CNU Needs to Enhance the Efficiency and Fairness of Its Course Registration System

In recent years, many universities have implemented different types of course registration systems to prevent the unauthorized buying and selling of course seats among students. In the first semester of 2025, Chonnam National University (CNU) also introduced an “anti-course trading” system, which allows students to register for courses at scheduled times after cancellations have occurred. However, despite the university’s intent to ensure fairness by preventing course trading and giving all students equal opportunities to register, many students have expressed frustration over the new system and the inconveniences it has caused, such as long intervals between designated registration times. In this article, the Chonnam Tribune listens to students’ voices and investigates issues with the new course registration system.

Key Features of the New System
Under the previous system, students had more flexible access to adding or dropping courses during the course registration period. However, to prevent unauthorized “course trading,” the Registrar’s Office implemented a new system which limits course changes to specific time slots. While students can cancel courses at any time, they can only add courses during one-minute windows that refresh at fixed intervals.
Course registration officer Yang Eun-jeong explained, “We noticed that under the previous system, the immediate availability of remaining seats after course cancellations facilitated the buying and selling of spots in high-demand classes, while other students were spending long hours waiting for seats to open in order to register for those courses. This was the primary reason for implementing the new system, where remaining seats are released at fixed times to ensure fairness and raise awareness that students should not engage in class transactions.” It is difficult to objectively assess the effectiveness of the new registration system, as data can only be gathered through student reports. Nonetheless, the goals were to make course trading more difficult and discourage such behavior.

Students’ Frustration with the New System
According to course registration officer Yang, the new system was expected to improve predictability, ensure fair access, and prevent misconduct related to the buying and selling of course seats. However, many students experienced the opposite, reporting that they suffered inconveniences with the new system. Son Ye-won (Sophomore, Division of Animal Science) said, “It’s inconvenient that I have to wait until the next designated time if I miss a registration deadline.” In response to this issue, the Registrar’s Office stated that it is working to minimize confusion caused by the new system, based on student feedback. It also plans to improve student outreach efforts starting next semester to ensure the anti-course trading system’s successful implementation.
Another issue involves a lack of communication with international students. The new system was only announced in Korean. “At first, I did not understand what was happening, and it was confusing because there was no advance notice. Many of my international friends also complained about this issue,” said Pak Liliya (Senior, Dept. of English Language and Literature). When this issue was addressed, the officer responded, “The 2025 first-semester course registration plan was announced to all departments through a general notice, but there were no English announcements for international students. We will work with the relevant departments to improve communication.”

Calls for Improvement
As mentioned above, one of the most common complaints is the excessive wait time for course registration. Additionally, an unexpected new issue concerning the new system has emerged: the use of proxies. Proxy users can handle course registration for others in exchange for monetary compensation. This problem has hindered the university’s efforts to achieve the goals intended for new system. The university should consider overhauling the course registration system for more effective changes.
Other universities offer more time-efficient systems to prevent course trading. It may be useful to examine these strategies. For instance, Jeonbuk National University has a system where dropped course seats become available at random intervals, ensuring fairness by giving all students an equal opportunity to register. This approach also helps students re[1]duce unnecessary wait times following unsuccessful registration attempts. In response to student feedback, the CNU Registrar’s Office has promised to upgrade its add/drop system for the next semester and review student feedback to enhance the efficiency and fairness of course registration.

Need for Ongoing Attention
The implementation of an anti-course trading system at CNU was intended to promote fairness in course registration by preventing financial transactions between students. However, feedback from students reveals the need for improvements in the system. Addressing issues such as time constraints and communication barriers is crucial for creating a better experience. Furthermore, it is important to raise awareness among students and encourage student cooperation, since verifying actual data values in such a system is not yet feasible. Proactive feedback from students to the Registrar’s Office will also help foster a more equitable registration process. Therefore, the university must prioritize these improvements to ensure that all students, including international students, can navigate the registration system more easily and effectively.

By Choi Ji-yoon, Reporter