Course Selection by Lottery for Student Groups with Different Graduation Requirements:

Exploration for the Apt Method by Numerical Simulation

Abstract

 Course lotteries have been a problem for college students due to its low acceptance rates albeit its risk of failing to fulfil graduation requirements. The college of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Kitasato University will introduce a new lottery system to cope with this matter, by expanding the number of electives to choose from, and maximizing the opportunities for students to be registered for the required number of electives.
 Prior to the implementation of the new lottery system, numerical simulation was carried out to seek the ideal number of electives each student should apply for, and the ideal number of lotteries that each student should win, considering the selection of subjects desired by students and subjects necessary for graduation requirements. In order to maximize the possibility to fulfill the graduation requirements in all 21 academic programs at Kitasato, we sought the best number of lottery applications, and the maximum lottery winning numbers per student. The results showed that on the lottery system we need to set the maximum number of winning credits to 1.5 times more than the graduation requirements, and that students should apply for 3 times more credits than required for graduation.
 This paper showcased numerical simulation can suggest practical numbers to set in lottery implementation, in order to maximize opportunities for students to fulfil the graduation requirements. Its use and validity are yet to prove in the actual numbers in the future. However, the methods and considerations given here can be applied to the development of many other course registration systems, suggesting possibilities for future university management.