Continuous Registration
Unless a Leave of Absence has been granted, students are expected to register for every academic quarter once their graduate studies begin. For the quarter in which the degree is actually awarded, students must either be registered or on Filing Fee status.
Filing Fee Status
Students who have completed all degree requirements except for filing their dissertations/theses or sitting their Master's Comprehensive Exams are eligible for Filing Fee status during the final quarter of residence in lieu of paying registration fees. Student do not have to use Filing Fee status. For students writing dissertations or theses, the dissertation/thesis advisor must certify that the Committee has read and approved a draft of the manuscript, that only minor revisions need to be made, and no more than 12 hours of faculty time will be required.
Students on Filing Fee status pay only one-half of the Registration Fee (currently $144.00). Only one quarter on Filing Fee status is allowed. Students who fail to complete their degree programs must register and pay full fees for the following quarter.
Students on Filing Fee status may purchase Health Insurance separately through the Student Health Insurance Section of the Campus Health Service at the Veitch Student Center (x25683 or x23031) if they wish to be covered.
A candidate on Filing Fee status cannot be employed with any student employment title (such as GSR, TA, or Associate-In). Since a candidate on Filing Fee status does not pay registration fees nor enroll in units, they are not entitled to University student privileges or use of University facilities except for the Library.
Leave of Absence
A Leave of Absence is intended to allow the temporary interruption of the student's academic program. Leaves are granted for the following reasons:
- serious illness or other temporary disability
- the need to concentrate on a job or occupation not directly related to the degree program; or
- family responsibilities
To be eligible for a Leave of Absence, students must have the approval of their Graduate Advisor, be in good standing, and have been enrolled for at least one quarter. Leaves are not normally granted for more than a total of three quarters. Since students on Leave do not pay fees, they may not use University facilities or make demands on faculty time. Students on Leave are ineligible for fellowships, research grants, or financial aid. A student on leave may not normally work on campus and appointments as a GSR or TA, or any other appointment requiring full-time enrollment, is not possible. Nor can students on Leave take qualifying exams or receive credit for academic work done during the Leave period.
In Absentia Registration
Students pursuing graduate study or research outside the State of California for an entire quarter may register in absentia and may receive a 50 percent reduction (currently $144.00) in the Registration Fee. In absentia registrants should be advanced to candidacy for the doctorate or be writing a master's thesis. Contact the Graduate Division for the proper forms.
Withdrawal
Students who wish to cancel their registration prior to the first day of classes should contact the Registrar's Office. They will receive a full refund of fees minus a processing fee. Thereafter, those who withdraw during the first five weeks of a quarter are entitled to a partial refund of fees. The amount of the refund is determined by the number of calendar days elapsed between the first day of instruction and the date on which a withdrawal form is filed with the Graduate Division. See the Schedule of Classes for the refund schedule.The Graduate Student Health Insurance fee is not refunded unless the student enters the Armed Forces and requests a pro rata refund from the Campus Health Insurance Office.
Students who are unable to file the necessary paperwork due to illness or emergency should call the Graduate Division for help at (951) 827-3315.
Enrollment
Each quarter, graduate students must pay their fees and file a Study List by the date indicated in the Schedule of Classes.
All graduate students are expected to carry a full academic course load unless good reasons exist for not doing so. Graduate students are considered to be full-time if they are carrying 12 graduate units. When a Study List contains both graduate and undergraduate courses, the following table is used to calculate the appropriate course load:
Full Academic Program
Graduate Units + Undergraduate Units
0 16
1 15
2 13
3 12
4 11
5 9
6 8
7 7
8 5
9 4
10 3
Part-Time Study
In some programs, half-time study (6 units or less) is possible. Half-time status is only approved for students who cannot attend full-time for reasons of occupation (full-time employment outside the University), unusual family responsibilities, or poor health.
Students should obtain an application and guidelines for half-time status from the Graduate Division. Half-time students obtain the approval of their department to register for six units or less of course work (including Physical Education classes). The half-time petition must be submitted to the Graduate Division two weeks before fees are due unless they want to pay their full fees first. If full fees are paid first, a refund will be processed. In no event may the student turn in a petition after the third week of the quarter.
If the student enrolls in more than the allotted number of units they will be billed the amount that was earlier deducted from their fees (one-half of the Educational Fee and one-half of the Nonresident Tuition, if applicable; for MBA students this may include part of the Professional Fee).
