What (and when) is Intent to Register (ITR) and why is it important?
By submitting their Intent to Register (ITR) during the month of March (deadline is usually March 31 but is extended until April 2, 2025), students inform Western (i) that they plan to return the following Fall/Winter, and (ii) in which program they would like to register. Students submit a maximum of two choices for ITR and will be considered for their Second Choice if they are not eligible for their First Choice.
When are decisions about Intent to Register (ITR) made?
When final marks are available in May, students are adjudicated (assessed for eligibility) for the programs/degrees/modules that they requested during the ITR period. Adjudication decisions are based on the program/module(s) requested, marks in prior courses and courses being taken in the upcoming summer. Grade reports are posted in Student Centre by mid-June and inform students if they are eligible for what was requested on their ITR. See Adjudicationfor more details
Review the academic calendar for modules and courses offered by the basic medical science departments. A great way to get an overivew of what you'll study in a module is to click on each course in the module listing for brief descriptions.
For students going into Year 3 BMSc in 2025/26 and onward, check the webpage for Course and Module Updates for information about proposed revisions to the BMSc Program and modules within BMSc.
Investigate the courses further by going to the department's webpage for undergraduate students to see if they post course syllabi on their webpages for course information (syllabit usually contain more details about topics covered, assessments, etc.)
Attend one of the ITR events listed below or refer to the ITR Events at a Glance calendar for a high level overview of what's going on during the month of March.
Ask questions if you need help with the information you see or the choices you're going to make.
Login to Student Center. Select the Academics tile and then the Program Status tile. Select the Intent to Register Form. Login to Western One Experience.
If the online ITR process does not work for you, then go to the BMSUE Question Portal, choose your student group from the list on the left-hand side, select Intent to Register and let us know the issue in the section to submit your questions. Paste a screenshot of the error that you received when trying to submit your ITR.
Check out the ITR events below, hosted by student groups and departments, to provide you with the opportunity to speak directly with faculty members and and students.
Science Students' Council (SSC): ITR Fair:
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 19th, 11:00am -2:00pm
Location: Lower Level Atrium in the Physics and Astronomy Building
What to expect:departmental representatives from the Science and Basic Medical Science departments will be there to answer your questions about the various modules. Jen Chambers and Kathy Boon (BMSUE Coordinators) will be there to answer questions about progression to Medical Sciences 2, admission to Year 3 BMSc and admission to modules for Year 4 BMSc.
Neuroscience ITR Event hosted by the Western Undergraduate Neuroscience Society (WUNS):
Date/Time: Thursday, March 13th, 4:00-5:30pm
Location: UCC 61
What to expect: Gain a student perspective on the Neuroscience program and ask any questions you might have about what to expect in years 2, 3, 4. Dr. Corneil, a Neuroscience 2000 instructor, will be on hand to provide an overview of Neuroscience content as well as Jen Chambers, BMSUE Coordinator (Interdisciplinary Studies) to answer questions about admission to and progression in the Program.
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology:
Date/Time: Thursday, March 20th, 4:30-5:30
Location: MSB 282
What to expect:Treats! and Drs. Anita Woods and Angela Beye from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, to inform you about their modules. Kathy Boon, BMSUE Coordinator, will be on hand to answer any technical questions about ITR.
Q&A sessions with BMSUE Coordinators (Kathy Boon and Jen Chambers) will be held to inform students about the technical aspects of submitting an ITR, as well as the implication of module choices on adjudication and course registration.
Submitting an ITR for Med Sci 2: The BMSUE Coordinators will cover how and why to submit an ITR as a Med Sci 1 student, what happens if you're not eligible to progress to Med Sci 2, and things to consider when making a back-up ITR selection with applying to BMSc as part of the Competitive Pool in mind.
Submitting an ITR for Honours Specialization in Neuroscience: Jen Chambers will cover how to submit an ITR for the Honours Specialization in Neuroscience, eligibiltiy criteria and preference given to students during the adjudication period, and how the waitlist is managed if you don't receive an offer for the program.
Tuesday, March 4th, 2:30-3:30pm in MSB 148
Submitting an ITR for Year 3 BMSc: The BMSUE Coordinators will cover admission to BMSc (assured admission from Medical Sciences 2 and admission from the competitive pool), the impact of module choices on registration for next year's courses, how to make good First and Second Choices for ITR, what happens if you're not eligible for your ITR choices, and how to submit your ITR. None of the sessions will be recorded.
Submitting an ITR for Year 4 BMSc: The BMSUE Coordinators will cover admission to the various Honours Specialization and Double Major modules for Year 4 (what courses and marks are required), how the adjudication process works for admission to Year 4 BMSc modules, how to make good First and Second Choices for ITR, what happens if you're not eligible for your ITR choices, and how to submit your ITR. None of the sessions will be recorded.
Submitting an ITR for Year 4 Honours Specialization in IMS: Jen Chambers will cover progression and admission to Year 4 of the Honours Specialzation in IMS, how the adjudication process works and associated timelines, how the waiting list is maintained and what a good back up choice might be if you are not eligible for the module.
Submitting an ITR for a fifth year or special year: The BMSUE Coordinators will cover the ITR process and what to consider when submitting an ITR for an additional year. None of the sessions will be recorded.
Q&A sessions with the BMSUE Coordinators (Kathy Boon and Jen Chambers) will be scheduled for students going into Medical Sciences 2, Year 2 Neuroscience, Year 3 BMSc and Year 4 BMSc. See the information above about these sessions.
Students can also "Connect with a BMSUE Coordinator" during their Drop-in sessions (Zoom or in-person) or by booking individual appointments. See availability and booking at this link, keeping in mind that the information will be updated on an ongoing basis.
