Temporary absence during a quarter. Students enrolled at UCSB who have been or will be absent from classes for a brief period of time for reasons beyond their control should notify their professors as soon as possible. Regardless of the reasons for absence, students will be required to complete all coursework.
If an absence is late in the term and prolonged, making it impossible to complete the coursework on time, a student may petition the instructor to assign an Incomplete (I) grade. To receive an I grade, the student must submit the approved petition to the Office of the Registrar by the last day of the quarter in which the I grade is to be assigned. Refer to “Incomplete Grades” under the “Grading System” section in this chapter for complete regulations.
Cancellation of registration. A student wishing to cancel their enrollment prior to the first day of instruction for that term must submit a Cancellation of Registration petition in GOLD. International students and students participating in special enrollment programs may not be able to cancel via GOLD and should instead use the form available from the Office of the Registrar’s website at registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/forms.
Complete Withdrawal. An enrolled student who wishes to withdraw from the university during a quarter without completing the quarter’s work must submit an Undergraduate Withdrawal Petition or a Graduate Withdrawal Petition to the Office of the Registrar. If the petition and deadline requirements are met and the appropriate signature approvals are secured, the student’s enrollment will be withdrawn without academic penalty. The deadline for undergraduates in the College of Engineering and the College of Letters and Science to submit a completed petition is the last day of instruction for the quarter, while the deadline for the College of Creative Studies is the last day of the quarter. The deadline for graduate students is the last day of the quarter. Upon request, the Student and Parent Liaison in the Dean of Students Office may provide assistance in completing a withdrawal petition for a student who cannot do so due to medical or hardship circumstances. A student who receives permission to withdraw completely during the early weeks of a quarter may be entitled to a partial refund of fees for that quarter as outlined on the Office of the Registrar's Fee Refunds page. Students who withdraw or lapse and receive Title IV federal aid will be required to return a prorated portion if they complete 60% or less of the quarter.
Students who enroll and subsequently discontinue work during a quarter without an approved petition for withdrawal will receive an F, NP (not passed), or U (unsatisfactory) grade, as appropriate, for each course in which they are enrolled for that quarter. Such students are ineligible for any refund of fees, and their future registration privileges may be curtailed or revoked.
Before withdrawing, students are advised to seek counsel from faculty, departmental and college advisors, and from Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships so as to consider the full implications of this action. After withdrawal and before future registration, undergraduates and graduate students must apply for and receive permission to be readmitted/reinstated. The application deadlines for readmission or reinstatement significantly precede the start of the quarter and are published on the Office of the Registrar’s website under Readmission / Reinstatement. The opening dates for applying for readmission are noted in the calendar at the beginning of this catalog.
Withdrawal from a course. To drop a course after the established deadline for the quarter, students must petition for and obtain the approval of the dean of their college. The dean may direct the Office of the Registrar to enter a grade of W, F, NP (not passed), or U (unsatisfactory), as appropriate, on the student’s record, or may cancel the student’s enrollment. The dean may also stipulate that future enrollment in the same course be subject to approval. Students should be aware that late drops are granted only under exceptional circumstances. Students should not discontinue class attendance on the assumption that the request will be approved.
Lapse of status. Lapse of status is the automatically enforced withdrawal of a matriculated student from the university. A student’s status may be lapsed (1) for failure to comply with the conditions for admission, (2) for failure to register and enroll in courses by the deadline stated in the Academic Calendar, (3) for failure to settle financial obligations when due or to make satisfactory arrangements with the Billing, Accounts Receivable, and Collections Office (BARC) if payment cannot be made, and (4) for failure to respond to official university notices (including failure to remove blocks).
Students that are Lapsed during their first quarter at UCSB and do not immediately rectify the situation which resulted in the Lapse of status are not considered to be matriculated students. Under this condition the undergraduate student is required to reapply through the Office of Admissions, and the graduate student is required to reapply through the Graduate Division.
Leaves of absence. Graduate students are required to maintain continuous registration. Under extraordinary circumstances graduate students may request a leave of absence from the Graduate Division. For further information concerning leaves of absence for graduate students, consult the Graduate Division website at www.graddiv.ucsb.edu.
Undergraduate students may request leave of absence when studying abroad through a non-UC sponsored program. For more information regarding the Non-UC Sponsored Study Abroad program, refer to the Non-UC Sponsored Study Abroad Leave section on the Office of the Registrar website.
Readmission–Undergraduates. Eligible undergraduate students who wish to register at UCSB after an absence, a complete withdrawal, cancellation, or lapse of their registration, must file an application for readmission with the Office of the Registrar. Eligibility will be determined at the point of application processing. Applications are available on the Office of the Registrar’s website at registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/registration-enrollment/registration-enrollment/readmission-reinstatement.
Readmission opens August 1 (of the preceding year) for fall quarter; April 1 (of the preceding year) for winter quarter; September 1 (of the preceding year) for spring quarter. Readmission deadlines are:
Fall - the second Monday in May
Winter - the second Monday in August
Spring - the third Tuesday in January
These deadlines may be closed without notice, pending enrollment restrictions. The non-refundable application fee is $70.
Readmission is generally approved for students who were on regular academic status when they left UCSB provided that any college-level work completed in the interim is satisfactory and space is available. It is highly recommended that returning juniors and seniors, who have taken course work elsewhere, meet with a college advisor prior to submitting a readmission application.
Students seeking readmission to the College of Engineering must have the approval of the dean. Students who are seeking readmission to the College of Letters and Science after having already completed 135 or more units need the approval of the dean. In some cases, they will be required to submit a “Proposed Schedule for Graduation” before readmission will be considered. In general, readmission will be approved only for those students whose proposed schedule leads to graduation within 200 total units. As the proposal must be endorsed by the student’s major department (and minor department if a minor is planned), students should begin this process several months prior to their intended return.
Students in the College of Letters and Science should pay close attention to the above application deadlines if they are seeking readmission after completion of 135 units or reinstatement after poor academic performance. Those who miss the deadline to apply for their desired quarter will have to apply for readmission (and/or reinstatement) to a later quarter.
Any student returning to UCSB following an absence of three quarters or more (excluding summer) must file a new Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) available online at registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/fees-residency/residency. The deadline for submission of an SLR is two weeks from admission or readmission.
Reinstatement–Undergraduates. Students who were on reinstatement probation, or were subject to academic disqualification, or dismissed by dean’s action when they left the university, will not be considered for readmission unless first reinstated by the dean of their college. The dean will establish the conditions of such reinstatement, if approved. Students should contact the Office of the Registrar for more information.
Reinstatement–Graduates. Students who wish to register after a lapse in enrollment status must petition for reinstatement through the Graduate Division. Reinstatement is not automatic and requires the approval of the student’s academic department; the student’s record will be evaluated in terms of past academic performance and timely completion of the degree. Students seeking to reinstate must attach a detailed timetable for completion of their degree(s) and a memo describing how he/she has remained current in the field.