Students waiting to speak with a counselor on Jan. 28. (Alexandra Fletcher)
Expect lines extending out the door at the Center for Student Services (CSS) building this semester. Typically, the CSS building is crowded with students adding and dropping classes at the start of each semester. However, spring 2026 is hectic for its implementation of the new waitlist process.
Before, when a class experienced more interested students than available seats, the last students to register were placed into a waitlist queue. Waitlisted students were expected to attend class until a space opened for them, where they would be automatically enrolled into the course.
Information on securing a spot on the waitlist, which can be accessed on the “Embrace the Change!” page of Bakersfield College’s website, establishes a new “add code” element. On the third calendar day of class, students are required to email professors to receive a single-use code (expiring after 24-72 hours) to enter onto their Banner Self-Service page.
Users on the Facebook group “Surviving Bakersfield College” claim the self-service registration website is frustratingly difficult to navigate, with some codes glitching and students having to drop and re-add their desired courses. Within the most severe cases, students are unable to attend any of their classes.
“The impact of the new policy has set me back an entire semester. It will now take me longer to complete my Associates,” explains Ciara Thammavongsa, an Education major attending Bakersfield College.
She planned to transfer to California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) during the fall 2026 semester, but was forced to skip this semester in part due to the waitlist policy. In addition, some classes are only accessible during this time of year, which means students unable to enroll in certain classes must wait an entire academic year for another chance to enroll.
The reason for the change is currently unknown. However, for students encountering waitlist trouble, Rima Bhakta, an Educational Advisor located at the CSS building, advises students “to always ask questions when they do not know something”.