For students with certain majors, getting into classes can be challenging enough to begin with.

This semester, many transfer students have been left out in the cold, earning no credit hours toward their major requirements.

Des Lawe, a junior psychology major, transferred back to NIU this semester after having attended his freshman year. Following his orientation July 25, Lawe found himself with no available psychology classes and only a small list of general education classes for the taking.

“I’m nervous for next semester to see how it goes,” Lawe said. “If I can’t get into a major class next semester, I don’t know what will be available.”

“Impacted” majors is a problem a number of students face, said Vice Provost Earl Seaver. In the case of these majors, the number of classes offered and the number of instructors available for those classes are limited, he said.

The provost’s office and the college deans are working to help students in those impacted majors by adding faculty and limiting student admission. The highest impacted majors are where the faculty will go first, Seaver said.

“We try to manage how many students we admit into the university,” Seaver said. “We do that based on how many seats are in the classes.”

Impact majors vary from year to year depending on the popularity of the major, Seaver added.

Many students were not able to receive certain classes for their major because they registered late, Seaver said. While current students register near the end of each semester, some transfer students are not able to register until a week before classes start, he said.

Christine Malecki, director of undergraduate studies for the psychology department, said many students are admitted into their necessary classes after talking to the professor of the required class. If the student is not comfortable doing that, they should take general elective classes to fill graduation requirements, she said.

“It is definitely frustrating for our transfer students coming to campus and not easily registering and finding the courses are closed,” Malecki said. “But I think they find our faculty is kind and as accommodating as possible in helping them build a schedule.”

Though his counselor reassured him that he would still be able to graduate on time, Lawe said he would still like the university to expand classes or offer more of them to prevent others from sharing his experience.

“It is frustrating and disappointing,” he said. “I’m paying this much money to go to school and I can’t get a class for my major.”