Registration and Status

Registration Topics

Overview

University policy requires continuous registration for students from the first quarter of enrollment in a program until completion of the degree. To be considered a registered student, students

must be enrolled in coursework or 299 (research) units and pay tuition and fees for the quarter.  Unless on approved part-time status, full-time registration in at least 12 units is required. Students who do not register for a full quarter or longer are considered withdrawn from their program.  There are some special registration statuses, such as the Planned Educational Leave Program (PELP) or Filing Fee, a reduced fee status to finish the last quarter final requirements.  It is important to enroll, register, and pay tuition and fees in a timely manner to avoid late fees and delays in financial support. 

  • When are the quarter dates and deadlines?  Review the Academic Dates and Deadlines page for important registration and fee payment dates during the academic year. 
  • Who do I talk to about registration and course selection?  Contact information for Graduate Coordinators and Graduate Advisors is available in the People section of your Program page.  

Registration

Students must be registered to be eligible to:

  1. Be employed in a graduate student title, such as a Teaching Assistant, Associate In__, Graduate Student Researcher, etc.  (Full-time enrollment required)
  2. Be awarded a graduate fellowship or financial award.  (Full-time enrollment required)
  3. Take the Doctoral Qualifying Examination and/or Advance to Candidacy. (Full-time enrollment required)
  4. Receive federal, state, or university financial aid.
  5. Use university facilities or faculty time for research or other studies except for the final reading of a thesis or dissertation.

How To Register

UC Davis students register using Schedule Builder.  Here are the steps new students will take the first time they register - outlined in more detail in the new student checklists in the Admissions Portal.  

  • Upload your photo and obtain your UC Davis ID - AggieCard.
  • Activate your IT Account e-mail address and Kerberos password by visiting Computing Account Services. When setting up your computing account online, be sure to respond to each prompt before exiting the system.
  • Login to Schedule Builder using your Kerberos username and passphrase.  Talk to your Graduate Program Coordinator about what class selection if your unsure.  Your program may provide you with a checklist or handbook to guide you.  
  • You can search for specific classes or those in your major field.  Remember - 200 level courses are graduate, 100 level courses are upper-division undergraduate, and 99 or less courses are lower-division undergraduate.  Most graduate students take graduate and upper-division undergraduate coursework.  Lower-division undergraduate coursework may be taken optionally as a refresher, but those courses are not counted towards graduate student GPA.  
    • Some courses may require a Permission to Add (PTA) number in order to register.  Talk to your Graduate Program Coordinator to request a PTA.  Enter the PTA in Schedule Builder
    • Variable Unit Courses (E.g. 299) include a drop-down menu to select the number of units in which to enroll.  Be sure to add the correct number of units in order to maintain full-time status.  

How Many Units Should I Take?

To be considered a full-time graduate student, students must enroll in at least 12 units each quarter, but not more than 16 without approval of your graduate program. These units can be a combination of upper division units (100 level), graduate course units (200 level), or professional development units (390, 396, 397). If a student petitions to drop a course, the student must add units to maintain a total of 12 units for the quarter. Exceptions to the 12-unit minimum include approved part-time status and students with special circumstances who have a Petition for Exception to Policy approved by an Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. 

Your Graduate Program Coordinator is available to discuss course planning, and the expectations of your graduate program and degree objective.  

Late Enrollment Process

The last day for non-enrolled students to add courses on their own is the 12th day of instruction for the quarter.  After the 12th day, students must work with their coordinator to submit a late enrollment request via GradSphere.  A $3 fee will be assessed to the student's account for late enrollment.  Once re-activated, the student can use Schedule Builder for additional schedule adjustments until the 25th day of instruction.  Late enrollment requests are due no later than the 25th day of instruction.

Graduate Fee Payment Deadlines

Graduate students must pay their fees by the Thursday or second-to-last day of the 8th week of the quarter.  Students who choose to pay more than five days after the fee payment deadline will be assessed a $45 late fee to process the untimely payment.  Additionally, a hold will be placed on registration for the next quarter until the balance has been paid. 

Students who have been dropped for nonpayment can be reactivated by doing the following steps:

  1. Ensure any applicable funding (fee remission, fellowship) was applied correctly for the quarter.  If funds have not been applied, talk to your Graduate Program Coordinator.  Your Coordinator may be able to resolve the issue or know the correct contact who can help.
  2. Pay the remaining balance through MyBill.
  3. Once the balance has been paid, Student Accounting will remove the registration hold, or you can contact them directly.  This alone will not reactivate your enrollment for the quarter.
  4. You or your Graduate Coordinator may contact your SAA, and ask to be reactivated for the upcoming quarter
  5. After you are reactivated, you may re-register for courses.  You will not automatically be returned to courses in which you were enrolled prior to being dropped for non-payment.