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Registration Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions:

 
Is your question not on the list above? - Contact us! Registrar staff and Students First Center staff are ready to help. Send an email to registrar@ucmerced.edu or chat with an SFC expert during operational hours by clicking the "Chat with an Expert" chat icon located on the bottom right of the Students First Center webpage.

Solutions/Resources:

Step-by-step guidance and information regarding common online registration errors and preparing for registration can be found on our registration help page.

We encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to discuss course plans and graduation requirements. More information about academic advising is available here: http://registrar.ucmerced.edu/registration-help-page/registration/academic-advising

MyDegreePath is a tool available to you that combines a degree audit with an academic planner. This resource may aid you in the selection of courses for the term. 

Registration activity primarily occurs during priority registration week. It is important that you select courses that fit into your degree progress. If space is not available in your preferred courses/sections or on the course waitlist, we recommend that you register for other courses that fit into your degree plan. Your academic advisor and the MyDegreePath tool may assist you in determining which courses to take next term.

You may view open classes on the online course schedule.

Undergraduate students must carry a study load of at least 15 units each semester in order to maintain normal progress toward their degree and at least 12 units are required for full-time student certification. Enrollment Status Policy.

If for reasons of occupation, family responsibility, health or graduating senior status (one semester only), a student is unable to attend the university on a full-time basis, the student may file for part-time status by the 15th day of instruction. The part-time program form is available here: http://registrar.ucmerced.edu/forms.

School approval is necessary to repeat a course. Review the course repeat information associated with the School the course is associated with. Links for each School are available on the registration error page.

Failure to enroll in courses for a fall or spring term may result in the loss of your student status and you will be required to apply to reinstate unless you are on an approved educational leave. 

If you do not intend to return to the university you must submit a Leaving UC Merced Form. If you intend to return to the University, it is recommended that you submit the Leaving UC Merced Form and speak to your academic advisor.

More information about leaving UC Merced: http://registrar.ucmerced.edu/policies/leaving-uc-merced.

Congratulations on completing your degree requirements! You must notify the Registrar's Office that you are ready to graduate by completing the online graduation application. After we update your application status to under review we will inactivate your student status for the following term and you will stop receiving registration reminders from the Registrar's Office. 

This notification may appear for multiple reasons for students, with the most common causes being special program enrollment, an active educational leave, or a graduation application on file. 

Students who are approved to participate in the Education Abroad Program, for example, will not be able to register for courses at UCM during their anticipated abroad term. The Registrar's Office will restore registration eligibility at UCM if we receive a withdrawal notification from the EAP program. Students on an educational leave will not be able to register for terms in between their leave term and the return term noted on their ELP form. If you are interested in updating your return term, send an e-mail to registrar@ucmerced.edu so we may review your request.

Your student status is updated to inactive in the term immediately following the term you have applied to graduate in. If your plans have changed and you will be graduating later, you must refile for graduation to have your student status restored. You may refile for graduation here: https://dbsforms.ucmerced.edu/forms/student-graduation-refile.

  • PHYS 009L/PHYS 019L

    Beginning with summer 2020 registration into PHYS 009L or PHYS 019L requires the completion of PHYS 008L or PHYS 018L with a C- or better. Students who completed PHYS 008 or PHYS 018 with a C- or better in or before fall 2019, should notify their academic advisor of their intent to register in PHYS 009L/019L, for registration assistance. 

  • No Instructor Assigned 

    If an instructor has not been assigned, the course is not currently eligible for overrides. Continue to check the online class schedule for updates. The Registrar’s Office posts instructor assignments after we receive the assignments from the Schools. For additional questions related to a course without an assigned instructor, we recommend reaching out to your academic advisor for guidance. 

  • Cross-Listed/Conjoined Courses

  • Cross-listed Courses are the same course offered under different course subjects at the same level (either undergraduate or graduate) that share the same meeting time, requirements, units, etc. Conjoined Courses are the same course but one is undergraduate and one is graduate. Cross-listed and Conjoined courses share seats available in the course and share waitlists. To check to see if a course is cross-listed, from the course description box, click the cross-listed tab. 

  • Course Waitlist Quick Facts

    • Waitlisted students have 18 hours to register after being notified of an open seat. During this time, the course may appear to have an open seat but the space is actually reserved for students enrolling from the waitlist. 

    • Courses with multiple components (lab/lecture/discussion) have the course waitlist on the smallest section of the linked course group. Students must register for all linked courses when registering for a class from a waitlist.

    • Cross-listed courses share waitlists. Contact our office if you have trouble waitlisting for a cross-listed course.

    • Waitlists expire when the online add period ends. Prepare to follow late add procedures if you are unable to register for a course from the waitlist. More information is available here

    • Detailed information about waitlists along with how-to guides are available on this site.