Tulane University: Transforming First-Year Registration with CourseLeaf PATH

About Tulane University

Tulane University is a highly selective, R-1 institution and a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). It’s undergraduate college—Newcomb-Tulane College (NTC)—supports an interdisciplinary academic model that allows students to combine majors and minors across ten schools, including Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, Business, Architecture, and Public Health. Additional schools at the university include Law, Medical, School of Professional Advancement and Social Work.

Across these ten schools, Tulane fosters deep cross-disciplinary collaboration. Students regularly pair majors and minors from different academic areas, and faculty engage in research and teaching that span multiple fields. The university’s curriculum features extensive cross-school enrollment, layered prerequisites, and shared courses, creating an academic environment that is both flexible and complex. Tulane’s longstanding public service requirement further ensures students apply their learning in meaningful ways throughout New Orleans and beyond.

The Challenge

Before implementing CourseLeaf PATH for student planning and registration, Tulane’s first-year students were not pre-registered for any courses. Each incoming freshman built a schedule from scratch during a one-hour advising appointment, registering directly through the Gibson system.

This approach, while personal, created inequities and operational strain. The Registrar’s Office manually adjusted seat availability across hundreds of courses daily to maintain fairness among students registering at different appointment times— a labor-intensive process requiring extensive spreadsheets and several weeks of continuous staff oversight.

Without guided pathways or degree logic, many students selected inappropriate or inefficient courses. Advisors often spent appointments rebuilding schedules instead of providing meaningful academic guidance. The system was labor-intensive, inconsistent, and unsustainable, both for staff and students.

The Goal

Tulane set out to build a preregistration process that was equitable, data-informed, and student-centered. The objectives included ensuring every student received the courses needed for academic success; reducing manual workload and eliminating daily seat management; giving advisors more time for developmental conversations; improving student placement in foundational, major-introductory, and gateway courses. 

By grounding preregistration in student interest and degree pathways, Tulane aimed to create a more consistent and supportive onboarding experience.

The Solution: CourseLeaf PATH

Tulane selected CourseLeaf PATH in 2019 as the only solution capable of meeting its complex needs for guided preregistration. PATH offered the flexibility, curricular intelligence, and seamless integration with Tulane’s existing CourseLeaf ecosystem—CLSS for academic scheduling, CAT for the academic catalog, and CIM for curriculum management.

“What made PATH the right choice was CourseLeaf’s willingness to design and build functionality that met our institution’s specific needs,” says Colette Raphel, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management & University Registrar. “They listened carefully, understood the nuances of our process, and created something that didn’t yet exist to bring our vision to life.”

Tulane’s first incoming class preregistered using PATH in Summer 2020, marking the beginning of a new era in first-year advising and registration.

A Collaborative Partnership

Tulane describes its partnership with CourseLeaf as responsive, collaborative, and deeply student-focused.

“The team is genuinely invested in understanding how Tulane operates,” Raphel notes. “They communicate clearly, follow through consistently, and offer outstanding training for our superusers. Those resources have strengthened every implementation.”

The Results

1. Operational Efficiency

CourseLeaf PATH eliminated a month of manual work during the June registration cycle. Two full-time staff members who previously fielded advisor questions throughout registration are now rarely needed for that task.

2. Advising Transformation

Students now arrive at advising appointments with degree-aligned draft schedules, freeing advisors to focus on meaningful academic conversations. Faculty and advisors report fewer mis-registrations, exceptions, and last-minute changes. Even with full add/drop flexibility, fewer than 10% of preregistered courses are dropped—a strong indicator that students are placed into the right classes from the start.

3. Improved Student Experience

Students begin their Tulane journey with confidence and clarity.

“Pre-registration made everything so much easier,” one student shared. “My schedule already made sense, and I only had to tweak a couple of things after my advising appointment.”

Families have taken notice too. A Boston-based family described PATH as “one of the most positive parts of onboarding—more seamless and supportive than what they experienced at other institutions, including Harvard and Colby.”

4. Institutional Insight

Departments now have clearer visibility into student demand, improving planning and reducing course bottlenecks. The process has created a more transparent, equitable, and scalable approach to first-year registration.

Key Features Driving Success

The most transformative feature for Tulane has been PATH’s ability to generate degree-aligned schedules based on each student’s academic interests. This ensures that those who need key introductory or gateway courses receive them in their first semester—an essential function for an institution as interdisciplinary as Tulane.

PATH’s structured preregistration model also creates consistency and fairness across the student body. Students start with thoughtfully built, data-informed schedules, while advisors focus on mentorship instead of course logistics.

Looking ahead, Tulane plans to expand PATH for use with continuing students.

“The opportunity to integrate PATH directly with Degree Works would be a true game changer,” says Raphel. “It would bring planning, pathways, and registration into one seamless experience.”

A Lasting Partnership for Student Success

PATH has transformed first-year registration at Tulane—turning a stressful, manual process into a streamlined, equitable, and student-centered experience.

“CourseLeaf has been an exceptional partner in helping us reimagine what preregistration can look like,” Raphel reflects. “Their team shares our commitment to equity, access, and student success, and that alignment has made all the difference.”