About

Starting Semester: Spring 2026
Assigned: No
Location: Atlanta

Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting and The Office of the Registrar at Georgia Tech

Client Profile

The Office of the Registrar at Georgia Tech serves as the central authority for managing student registration, academic records, and course scheduling.

Project Description

Senior Design Proposal:

Optimizing Georgia Tech’s First-Year Student Registration Process







One Line Summary



This project seeks to analyze and improve the registration process to ensure that 100% of incoming first-year students leave with a full schedule (defined as 12 credit hours) by identifying workflow bottlenecks and proposing data-driven solutions. 



Client Profile



The Office of the Registrar at Georgia Tech serves as the central authority for managing student registration, academic records, and course scheduling. Individual academic and instructional units are responsible for developing curriculum, developing long range academic schedule plans, and determining course offerings each semester. These offices must work in close partnership to provide a schedule of classes each fall, spring, and summer semester.



Incoming first-year students begin their academic journey by registering for classes during summer orientation sessions. The classes available to them are initially planned during the preceding spring semester and are continuously adjusted throughout the summer based on admissions yield data and real-time demand observed during orientation. A second registration period opens one week prior to the start of the fall semester to allow students an opportunity to make changes to the schedule prior to the first day of classes.



Client Need

The primary client for this project is the Registrar's Office and focuses on improving the registration process for incoming first-year students at Georgia Tech. While the current process enables most students to register during summer FASET orientation, a significant number of students leave with incomplete schedules due to systemic issues such as course availability, advising delays, and registration system constraints. These students are subsequently directed to wait until Phase 2 registration to finalize their schedules before the first day of classes. This experience leads to heightened stress for both students and their parents, increases demand for advisors, and potentially delays students in starting their major coursework or graduating in a timely manner.



While registration for these students occurs during the summer FASET orientation, the scope of this project is specifically centered on the registration workflow itself, not the broader orientation program. 



The Registrar’s Office is looking for an analysis of the operational challenges and recommendations on data-driven improvements that will ensure a more efficient and equitable registration experience. Measurable outcomes for this project include:



Increasing the number of incoming first-year students who leave orientation with a full fall academic schedule.



Increasing the availability of high-demand courses and sections for incoming first-year students.



Increasing advisor availability during orientation in a balanced manner.



Reducing the number of course changes made by incoming first-year students during Phase 2 registration.



Project Skills



Stakeholder interviewing and requirements gathering



Process mapping and workflow analysis



Data analysis and visualization



Predictive analytics and capacity planning



Benchmarking and comparative performance analysis



Tool prototyping and simulation modeling



Data Stewardship and Communication



Data Stewardship will be managed through a partnership between the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP). No FERPA-protected student data will be assessed or shared as part of this project. All data provided will be de-identified and provided exclusively by the client, Office of the Registrar, or its partner, IRP. All communication and coordination will be directed through the Registrar’s Office, or the Office of the Provost, prior to any engagement with Georgia Tech Schools, Colleges, or instructional units.

Skills

Project Skills:

Stakeholder interviewing and requirements gathering
Process mapping and workflow analysis
Data analysis and visualization
Predictive analytics and capacity planning
Benchmarking and comparative performance analysis
Tool prototyping and simulation modeling