ENROLLMENT AND OTHER PROCEDURES
Except where noted, all information applies to both undergraduate and graduate students. Additional information concerning enrollment and academic policies applying only to graduate students is given in the Graduate Studies and Research section.
Enrollment and Payment of Fees
To receive academic credit for regular courses and other supervised instruction or research, a student must be officially enrolled prior to undertaking such activities. Registration does not become official until all required fees have been paid, and the student enrolls in classes with the Registrar. Students are responsible for ensuring that their course enrollments are correct.
A quarterly calendar of dates for enrollment and payment of fees is included in each quarterly Schedule of Classes. This booklet is distributed at the UCI Student Center to continuing students during the seventh week of each quarter for the ensuing quarter and also may be purchased at the UCI Bookstore. New students receive the booklet by mail.
The general procedures for enrollment are:
1. Consult the appropriate academic advisor to develop an approved program of study. Secure necessary authorizations for courses that require special approval.
New undergraduate students entering in the fall should seriously consider attending one of the Student-Parent Orientation Program (SPOP) sessions during the summer for academic advising and enrollment assistance.
2. Pay careful attention to deadlines. Enroll in classes during the published registration period.
3. Pay required fees to the Cashier. Any other outstanding obligations must be satisfied at this time also.
NOTE: Late fee payment and/or late enrollment in classes may require the student to enroll in classes using the Add-Card procedure.
TELEPHONE REGISTRATION
TELE, UCI's telephone registration system, allows students to enroll in classes from anywhere in the world. Students may add and drop classes, inquire about open sections, change their grading option or units for a variable-unit class, put themselves on an official waiting list, and list their confirmed class schedule. Immediate feedback on the availability of a class and a student's eligibility to enroll is provided; schedule changes may be made during the registration period or the adjustment period. Complete information about TELE is available in each quarterly Schedule of Classes.
PAYMENT OF FEES AND ENROLLMENT
Registration fees are assessed quarterly and appear on ZOTBills mailed to students by the Campus Billing Services Office. Students who do not pay all required fees to the Cashier's Office during the published registration period are subject to a late service fee. This fee is graduated: $25 through the end of the second week of classes; $50 thereafter.
Students who do not enroll in classes during the published registration period are subject to a late service fee. Students enrolled in zero (0) units or not previously enrolled at the close of business at the end of the second week of classes are assessed a $50 late enrollment fee. A signature of the student's dean is required for late enrollment after the second week of classes.
The student is subject to both late service fees if fees are not paid to the Cashier's Office and the student does not enroll in classes by the registration deadlines, which are published quarterly in the Schedule of Classes.
To avoid the expense and inconvenience of late enrollment, students are urged to enroll and pay fees well before the published registration deadlines. Students with financial need should make advance arrangements with the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, or another source, to have funds available when fees are due.
Late registration (payment of fees and/or enrollment in classes) is permitted only in exceptional circumstances with the authorization of the student's dean. A student who is allowed to apply late and, as a result, must pay fees and enroll late, is required to pay late service fees. Late services charges may be waived only if the University is responsible for the late transaction.
CHANGE OF CLASS ENROLLMENT
After officially enrolling with the Registrar, a student may add or drop classes, change sections of a course, change units in a variable unit course, or change the grading option by completing an Add, Drop, or Change Card, available from the student's academic counseling office or the Registrar's Office. In the first two weeks of classes, instructors may authorize the use of TELE for adding, dropping, and changing the grade option.
An undergraduate student may not enroll in more than 20 units or fewer than 12 units of course work during a given quarter without the permission of the student's academic dean or, for undecided/ undeclared students, the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education. Changes to Pass/Not Pass grading must not cause the student to exceed the limitations to Pass/Not Pass enrollment.
Graduate students may not enroll in more than 16 or fewer than eight units of graduate or upper-division credit without prior approval of the departmental graduate advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
During the first six weeks of instruction, a student may add classes provided approval is granted by the instructor in charge of the class.
To change the grading option of a class during the first two weeks of instruction, students must obtain the signature of the instructor in charge. The Change Card must then be submitted to the Registrar's Office no later than the end of the second week of instruction. Changes in the grading option from the third through the tenth week require approval of the instructor and the student's academic dean.
Students may drop classes from the first through the sixth week of a quarter, inclusive, with the signature of the instructor in charge.
After the sixth week of instruction, students may add or drop a class only with the permission of the instructor and the student's academic dean. Permission to drop after the sixth week can be granted only if the student is not failing the course and is not subject to disqualification, and only if dropping the course would be to the educational benefit of the student, of the class as a whole, or both.
A W notation will be recorded for each course dropped after the end of the sixth week of classes. The effective date of a "drop" is the date the approved Drop Card is received in the Registrar's Office.
