Your education is on hold

Demanding that Concordia deliver on its course offerings

OpinionsJainam Shah — Published September 30, 2025 2 minutes

On paper, Concordia offers an impressive variety of courses across disciplines, from software engineering to cultural studies. But the reality is far more limited. A pervasive waitlist culture and limited course availability mean that many students can’t enroll in the classes they need, despite paying tuition and planning their studies months in advance.

Some professors go above and beyond to accommodate students, adding them to full classes before administrative deadlines. In my first year, I had a professor who noticed I was waitlisted for about a month and added me to his class just before the deadline. But relying on individual acts of goodwill is not a sustainable system. 

This isn’t an isolated issue—it’s structural. Large lecture halls sit underutilized, online resources are abundant, and yet students are routinely shut out of courses they require. 

A 2025 AACRAO survey indicated that most institutions prioritize faculty availability and preference over student needs when scheduling courses. Only 43 per cent of respondents used data on student educational plans to forecast demand. That is not to mention that a lot of courses are outdated and have no significance to a lot of students’ careers. Something needs to change.

Scroll through Concordia’s website and you’ll find a seemingly endless catalogue. It seems extravagant that this university is able to find professors who could teach an entire course about Kanye West!  

But the real problem isn’t what’s listed—it’s getting a seat. Almost every student I know has hit a waitlist at some point. Capacity is limited, yes, but with massive lecture halls across the downtown campus, I find it hard to believe that space is truly the issue. 

Take my experience trying to enroll in a second-year software engineering course. My section was merged with another, and although I was first on the waitlist, I was pushed to fourth because three students were already waiting for the other section.

By the time registration closed, I couldn’t officially take the course without paying late fees and scrambling to catch up on missed material. When I met with an academic advisor, my only options were to take another course or risk falling behind entirely.

This shouldn’t define the student experience at Concordia. If the university promotes a diverse and expansive course catalogue, it should ensure students can actually access those courses. 

A solution is long overdue. 

The university should proactively ensure that enrolment matches student demand, rather than leaving it to chance or luck. Clearer policies, expanded capacity and better scheduling would turn Concordia’s promise of educational opportunity into a reality. 

Students come here to learn and build a future—Concordia needs to make sure that the system supports them, not obstructs them.

This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 3, published September 30, 2025.