out your college admissions application. For employees, the email will be the work email associated with your account.

Don’t Know Your Password

If you do not know what your password is:

  1. Click Forgot my Password on the MyVWCC login page.
  2. In Step 1, enter your Username or personal email address used to create the account.
  3. In Step 2, select the “I am not a robot” captcha box, then click the Continue button.
  4. Next, you will be given three choices for your preferred reset method: a mobile phone number (if entered in your account), your primary email address, or your secondary email address. Select your contact and click Submit. If you have no valid points of contact to select, please call the Help Desk at 540-857-7354.
  5. You will receive an email or text, depending on the method of contact selected, with a link to claim your account and reset your password. This text link will only be valid for 10 minutes, while the email link is valid for 24 hours.
  6. Once you follow the reset link and enter the claim code, you will be redirected to create a new password for your account.
  7. After you successfully reset your password please close all your browsing windows and wait at least 10 minutes before you attempt to login with your new credentials. This waiting period allows your new password to synchronize across all VCCS applications, including Canvas, SIS, and Gmail.

Go back to the MyVWCC login page and login with your username and the new password you created.

MyVWCC Help

MyVWCC is your central source for accessing essential student and faculty information at your convenience.

Students can: search and register for classes, drop classes, review financial aid awards, make tuition payments, manage your personal information, and more!

Faculty can: access class rosters, view teaching schedules, enter grades, manage personal information, and more!

The following instructions for Registering for Classes, Academic Information, Student Financial Account, Advising, and Personal Information assume that you have already accessed the Student Information System (SIS). To access SIS, log in to MyVWCC and click the Student Information System button:

Need help? If you need help with enrollment, financial aid, or the online application please contact the Student Services Help Line at 855-874-6690 or https://mysupport.virginiawestern.edu.

If you are unable to access your MyVWCC account or are unsure who to contact please contact the Help Desk at 540-857-7354, try the Live Chat, or contact us online.

Finished? When you are finished using MyVWCC or any of the tools, you should always log out.