Students are responsible for their official enrollment and must be officially enrolled in each class they attend. They must officially drop classes they have ceased attending. The student cannot simply discontinue attendance in a class; a Drop Card must be filed before the last day of instruction for the quarter.
The Registrar's Office cannot accept Add, Drop, or Change Cards after the last day of instruction of a particular quarter.
NOTE: Instructors and deans may have earlier deadlines than those mentioned above.
Change of Major
Each school or program has its own standards for change of major, and some majors are impacted, that is, more students apply than can be accommodated. Once a student selects a major, or decides to change majors, the student should visit the academic counseling office for their prospective major to obtain current information about prerequisites, program planning, and policies and procedures. In addition, a form called the Undergraduate Petition for Change of Major must be completed. The form is available from academic counselors and the Registrar's Office.
Reduced-Fee Part-Time Study Program
Part-time study for credit leading to an undergraduate or graduate degree is available in academic units in which there exists good educational reason, as determined by the academic unit, to allow part-time study. To take advantage of reduced fees for part-time status, quarterly course enrollment is limited to 10 units or less for undergraduate students and to eight units or less for graduate students. Students enrolled in excess units after the Friday of the third week of instruction are liable for full fees.
The same admissions standards that apply to full-time students apply to part-time students. Under University policy, academic deans (the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education, for undecided/undeclared students; the Dean of Graduate Studies, for graduate students) may approve Petitions for Part-Time Status only for reasons of occupation, family responsibilities, or health.
In addition to all other required fees, students approved for part-time status pay one-half of the Educational Fee and, if applicable, one-half of the Nonresident Tuition Fee or Professional School Student Fee. Undergraduate petitions are available from academic counselors or the Registrar's Office; graduate students may obtain further information and petitions from the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Since there are certain restrictions on receiving undergraduate credit for part-time course work, undergraduates interested in part-time study should read, in addition to the Undergraduate Admissions section, the sections on Expenses and Fees, and Financial Aid. Graduate students should refer to the Research and Graduate Studies section. Additional information is available in the Schedule of Classes.
Lapse of Status
A student's status may lapse for the following reasons:
Failure to pay required student fees by the prescribed deadline; failure to respond to official notices; failure to settle financial obligations when due or to make satisfactory arrangements with the Cashier's Office; failure to complete the physical examination; or failure to comply with admission conditions.
Each student who becomes subject to lapse of status is given advance notice and ample time to deal with the situation. However, if the student fails to respond, action will be taken without further notice. A "hold" will be placed on all of the student's records and the student will be entitled to no further services of the University except assistance toward clearing the hold. A student must satisfy the conditions which caused the lapse of status before the hold can be cleared.
Retention of Student Records
The Registrar's Office maintains a permanent record of academic work completed by each student. Support documents for the academic record are kept for one year.
Students are strongly advised to carefully check their academic record quarterly. (Student copies of the academic record are available at the Registrar's Office shortly after the close of each quarter.) Discrepancies in the academic record should be reported to the Registrar immediately. After one year, it is assumed that the student accepts the accuracy of their academic record, and supporting source documents are destroyed.
Transcript of Records
The transcript of a student's academic record will be released only upon receipt of a signed request from the student authorizing the release. Application may be made in person or by mail; telephoned requests cannot be honored because payment is due in advance. Application for a transcript should be submitted to the Cashier's Office with a check or money order payable to Regents-UC for the exact amount due. The fee for transcripts is $5 per copy. All outstanding debts to the University (with the exception of long-term financial aid loans not yet due and payable) must be paid in full before a transcript will be released.
Requests for transcripts by other than the student whose transcript is being sought can be honored only (1) if the request is accompanied by a written authorization signed by the student whose transcript is sought, and (2) upon approval of the Registrar. Other transcripts can be released by the Registrar only to another college, university, or educationally related agency such as the Law School Data Admissions Service (LSDAS) or the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).
When a student orders a transcript to be sent to another college, university, or agency, it is extremely important for the student to provide a complete, accurate mailing address to ensure delivery to the correct office. At least two weeks should be allowed for a transcript to be received by another institution or agency.
Verification of Student Status
The Registrar's Office provides verifications of student status. Verifications may be needed for reference checks, bank loans, applications for good-student-driver insurance rates, and Social Security payments. There is a $3 fee for each verification, however verifications for the purpose of student loan deferments are free of charge. For verification purposes, enrollment in 12 units or more in regular sessions is considered full-time status; enrollment in 6.0-11.9 units is considered half-time status; enrollment in 5.9 units or less is considered less than half-time status. Enrollment in eight units is considered full-time status for summer session.