If you do not submit an ITR by March 31 (and have not applied to graduate), then the Office of the Registrar will "push in" an ITR for the same program or degree/module(s) in which you are currently registered.
Example: if you are registered in an Honours Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology + a Minor in Psychology and you do not submit an ITR and you do not apply to graduate, then an ITR will be "pushed in" for a BMSc (Honours) degree with an Honours Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology + a Minor in Psychology.
Issues that arise if you do not submit an ITR:
you do not have a Second Choice for ITR;
you can neither remove nor add a Major or Minor during the ITR process;
if you are in Medical Sciences 2 and do not submit an ITR, then the Office of the Registrar will submit an ITR for you to be registered in the Faculty of Science as "BA Undeclared" (this is not good for you). See ITR for Year 3 BMSc for more details.
See the links to the left under "Intent to Register" for students submitting ITR for Med Sci 2, Year 3 BMSc and Year 4 BMSc, for more details about not submitting an ITR by the deadline.
If you are eligible for your First Choice, then your Second Choice will not be considered.
If you are NOT eligible for either of your choices, then you will be registered in what makes the most sense from the perspective of the office/person who adjudicates you. The BMSUE Office adjudicates students who submit BMSc for their ITR choices.
Once the ITR deadline of April 2nd has passed, you cannot change your ITR before the adjudication period begins in May.
You may be able to submit a Change of Status form after the adjudication period to request a change to your degree and/or module(s) for the next year. See After Adjudication - I want to change my program/plan for the upcoming Fall/Winter for details and exceptions, e.g., students admitted to Year 3 BMSc cannot change modules for Year 3 BMSc.
As soon as you submit your First Choice for ITR, if is our understanding that you'll be sent an email message from the Office of the Registrar with your First Choice for ITR displayed over a few lines. These lines represent your faculty, degree type and module(s), as in the example below:
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - your faculty Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences - your degree type Honours Specialization in Biochemistry - your module
After submitting your Second Choice for ITR, you'll be sent another email message from the Office of the Registrar with your Second Choice for ITR displayed over a few lines, as in the example below:
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - your faculty Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences - your degree type Major in Biochemistry - one of your Major modules Major in Medical Cell Biology - the other Major module
The email messages do NOT indicate which is your First Choice and which is your Second Choice. You can figure out which email indicates your your First Choice since this email will be sent before the email about your Second Choice - check when the email was sent!
DO NOT ask the BMSUE Coordinators or the Academic Counselling Office to confirm that you ITR was submitted and what you submitted as your choices.
Your ITR choices will be available in Student Centre after the Office of the Registrar uploads them (sometime in April).
During the adjudication period in May, you will be adjudicated (assessed for eligibility) for your First Choice.
If you are not eligible for your First Choice, then you will be adjudicated for your Second Choice (and if you are eligible for your Second Choice, then you will be registered in it for the upcoming year.)
If you are NOT eligible for either of your ITR choices, then a decision will be made during the adjudication period in May as to what would be the most appropriate/best program/module(s) for you for next year. This decision will be based on your ITR choices, the courses you have completed, the courses (if any) in which you are registered for the summer, and your marks.
if both your First and Second choices are for the BMSc Program but you are not eligible for the module(s) requested, then you will be considered for Double Majors in the BMSc Program. The Majors for which you will be considered will be firstly, Majors in the subject areas of the HSPs that you requested (e.g., if you are not eligible for First Choice of HSP Physiology and Second Choice of HSP Pathology, then you will be considered for Double Majors - Major Physiology + Major Pathology), and secondly, any Double Major combination within the BMSc Program.
if you are entering Year 3 and you are not eligible for any module in the BMSc Program, then you will considered for a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. You will be registered, most likely, in Double Majors and in a Major that corresponds to your ITR choices + a Major in Biology. If not eligible for a Major that corresponds to your ITR choices, then you will be registered, most likely, in BSc with Double Majors, - Major in Medical Sciences + Major in Biology.
You will find out the program in which you will be registered by mid-June, after the adjudication process is completed and you have been term-activated for next year.
If admitted to Medical Sciences 2, Year 3 BMSc or Year 4 BMSc for next year, then we would like you to let us know via the BMSUE Question Portal that you are not returning. We will let you know if any other steps are necessary when we respond to you.
If admitted to a BSc degree for next year, please contact the Academic Advising Office in NCB 280.
Login to Student Center. Select the Academics tile and then the Program Status tile. Select the Intent to Register Form. Login to Western One Experience.
Registering for another year (without graduating) is referred to as a "fifth year" by some programs, e.g. Schulich Medicine.
Registering for another year of undergraduate courses after graduating is referred to as a special year.
If your current Year 4 courses satisfy the requirements for graduation, then you can still register in the same module for an extra year. During this extra year, you would be registered as a Year 4 student and may take any courses you want, as long as you have the prerequisite and can gain access to the courses (i.e. satisfy any registration constraints). You do not have to take any more courses that appear in your module if your modular requirements have been completed.
If you have questions about the decision to return for a fifth year, you can join one of the BMSUE Coordinators Zoom drop-in sessions or book an individual appointment. See "Connect with a BMSUE Coordinator" for details.
Yes, you can submit an ITR to be a "special student". If you think that you might wish to take basic medical science courses, then you would submit an Intent to Register as a special student in the Faculty of Science.
NOTE: as a "special student", you will not have priority access to any basic medical science courses that have constraints in place.
Alternatively, you might wish to register in a Post-Degree Module (Major or Minor).
