Enrollment

After registration, changes in the student’s program can be made using GOLD until the deadlines published on the Registrar's website for each quarter. Such changes include course drops and adds and change in grading options. Unapproved withdrawal from or neglect of a course for which one has registered will result in a failing grade. Course additions after the first week of classes require the approval of the course instructor.

Program Changes Deadlines

The average academic study load for undergraduate students is 15 units per quarter, to yield 180 units by the time of graduation. The minimum full-time study load is 12 units, but students will not graduate in four years if they enroll in the minimum number of units each quarter. Students who are not able to carry at least 12 units per quarter must petition and receive approval prior to enrolling in a deficit program or "deficit load". Undergraduate students who have submitted their petitions to the College of Letters and Science for a deficit program of 10 or fewer units prior to the first day of instruction may be considered for a 50 percent reduction of the educational fee and nonresident tuition, subject to approval of the Office of the Registrar. Only those students with verifiable reasons of employment, health, or family responsibility or students who have declared candidacy for graduation for the requested quarter will be eligible for the fee reduction. Deficit program approval does not constitute automatic approval of fee reduction. Students in the College of Letters and Science may petition for permanent approval of deficit programs (that is, for permanent part-time status).

Students in good academic standing may enroll in as many as 21 units each quarter. Those on academic probation may not enroll in more than 17 units each quarter of their probationary status. Students who wish to enroll in more than the maximum number of allowable units must petition for an excess program at the time of registration.
 

Undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Letters and Science are subject to the Minimum Cumulative Progress requirement. Minimum Cumulative Progress (MCP) is a policy designed and approved by the faculty to provide important guideposts to ensure timely degree completion. The MCP requirement establishes a reasonable expectation of student workload.
 

Certain rules govern the selection of courses each term. Students are reminded that they:

May not enroll in a course officially as a way of making up an Incomplete grade. 
May not enroll in more than five total units of 98, 99, 198, 199, 199AA-ZZ courses per quarter. 
Must be juniors or seniors to enroll in 198 or 199, 199AA-ZZ courses. 
Must choose letter grading for all courses used to satisfy requirements in the major or minor. This includes lower- and upper-division courses, both within and outside the department of the major or minor. (Some departments accept a small number of units for courses graded P where letter grades are not available. See departmental entries in the General Catalog.)
May not repeat a course for which the previous grade was higher than C- unless permitted in the official course description in the General Catalog.
Must obtain permission of the dean to repeat a course that they have already attempted two or more times.
Must complete Writing 1 or 1E by the end of the third quarter at UCSB. 
Must complete Writing 2, 2E, or 2LK by the end of the sixth quarter at UCSB. 

Students are responsible for the following: 

1. Verifying eligibility for courses. Students should consult GOLD or the General Catalog for prerequisites. 
2. Avoiding duplicating coursework for which they have already earned credit.
3. Indicating their desired grading option at the time of enrollment.
4. Observing and meeting all deadlines for fee payment, registration, and changing their enrollment (adding or dropping courses, changing grading option).
5. Indicating course repetition at the time of enrollment.
6. Indicating the intended number of units to be earned in variable-unit courses. At the end of the term, the instructor will report to the Office of the Registrar the number actually completed and the grade earned, and the Registrar will make any necessary adjustments to the student record. 
7. Obtaining approval prior to registration for any of the following exceptions:

• Enrolling in a deficit program of fewer than 12 units. Required fall, winter, and spring only; for summer session there is no minimum load requirement. 
• Enrolling in more than 17 units while on academic probation in fall, winter, and spring quarters.
• Enrolling in more than 21 units while in good academic standing. Required fall, winter, and spring.
• Enrolling in an excess program of more than 16 units during each summer session.
• Enrolling in UC Extension courses.
• Repeating a course more than once.
• Exceptions to 198, 199, 199AA-ZZ course policies.