Students are required to pay fees and file a study list each quarter in order to be considered a registered student. The Registrar mails registration information to all continuing students approximately six weeks before the quarter begins. There is a fee for late fee payment and study list filing. For more information you can review the Office of Admissions and Registrar at: http://saawww.ucsf.edu/admission/reg.html
Graduate students whose research or study requires them to remain outside the State of California throughout the quarter may register in absentia. The registration and education fees are reduced by 85% for those students who register in absentia. In order to receive the fee reduction, the student must file an application for reduced fees at the Graduate Division for each quarter in absentia (by the beginning of each quarter). Also, to qualify for registration in absentia, applicants must be in advanced to candidacy standing in their program.
The study list is the official record of courses for which a student will receive credit at the end of the quarter. Students file their study list on-line using their student ID and PIN. Students are required to obtain pre-approval from their graduate advisor prior to filing the study list. The study list must be filed by the published deadlines each quarter; after the deadline, a late fee will be charged. According to Academic Senate regulations, ordinarily a graduate student shall not receive credit for more than 12 units in strictly graduate (200 series), or more than 16 units in 100 series courses each quarter. However, the graduate advisor may approve a study list which exceeds these limits. Advisors must review the study list carefully as adjustments to students' records can not be made after established deadlines. The number of units may effect student eligibility for financial aid and for some training grants.
With the approval of the graduate advisor, students may make changes on-line to a study list as long as they are made before the published deadline for on-line filing. After this deadline, students can neither add a course nor change unit values to existing courses. Courses may be dropped until the end of the seventh week of classes of the quarter. No changes to the study list may be made after that date. To either drop a course or change grading option after the on-line deadline, students must submit a petition in person and pay the required fee.
Eight to twelve units is considered full-time study for graduate students. Students may enroll for fewer than eight units and still be considered full-time depending on the kind of activity the student is engaged in during the quarter. A doctoral student who is preparing for the qualifying examination, for example, may be registered for a total of four units and be considered full-time because of the time spent in preparation for the exam. A student engaged in writing the dissertation might register for only one course (299, which carries no units) and still be considered full-time.
A student who is unable to pursue full-time study for reasons of occupation, family responsibilities, or health may petition for classification as a part-time student.
Petitions for classification as a part-time student are available at the Office of the Registrar, MU-200 West and on-line. Graduate advisors should endorse petitions for part-time study only if it is appropriate for the student in question.
Every graduate student must register for and complete a minimum of 4 units of course work each quarter for a specified number of quarters in order to meet requirements for academic residence:
A student who does not register must petition for either a leave of absence or a withdrawal. Otherwise, the student's status will lapse and the Graduate Division will instruct the Registrar to change the status to administrative withdrawal. A leave of absence may be approved for one academic year and is subject to approval by the graduate advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies. After one year has passed, a request for an extended leave must be submitted by the student and approved by the Graduate Advisor. Extensions are limited to no more than one additional academic year. No further extension will be granted; students must return to registered status. The same form is used to petition for either a leave of absence or an honorable withdrawal. The forms are available from the Registrar's office. Generally speaking, students may request a leave of absence at any time, but should have some idea of when they intend to return to graduate study. Approval of the petition for a leave of absence implies that the student will be readmitted to the graduate program. Students should petition for withdrawal if they have no intention of returning to UCSF.The following signature approvals must be obtained in the following order:
Registered UCSF graduate academic students receiving financial support from the University, regardless of source, shall continue to receive the current annual level of support for a period of up to six weeks while they remain registered students for designated parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child or adolescent.In the event that the fund source does not provide for six weeks paid parental leave, it shall be the responsibility of the graduate program to provide the funding for its graduate students.This policy supersedes policies of all other funding agencies, departments, and programs.
A student on leave of absence must petition for readmission in order to register again as a graduate student. The petition for readmission is available from the Registrar's office or on-line. Readmission requires the approval of the graduate advisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies. A non-refundable $40 fee is charged when the readmission form is filed. Students must observe the Registrar's deadlines for filing a petition for readmission.For readmission, the following signatures of approval must be obtained in the following order:
A student who wishes to change his/her field of study must request to do so using a general student petition form. Forms are available in the Graduate Division office, MU200W and on-line. The signature of the graduate advisor in the present program and approval of the proposed graduate program advisor is required. The proposed graduate program may review a student’s petition as thoroughly as it does applications for admission. The Graduate Division will provide copies of transcripts, GRE scores, etc. as required. For changes to be effective for a given quarter, petitions must be approved and submitted by the first day of that quarter.
