VT Chemistry Force Adds

Good Reasons to Request a Force-Add   

• You want to be added to a full lecture section because nothing else works with your schedule. 
• You need to override prerequisite restrictions because you’re currently enrolled in the prereq at another institution, and your prereq credential is not showing on your transcript (see “Prerequisites” section below).
• You need to override major restrictions because you are joining a new major or minor.
• You’re a chemistry major and your chemistry advisor asked you to request a chemistry force-add.
• Your schedule has an unavoidable time-conflict such as a lab that overlaps with a lecture course by 5−10  minutes.  (For this issue, please reach out to chemadvising@vt.edu rather than using our force-add form.)

Bad Reasons to Request a Force-Add  

• You want to be added to a full lab section of CHEM 1045, CHEM 1046, CHEM 2545, or CHEM 2546.
  • We NEVER add students to full lab sections of CHEM 1045−1046 or CHEM 2535−2536.
• You want us to override a registration hold.
  • We NEVER force-add students who have registration holds.

Timing of the Force-Add Process in Chemistry

• Fall Form:  Opens when add-drop opens for fall, closes at 5 pm on the third day of the fall term (Wed).
• Spring Form:  Opens when add-drop opens for spring, closes at 5 pm on the third day of the spring term (Thu).
• Summer Form:  Opens on the last day of spring classes, closes at the end of the third week of Summer 1.
• Processing of Fall and Spring FA requests begins two weeks prior to the start of a given academic term.
• We can ONLY do force-adds when Add/Drop is open (search “VT enrollment dates”).

Chemistry Majors

Chemistry majors needing “major-restricted” non-majors courses such as CHEM 1035, 2535, etc. should submit FA requests for these courses.  A chemistry major who has received a policy exception from the Program Director should submit an FA request and explain the irregularity in the open-comment area.

Making Your Request

Complete the form carefully.  Explain the reason for your request in the open-comment section.   Please only fill out the form once unless you need to change your information.  You can request a specific CRN – and often this is helpful to us – but you will be placed into a section according to what we believe will allow us to help the most students.  Graduating seniors are assigned priority if the courses they are requesting are needed for graduation.

Request a FALL course:   https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/jzv1K1gJyb

Request a SPRING course:  https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/GzYW4vM5ek

Request a SUMMER course:  https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/Spr1chKQsX

Notification

We will notify you by email after we process your request.  Top reasons for NOT getting your force-add include:

• You have registration holds.
• You have another course that conflicts with all the open sections of the requested course.
• Adding a course would put you over 19 hours.  (Drop a course, or talk to your advisor about over-hours.)
• Your form entry contains too much missing or incorrect information to process your request.
• There aren’t enough seats available to fulfill your request.
• You requested a course that’s for chemistry majors, but you’re not a chemistry major.

Prerequisites

If you are taking the prerequisite course at a different college or university, and you have not yet finished the course, please DO NOT submit the force-add form until you have finished the prerequisite course and received a final grade.  We require you to upload a screenshot of your unofficial transcript showing your final grade for the equivalent prerequisite course before we will add you to the course you have requested.   

Major Restrictions in General Chemistry

Seats in CHEM 1035 and CHEM 1045 are restricted to a long list of specific majors.  Once we have taken care of the students in those majors, we will remove the major restrictions.

Questions or Concerns

If you have questions or concerns about our force-add policies or procedures, please send your question to chemadvising@vt.edu with “Force Add Question” in the subject line of your email.   Please do NOT ask for a status update.  Responding to such requests only slows down the process.  Especially, please DO NOT come to our offices to discuss your request further or to plead your case.

When Are My Favorite CHEM Labs Offered?

Updated 6/24/26