Cancellation/Withdrawal
Undergraduate students who pay fees for a regular academic quarter and then decide to withdraw from the University must submit a Cancellation/Withdrawal form to the Registrar's Office after obtaining the signatures of their academic dean (or the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education, for undecided/undeclared students) and the University Ombudsman. Medical students must submit the form to the Curricular Affairs Office in the College of Medicine. This form serves two purposes: (1) a refund of fees, if applicable (see Fee Refund section); and (2) automatic withdrawal from classes.
The effective date of withdrawal is used in determining the percentage of fees to be refunded. This date is normally the date that the student submits the form to the appropriate Dean/Ombudsman for approval and is designated by that Dean/Ombudsman.
A W notation will be recorded for each course in which enrollment is withdrawn if the student's effective date of withdrawal is after the end of the sixth week of classes. (See W notation in the Grading System section.)
A graduate student in good academic standing who wishes to withdraw and intends to return within one year should submit both the Cancellation/Withdrawal form and an application for a Leave of Absence. Further information appears in the Research and Graduate Studies section.
New undergraduate students are encouraged to seek advice from their admissions or academic counselor to understand the consequences of withdrawal and their eligibility to return.
If an undergraduate student plans to leave the University after completing all academic work for the latest quarter of enrollment and has not paid fees for the next quarter, a formal notice of withdrawal is not necessary.
Readmission: Undergraduate Students
Students are strongly urged to consider the readmission policy in formulating plans for leaving or returning to UCI. Every effort will be made to readmit UCI students who were in good academic standing at the time they ceased attending and who have filed readmission applications by the deadline. Former UCI students who wish to be readmitted should contact the undergraduate counseling office of the school or program which offers their intended major.
Readmission is subject to dean's approval and campus deadlines (August 1 for fall quarter, November 1 for winter quarter, and February 1 for spring quarter). To apply for readmission, a student must first pay a nonrefundable $40 Application Fee at the Cashier's Office, and then file the Application for Readmission with the Registrar's Office. Remittance of the $40 Application Fee may be made by bank draft or money order made payable to Regents-UC.
New undergraduate students who cancel registration prior to the first day of the quarter must reapply to UCI; they are not eligible to file for readmission as described above.
If a student has been academically disqualified from the University or has left the University while on probation or subject to disqualification, the student must apply for readmission. The application, however, is subject to the approval of the dean of the school which the student hopes to enter.
Transcripts for work taken at other institutions must be submitted as part of the application.
Readmission: Graduate Students
A graduate student who withdraws and has not been granted a leave of absence approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies can resume graduate study only if readmitted. The Application for Graduate Study must be submitted by the published deadline for graduate admission applications. Please refer to the statement on readmission which appears in the Research and Graduate Studies section.
Enrollment at Other Institutions
Various programs exist that enable currently registered UCI students in good standing to take courses at other UC campuses, as well as at California State University and California Community College campuses. More information is available from the Registrar's Office and from the academic counseling offices.
California Residence
Detailed information about California residence is available in the Catalogue's Expenses and Fees section. All inquiries with regard to the requirements for the establishment of California residence (including exceptions pertaining to minors, aliens, and dependents of military personnel stationed in California) should be directed to the University of California, Irvine, Residence Deputy, Registrar's Office, 215 Administration Building, Irvine, CA 92697-4975, telephone (949) 824-6129.
Commencement
UCI Commencement ceremonies are held each June for all students who graduate any quarter of that academic year. Commencement protocol information is mailed to all prospective graduates in the spring and also is available from academic counselors. Additional information is available from the Commencement Office; telephone (949) 824-6378; World Wide Web: http://www.commencement.uci.edu/.
Application for Graduation. In order to receive a degree, an undergraduate student must file an Application for Graduation at the appropriate dean's office no later than the deadline date set by that office. Specific deadline dates for filing the application are established quarterly so that candidates' academic records can be reviewed to verify that all graduation requirements have been met. Students should contact their academic counselor and see the Schedule of Classes for deadline information.
Diplomas. Students are advised by mail when their diplomas are available, which is three to four months after the quarter in which the student graduated. Please note that summer and fall quarter graduates awarded academic honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude) at the end of the academic year are notified by the Registrar's Office to return their previously issued diplomas. New diplomas reflecting the academic honor will be issued and will be available three or four months after the end of spring quarter. Students may then pick up their diplomas at the Registrar's Office or authorize the Registrar to send their diplomas by certified mail, or registered air mail to locations outside the United States. There is a service charge of $5 for certified mail, $10 for registered air mail, payable to Regents-UC. All outstanding debts due to the University, with the exception of long-term financial aid loans, must be paid in full before a student's diploma will be released.