A student may petition for change in degree objective by using the Application for Change / Addition of Degree Objective Form on the Graduate Division Website (in the Forms area of the website). There are several reasons for changes in degree objective:
In all cases, the petition should state the requested change and bear the signatures of the graduate advisor. Students wishing to obtain a master's degree are subject to the policies and deadlines regarding advancement to candidacy for the master's degree. For changes to be effective for a given quarter, petitions must be approved and submitted by the first day of that quarter.
The University of California Intercampus Exchange Program allows graduate students to take courses on another campus of the University while remaining registered on the home campus. It provides the opportunity for contact with scholars, fields of study, and facilities not available on the home campus. The student pays fees only to the home campus and grades for courses taken at the host campus are reported to the Registrar for inclusion on the student’s UCSF transcript. Intercampus Exchange Forms are available in MU200W and on-line. Four signatures are required:
Home campus signatures are required before the host campus will approve. Forms must be submitted to the Graduate Division at least three weeks before the quarter begins so that the Registrar's office can make arrangements for filing of study lists, etc. UCSF students must list Intercampus Exchange courses on the UCSF study list in order to receive proper credit. Study lists and other forms may be required for the host campus as well. Courses taken on another campus must be directly related to the student's degree program. Lower division undergraduate courses may not be taken on Intercampus Exchange.
Several institutions in San Francisco cooperate in a consortium arrangement in which any regularly enrolled, full-time, matriculated student of a member institution may register for courses offered by other member institutions. No extra cost to the student or institutions is involved except for those students wishing to take a course at the University of San Francisco and Golden Gate University. The consortium arrangement applies only to regular sessions of the academic year and excludes summer session, intersession and extension courses. Cross-registration is limited to one course per term at one other institution. Application forms and specific instructions are available on-line or from the Registrar's office. Members of the San Francisco Consortium are:
(students from consortium member institutions who enroll at GGU will be charged a per-unit tuition rate published in the GGU class schedule for that term and will be expected to make payment at the time of registration.)
A similar exchange program exists with Stanford University. Forms for cross registration with Stanford are available in MU200W and on-line at: http://saawww.ucsf.edu/admission/forms.html
Concurrent registration permits a student to pursue simultaneously more than one degree objective. A student enrolled for the D.D.S., or Pharm.D. degree may also work toward a graduate academic degree. Professional students who wish to register concurrently must file a separate application for admission to the Graduate Division and obtain approval from the Dean of the professional school. Such students must file two study lists while in concurrent status. Credit may not be utilized toward more than one degree objective. Concurrently registered students must meet all the requirements for a graduate academic degree. Graduate students who have been admitted to the UCSF School of Medicine are advised to complete their degree requirements prior to enrolling as a medical student. Otherwise, the School of Medicine will require the student to take a leave of absence from the Graduate Division. Graduate Council regulations allow a medical student to pursue a master’s degree under Medical Student's Option. It is not available to students in other professional degree programs. Students accepted into the Medical Scientist Training Program in the School of Medicine complete two years of Medical School, then complete the Ph.D. then return to Medical School to complete the last two years curriculum.
Ordinarily all course work for a graduate degree must be done in residence. However, up to six quarter-units of credit for work completed elsewhere may be allowed. For course work completed at another campus of the University of California, up to one-half the program for a masters degree (15 to 18 quarter units) may be accepted for transfer.
The student must file a general petition requesting transfer of credit and have an official transcript indicating completion of the course(s) sent directly to the Graduate Division. If all conditions are satisfied and acceptance of credit is recommended by the Graduate Advisor, the Graduate Division will instruct the Registrar to add the units to the student's permanent record. Courses accepted for transfer should be listed on the application for candidacy.Since specific course and unit requirements do not ordinarily apply to the doctoral degree, transfer of credit policies do not apply to students in doctoral degree programs.
A student who has completed all requirements for the degree with the exception of filing the dissertation or thesis or taking the comprehensive examination, may apply for filing fee status in lieu of registration.
Download the application for filing fee here: Filing Fee Application A student on filing fee status does not register or file a study list. Services such as Financial Aid, the Student Health Service, and Millberry Union membership are not available to students on filing fee, except by special arrangement. Students who wish to continue Student Health Service and Health insurance coverage may do so for an additional fee. Arrangements must be made with the insurance clerk at the Student Health Service within the first five working days of the quarter. Students should not apply for filing fee unless they are sure that they will complete degree requirements during the quarter. The first draft of the thesis or dissertation should be completed and all members of the committee must be in agreement that further research is not necessary. Many students underestimate the time it will take to get the final manuscript approved by the entire committee and prepared for submission to the Graduate Division. If the student does not finish the work for the degree at the end of the quarter on filing fee, registration with full fees for all subsequent quarters is required until the degree is completed. Students who return to registered student status after a quarter on filing fee will be required to pay an additional Student Health Service insurance fee if they did not continue coverage during the filing fee quarter.