A Key to a Smooth Academic Journey

Academic policies and procedures outlined here apply to all students enrolled at UCSB. They include procedures related to enrollment and attendance, examinations, course credit, the grading system, graduation, and student conduct and responsibility. Familiarizing yourself with these policies can lead to a smoother academic journey to success. 

Go to the Degree Requirements page for information on completing your degree at UCSB.

Have questions? Reach out to our Advising Team.

Additional information on University policies and procedures can be found in the UCSB Catalog's University Policies and Disclosures section.

UCSB Catalog

Understanding Policies, Regulations & Procedures

Expand the sections below for more information about UCSB's grading system, enrollment criteria, unit & credit limitations, repeating courses, withdrawing, and more.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly used in research, teaching, writing, coding, data analysis, and creative work. These tools can enhance productivity and support learning and scholarship, but they also introduce risks related to accuracy, authorship, academic integrity, privacy, security, and intellectual property. All students are responsible for ensuring that any use of AI complies with University policies and the expectations of their faculty instructors.

Before Using AI

Discuss Expectations with Instructors

Students should review each course syllabus carefully for guidance around acceptable AI use. Individual faculty, especially across different disciplines, may have very different expectations around what is considered an acceptable use of AI in their class. Students should discuss any questions with their faculty instructors, with the goal of clearly understanding:

  • Whether and how AI may be used in a given course or project;
  • Which forms of AI assistance are acceptable and which are not;
  • When disclosure or acknowledgment of AI use is required. 

Students who use AI in their coursework outside of what is permitted by the course instructor may face significant academic consequences, depending on the course instructor’s academic integrity policy and the outcome of any investigation by Student Conduct.

See the following resources for more information on UCSB’s academic dishonesty policies:

 

Core Principles of AI Use

You Are Responsible for Your Work

Students are responsible for the content of the work they create, submit, and/or present, regardless of whether AI tools were used in its development. AI systems are tools and cannot be authors or assume responsibility for scholarly work. They cannot be held accountable for the accuracy, integrity, or originality of writing or research, nor for the ethical and scholarly judgments made in creating it. AI tools can generate inaccurate, misleading, incomplete, or fabricated content, and may invent references, citations, quotations, data, analyses, or factual claims. Students must take responsibility for their work, and should carefully review any material created with the assistance of AI before submission.

Use AI as a Tool, Not a Substitute for Learning

Where allowed, AI can be useful for activities such as:

  • Brainstorming and exploring ideas
  • Providing feedback on drafts of written work
  • Assisting with programming and debugging
  • Generating figures, graphics, or visualizations
  • Finding, organizing, or summarizing information

Faculty instructors may permit AI assistance with these and other academic tasks, but it should not substitute for the student’s own critical thinking. Using AI generated work as a substitute for your thinking, writing, coding, and other activities in your academic classes is like hiring someone else to lift weights for you; you’re at the gym with the goal of improving yourself, in the vicinity of the machines, but you’re not getting any benefit because you’re not putting in the effort. 

Protect Sensitive Information

Students should carefully consider the sensitivity of any writing or data provided to AI cloud platforms, as any material submitted can be used to train models and potentially become public knowledge depending on the policies of the AI vendor. This is particularly important if working with sensitive information, such as research materials, but is also important in protecting your own work and personal information.

Students with questions around sensitive materials and AI privacy policies may consult the following resources:

 

Additional Resources

Because AI technologies and policies are evolving rapidly, students should remain informed about changes in University policies, disciplinary expectations, and publication requirements. The following resources provide additional guidance on the responsible use of AI in graduate education and research.



 

The links below take you to different sections of the General Catalog and provide information about the grading system and grading options for UCSB students. For additional information on grades and how they affect your GPA, including a GPA Calculator, go to the Grade Information page under Degree Planning.

 

The New Retroactive Grade Option Change policy, introduced in the 2023-24 academic year, is a pivotal resource designed to support first-year students as they acclimate to the academic demands of UC Santa Barbara. Recognizing the challenges students face in navigating UC expectations, this policy provides a safety net, allowing students to retroactively modify their grading option (from letter-graded to P/NP) on GOLD during their first three quarters with the following restrictions:

  1. You can use this option only for courses in which you earned a C- or lower.
  2. You can use this option only for your first three quarters at UCSB.
  3. The change is only available during subsequent quarters. For example, you have until the end of Winter quarter to make the change for your Fall classes.
  4. This applies to courses with "optional" grading only.
  5. You must be in good academic standing.
  6. Once changed, it's final! Intercollegiate athletes and those on veteran’s benefits should always check with advising before making any grading changes.  Also students considering law school after graduation should be aware that Law Schools recalculate NPs as Fs when determining a student's GPA.
     