Students may apply for half-time status for the entire academic year during the Fall quarter. Students are expected to notify the Graduate Division if they terminate half-time status prior to the end of the academic year. Half-time students are not eligible for employment as GSRs or TAs or to hold University fellowships as determined by the Graduate Council.
Prior to candidacy, half-time doctoral students will acquire time to the degree under the Normative Time to Degree Policy at one-half the rate of full-time students for those quarters during which they are approved for half-time study. After advancement to candidacy, all doctoral students will be considered full-time under the Normative Time Policy and for purposes of registering and enrolling. Thus, doctoral candidates who are advanced to candidacy are not eligible for half-time status.
University financial aid is not available for students taking less than six units of course work. If approved for half-time status, eligibility for deferment of student loan repayment obligations may be in jeopardy. Students should consult the Business Office of the University where they incurred their debt for specific information.
Federal regulations governing student visa status require full-time attendance for international students.
If the student is a career employee of the University, they can use the Employee Reduced Fee Program (contact the Benefits Section of the Human Resources Office).
Transfer of Credit
Petitions for transferring credit will be considered only when the work is necessary to fulfill degree requirements. The total number of units which students will be allowed to transfer onto their graduate record at UCR from other institutions cannot exceed one half the number of units needed for the graduate degree. Students may not transfer in any units from a program that has been successfully completed.
Units from another University of California campus may be used to satisfy one of the three quarters of the residence requirement and may be counted for up to 1/2 of the total units required for the UCR Master's degree. Department and Graduate Division approval must be obtained before such units can be accepted for credit.
A maximum of 8 quarter units from institutions outside the University of California may be counted toward the Master's degree at UCR. All transfer work must have been completed in graduate standing with a minimum grade of "B." Department and Graduate Division approval must be obtained before these units can be accepted for credit. These units must be from an institution of recognized standing and cannot be used to reduce the minimum residency requirement or minimum requirement in 200 series courses taken at this University. These courses must apply to the graduate program in which the student is registered. Unit credit only is posted on the UCR transcript (grade points are not transferred).
UCR undergraduates who have no more than two courses or 8 units of course work remaining in their bachelor's programs and who have been admitted to graduate status may begin course work for their advanced degrees at the beginning of the final quarter of undergraduate study. Bringing Forward Units from Undergraduate Status requires that the students inform their College Offices before beginning the course work in question and that they petition the Graduate Division for credit once they are enrolled as graduate students.
Students may apply Summer Session course work from any University of California campus toward their graduate degree requirements if they have prior approval of their departments and of the Graduate Dean.
UCR Extension is considered an outside institution, but because "concurrent enrollment" courses (prefix XRC) are regularly offered UCR courses, students may transfer in up to 8 units of concurrent enrollment credit. However, students must have taken these units before their enrollment as graduate students. Matriculated graduate students may not use the University Extension concurrent enrollment mechanism. Graduate students who withdraw before completing their program objectives are required to wait one year before applying XRC courses to their degrees. (Please note that a student could transfer-in 8 additional units from the category 'Non-UC Campuses' described above.)
Exams
Ordinarily, examinations such as language exams, master's comprehensives, and written and oral qualifying exams may be given only during an academic session for which the student has registered.
In the event of unsatisfactory performance on critical examinations (including comprehensive examinations for Master's or Ph.D. degrees and Ph.D. qualifying examinations) a second exam may be given upon the recommendation of the examination committee. The second examination may have a format different from the first, but the substance should be the same. The second examination will ordinarily not be given until three months have elapsed since the first examination. A third examination is not permitted.
Satisfactory/No Credit (S/NC) Grading
Graduate students may take course work on an S/NC basis only when the course description indicates that this is an option.
Students who wish to enroll in undergraduate courses on an S/NC basis may petition the Dean. The graduate advisor must certify that these courses are not in the student's major or program of study.
All graduate students must be graded on an S/NC basis for any Physical Education activity course (PE1) in which they enroll.
A grade of S is equivalent to a grade of B (3.0) or better. No credit is given for a course in which a grade of NC is assigned.
Repeating Courses
A graduate student may repeat only those courses in which a grade below C- or a grade of NC was received. Repetition of a course more than once requires the Dan's approval. Only the most recently earned grade is used in computing the student's grade point average.