To maintain full-time student status at UCSB, you need to be enrolled in at least 12 units each quarter. To graduate with the required 180/184 total units by the end of your fourth year, you should aim to take an average of 15 units per quarter after your first quarter. Keep in mind that this average does not include any AP or transfer credits you may have received before coming to UCSB. Planning your course load accordingly will help you stay on track for graduation!

Go to Degree Requirements section for additional information on satisfying your requirements to complete your degree.

Your priority is to create a balanced schedule. This typically includes 1 or 2 major courses (chosen with major department consultation) and an additional General Education (GE) or elective courses. Most students can register for a maximum of 11.5 units during Pass I, and 15.5 units during Pass 2 so plan accordingly. We also recommend adding multiple options to your cart before your Pass time in case your first choices are not available.

Each major department has different recommendations for the number of major courses you should be taking in a given quarter. Always work closely with your major advisor to determine the best schedule for you. You should also review your major degree requirements or the "major sheet" found in the UCSB Catalog's list of academic programs.

UCSB Academic Programs

Keep in mind that your major and General Education (GE) requirements might not cover all 180/184 units needed to graduate. It's perfectly fine to explore other interests! Courses that don’t fulfill major or GE requirements are called “electives.” These elective courses count toward your total unit requirement and can enrich your educational experience.

To learn more go to the Degree Requirements section of our website.

Yes! Some courses can fulfill multiple requirements. While one course can not satisfy multiple Area A-G requirements, you can find courses that satisfy University + General Subject Area (Area A-G) + Special Subject + Major Requirements! Use the "Course Info" tab on GOLD or the lists below to see which areas one course satisfies.

You can run a “Major and GE Progress Check” located under the “Progress” tab on GOLD. This check updates quarterly after grades are entered. View the GOLD 101: Academic Progress video above for step-by-step instructions.

When running a “Progress Check”, remember:

• Not all courses count towards GE requirements. Verify if a course meets GE requirements by checking the “Course Info” on GOLD. This is the only way to ensure the course is officially approved for a GE requirement.
• A course listed under multiple GE A-G areas can only apply to one area. However, courses may fulfill both an area requirement and special subject requirements simultaneously if approved for both. See the Degree Requirements page for specific information regarding GE requirements.

Warning: Do not register for a course for which you have already earned credit. This is known as duplicate matriculation. For example, you can only receive credit for one lower-division statistics course, regardless of whether you took it at UCSB, another institution, or received Advanced Placement (AP) credit.

Most students will begin to take upper-division courses (numbered 100-199) at the beginning of their third year (junior year), or occasionally at the end of their second year. You will need a minimum of 60 upper-division units to graduate.

There are several reasons you may not be able to register for a course:

1. You may have reached your unit maximum for your Pass Time. Check your "Maximum Study Load" on GOLD under the "Registration" tab. 
2. You don't meet the prerequisite requirement. You can check for this in GOLD by clicking the class's “Course Information” button and then selecting the “Prerequisites” option on the left.
3. The course is restricted to majors only. You can check for this in GOLD by clicking the class's “Course Information” button and then selecting the “Restrictions” option on the left. Note: some courses are only restricted during Pass 1.
4. The course is upper division (numbered 100 or higher) and you are not in upper division standing but you have not yet completed 90 units or more. You can check for this in GOLD by clicking the class's “Course Information” button and then selecting the “Restrictions” option on the left. If you are unsure of your class standing, you can look under the “Registration” tab, and your “Class Level” is displayed on the left.

You must be enrolled in 12 units to be eligible to join a Waitlist for a course. In these situations, you may want to add an available course to your schedule and then add the waitlisted course. Keep in mind that waitlisted courses count toward the maximum unit limit for each registration period. If your total units (including the waitlisted course) exceed this limit, you won't be able to join the waitlist. You can bypass this limit by using the "link course" feature. This allows you to link the waitlisted course to an existing course on your schedule that has the same number of units or more. When you do this, the waitlisted course won't count toward your unit limit for that registration period. If you get off the waitlist, the course will automatically be replaced with the linked course, so be careful not to link it to a course you want to keep!

For additional information regarding waitlisting courses. Visit the Course Waitlist page on the Office of the Registrar's website.