Students may repeat courses in which they receive a grade of C-or lower, or an NP, to improve their UC GPA. The policies on repeating courses can be found in the UCSB General Catalog. Below is a summary of what students should know and frequently asked questions regarding the policy.

Grade Limitation. Only courses in which you received a grade of C- or lower or an NP can be repeated.

16 units of Letter Grade Repeat Limit. Your GPA is calculated using the most recent grade for the first 16 repeated units. After that, you can still repeat courses; however, the grades for all attempts of the course are calculated into your GPA.

All grades are recorded on your transcript. Repeated courses do not replace your grade on your transcript. All grades are recorded on your transcript; however, only the most recent grade will be calculated into your GPA.

Only 1 repeat is allowed per course. You may only repeat a course once. To repeat a course more than once, you need to request a "Second Repeat" by petitioning the college using the Credit and Enrollment Clarification petition.

Credit/units will only be earned once. You will only get credit/units for a course once. You will not get additional credits for taking a course twice.

You may repeat courses at other UC campuses. You will need approval from your college before repeating a UCSB course at another UC campus by submitting the Credit and Enrollment Clarification petition. This petition requires your major department’s endorsement and signature.

Indicate the repeated course when registering. You will need to indicate that you are repeating a course for a better grade when registering or adding the course on GOLD.

 

 

Each quarter every UCSB student must register for courses and pay fees. Each step must be completed at a specific time. Students use GOLD to enroll on the web. The links below go to policies on enrollment procedures and guidelines at the Registrar's website and the General Catalog.

Students can earn credit for coursework through various methods within established guidelines. Review the credit policies through these links to the General Catalog to explore your options and understand the requirements. 

Quarterly Unit Minimum
For undergraduates, the minimum full-time study load is 12 units. To enroll in fewer than 12 units for a regular quarter, students must request a "Deficit Load" using the Course Load Change petition.

Note:

  • International Students on an F-1 Visa should submit the OISS Reduced Course Load (RCL) form through UCSBGlobal in place of this form. The RCL will be signed by the College advisor and OISS. 
  • ICA Student-Athletes need to speak to their Athletics Academic Advisor before requesting a deficit load due to NCAA eligibility.

Quarterly Unit Maximum
For undergraduates, students in regular academic standing are limited to 21 units per quarter during the regular academic year and 16 units per session during the summer. Students on Academic Review/Notice are limited to 17 units during a regular quarter. To enroll in more than the maximum number of units for a quarter, students must request an "Excess Load" using the Course Load Change petition.

Students may need to take a temporary leave during a quarter, cancel their registration before a quarter begins, or completely withdraw after a quarter has started. The General Catalog provides a comprehensive guide on the withdrawal process and how to apply for readmission when ready to return to UCSB. The Office of the Registrar's Forms page contains additional information and the forms required to process a "Complete Withdrawal" or "Readmission". 

The UCSB Student Conduct Code exists to support the highest standards of social and academic behavior and ensure an environment conducive to student learning. It is expected that students attending UCSB understand and subscribe to the ideal of academic integrity and are willing to bear individual responsibility for their work. Any submission that fulfills an academic requirement must represent a student’s original work. Any act of academic dishonesty will subject a person to University disciplinary action.

The Office of Student Conduct provides more information regarding academic integrity policies and procedures.

Religious Accommodation
In accordance with California State Education Code section 92640, it is UCSB policy that an instructor will make a reasonable attempt to accommodate to a student's needs in the case of serious incompatibility between religious creed and a scheduled test or examination. In the event of a scheduling incompatibility with the course calendar, keep in mind of the following:

  1. Accommodation for alternative examination dates will be worked out directly and on an individual basis between the student and the instructor involved.

  2. Students should make religious accommodation requests during the first two weeks of an academic term, or as soon as possible after a particular examination date is announced by the instructor.

  3. Students or faculty with questions may contact the Dean of the related school or college.

Religious Observance
Students may also observe religious holidays that are not official university holidays. Observance of these holidays may impact test or examination schedules. When looking over the course's calendar, it is important to note that the date(s) religious holidays fall on may vary by year. Particularly with Muslim Holy Days, observance begins at sundown on the preceding day. Although Muslim Holy Days are always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year (since the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar). This difference in calendars means Muslim Holy Days move in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The date of a Muslim Holy Day may also vary from country to country, depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.

For more information, please see the Religious Holidays & Religious Creeds page on the Registrar's website: https://registrar.sa.ucsb.edu/religious-holidays-religious-creeds