To be registered for a term, students must enroll in courses and pay fees according to deadlines specified in the Registrar’s term calendar. Students who do not register are subject to the following policies on absence and readmission.

Students who register and subsequently discontinue coursework or stop payment on registration fees checks—without an approved petition for withdrawal, leave of absence, or cancellation—receive grades of F, NP, or U, as appropriate, for all courses in which they are enrolled for that term. A fine is assessed if any check for registration fees payment is returned by a bank for stopped payment, insufficient funds, or any other reason. No fees are refunded, and future registration privileges may be curtailed or revoked.

Cancellation of Registration

Before the first day of classes, students may cancel registration by completing and submitting a cancellation of registration form. Refund is as follows: For new undergraduate and dentistry students, fees paid are refunded except for the nonrefundable acceptance of admission fee. For new graduate, undergraduate, continuing, and re-entering students, a service fee is deducted from the amount of fees paid.

Graduate students who cancel their registration and do not apply for a formal leave of absence must file for readmission to return to UCLA.

Withdrawal

Withdrawing from UCLA means discontinuing attendance in all courses in which the student enrolled. Students who withdraw during a term must file a withdrawal notice.

When students officially withdraw, a percentage of the term fees may be refunded depending on the date the withdrawal form is filed. See the Registrar’s withdrawal web page for policy details and specific refund dates.

The UCSHIP fee is nonrefundable in most cases. Contact the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center insurance office for more information.

Students may withdraw only if they have not taken any final examinations or otherwise completed the work in any classes. For undergraduates, one withdrawal places no restriction on readmission or continuation if they started the term in good academic standing. If they withdraw after one or more previous withdrawals or while in academic difficulty, a restriction may be placed on their continuance in undergraduate standing. Before withdrawing, they are urged to consult with faculty, department, or College or school advisers to consider the full implications of this action.

Undergraduates may also withdraw from a term retroactively, provided no final examinations have been taken and no coursework has been completed. No withdrawals are accepted once they have officially graduated from UCLA.

Undergraduate One-Term Absence

Undergraduate students who complete a term (fall, winter, or spring quarter) and do not register the following term may return to UCLA the subsequent term as a continuing student, and be eligible to register and enroll in advance.

Students on a one-term absence who plan to attend another institution—including UCLA Extension—should discuss plans with their College or school counselor before enrolling elsewhere. On returning to UCLA, students must have an official transcript sent from the institution directly to UCLA Undergraduate Admission to have coursework evaluated. Failure to submit transcripts—within 30 days of submitting their readmission application or the first day of the term, whichever is later—may result in a hold being placed on the student account, which may prevent enrollment and access to certain campus services. 

Planned Academic Leave (PAL) for International Travel

Students who plan to participate in a study-abroad program sponsored by an institution other than the University of California are required to take a planned academic leave of absence (PAL) from UCLA. After they are accepted into a program, students must register the program with the UCLA International Education Office (IEO), B300 Murphy Hall. Registering the program also generates the student application for the PAL.

See IEO non-UC programs for program and registration requirements.

Students returning from an approved PAL for participation in a registered non-UC study abroad program are not required to seek readmission, but must provide official transcripts for coursework evaluation. Failure to submit transcripts by the first day of the readmission term may result in a hold being placed on the student's account, which may prevent enrollment and access to certain campus services. 

Undergraduate Readmission

To return to UCLA after an absence of more than one term, students—except for those on PAL for non-UC study abroad—must complete an undergraduate readmission application and file it with the Registrar’s Office in accordance with published deadlines. A nonrefundable fee applies.

Students must submit official transcripts from all institutions (including UCLA Extension) and a completed Statement of Legal Residence with readmission applications. Coursework is evaluated when official transcripts are received. Failure to submit transcripts within 30 days of the readmission application or by the first day of the readmission term, whichever is later, may result in a hold being placed on the student account, which may prevent enrollment and access to certain campus services. The paper records of nonregistered students, including transcripts submitted for transfer credit, are retained by the Registrar’s Office for five academic years after the last registered term.

Students who have not registered for five years must resubmit official transcripts of all work completed outside UCLA. Readmission is generally approved if students were in good academic standing (2.0 GPA) when they left UCLA, if coursework completed elsewhere in the interim is satisfactory, and if readmission applications are filed on time. The College or school may have other regulations. Contact the readmission clerk for more information.

Graduate Student Registration, Leave, and Readmission

Graduate Student Continuous Registration Policy

Graduate students must be either registered and enrolled or on an official leave of absence every term until their degrees are awarded. As an exception, certain graduate students may be eligible to pay the filing fee. Failure to register, have filing fee status, or be on an official leave of absence for any term (fall, winter, or spring quarter) constitutes withdrawal from UCLA.

Graduate Leave of Absence

Continuing graduate students in good standing (3.0 GPA or above) who have completed at least one term of UCLA graduate work may, with the support of their department and approval of the Graduate Division, be eligible for leaves of absence. Graduate students are allowed three quarters of official leave of absence. See the leave of absence request web page; for filing deadlines, see the Registrar’s term calendar.

Federal policy governing students on F-1 and J-1 visas restricts leaves of absence to certain conditions. The Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, in consultation with the Graduate Division, individually evaluates each international graduate student request for a leave of absence to determine that it meets federal (and UCLA) eligibility criteria.

Students on approved leave of absence are not permitted to use faculty time or make use of UCLA facilities for more than 12 hours since their last registration, and are not eligible for apprentice personnel employment or other services normally available to registered students. There is no need to apply for readmission, since the approved leave is for readmission to a specific term. The Registrar’s Office notifies students about registration for the returning term.

Research doctoral students who are new parents or who are confronted with extraordinary parenting demands should consult Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA (PDF) regarding Graduate Council policy requiring program accommodations for them.

Graduate Student Readmission

Students who are granted a formal leave of absence do not have to apply for readmission if they resume their graduate work in accordance with the terms of the leave. All other continuing graduate students who fail to register for any regular session, or who fail to complete a term through cancellation or withdrawal, must apply for readmission.

Students who have registered at any time as a graduate student at UCLA and return after an absence (except a formal leave of absence) must file an application for graduate admission. Payment of the nonrefundable application fee may be made by credit card only. Transcripts of all academic work completed since registration at UCLA as a graduate student must also be submitted.

In Absentia Registration

Academic and professional graduate students who conduct research or engage in approved degree program-related activities outside California may be eligible for in absentia registration. Students registered in absentia pay 15 percent of tuition and the student services fee, but pay the full amounts of other mandatory fees such as health insurance and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable). In absentia registration and fee reductions may be used for a maximum of six quarters or four semesters for academic doctoral students, and up to three quarters or two semesters for master’s and professional graduate students. See the in absentia registration petition web page.