Steps to Enrollment

Your admission to UCSB is provisional. Read the Freshman Conditions of Admission or Transfer Conditions of Admission carefully before you submit your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). Signing your SIR certifies that you understand and agree to comply with all the conditions.

Review Financial Aid Offer
Each applicant who submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) will receive a financial aid offer from UCSB. Your application must include our school code (001320). To access your Financial Aid Offer, log in to the Admissions Applicant Portal and find the “Financial Aid” button. For more information about financial aid and general help, including options for students who may qualify for aid under the California Dream Act, visit the UCSB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships website.

Open House: Saturday, April 11, 2026. Join us in-person for UCSB’s annual Open House event. Programming will include outdoor resource and information fairs, live performances, and demonstrations. Learn more about life at UCSB and register for Open House online.

Campus Visits & Virtual Tours: Explore the UCSB campus by joining a student-led guided tour or register for a self-guided visit. If you’re unable to visit campus in-person, join us for a virtual tour and with an opportunity for live Q&A. More visit options can be found on the Campus Tours tab.

Admitted Student Webinars: The Office of Admissions will be offering Admitted Student Webinars for both first-year and transfers to provide more information on enrolling at UCSB. View Admitted Student Events for available dates and to register. 

Housing is guaranteed for one-year to students who meet Housing deadlines. Use the housing options filter to display the living options that match your needs and eligibility. Find your home away from home!

• New First-Year Students: Submit a housing application in mid-March, after decision release.
• New Transfer Students: Submit a housing application in mid-April, after decision release.

The university is committed to providing a safe and secure campus environment for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. In accordance with the federal Clery Act, UC Santa Barbara publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR). The ASFSR provides information regarding UC Santa Barbara safety and security policies, campus crime statistics, and resources for students and employees. It also contains information regarding campus fire safety policies and fire-related statistics for on-campus student housing facilities. To access the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, visit police.ucsb.edu/asfsr. A copy of the ASFSR may also be requested by contacting the UC Santa Barbara Police Department at (805) 893-3446 or by visiting 574 Public Safety Bldg., Santa Barbara, CA 93106 during business hours.

To reserve your enrollment space at UC Santa Barbara, you must submit a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) in the Applicant Portal by the specified deadline. 

• Deadline: For most students, the SIR deadlines for fall quarter are May 1 for first-years and June 1 for transfers. The deadline to submit (or postmark) your SIR is displayed when you log in to the Applicant Portal.

To Accept Online

• Log in to the Applicant Portal and click the “Accept or Decline Admission” button. 
• Follow the instructions to complete the form and submit it electronically with your non-refundable $250 SIR deposit by the deadline noted in your portal, or your admission letter. Deposits can be made via credit card (with a service fee) or e-check. Some students may qualify for a deferral; please go through the online payment section. If you qualify, the system will automatically approve the deferral.
• Wire transfers are NOT accepted for SIR deposits.

To Accept by Mail (only if you are not able to submit your SIR online)

• If you are not able to submit your deposit online, print and complete the SIR PDF available in your portal. Mail submissions, along with your payment postmarked by the SIR deadline printed on your SIR form. Otherwise, you may risk denial of enrollment due to space limitations.
• Under Submission Options on page 4, select "Complete SIR and Payment by Mail."
• Fill out, sign, and return the printed SIR along with the non-refundable $250 SIR deposit as a check payable to the "Regents of the University of California." On the check, write your UCSB student identification number (“Perm” number), which is available in your Applicant Portal to help us credit the deposit to your account. 
• Send your SIR and check to: UC Santa Barbara, Office of Admissions, Attn: SIR Processing, 1210 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014. 

Notes

• If you have been admitted to more than one University of California campus, you may only return one positive SIR. 
• If you have decided not to register at UCSB, please log in and complete the SIR indicating your alternate plans. 
• If you wish to request a change in your major, follow the instructions on the Major Changes page. 
• If you have questions, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@ucsb.edu.  

All new students are required to have a UCSB NetID and enroll in MFA in order to conduct university business. Your NetID will give you access to the majority of the online services you will need to use during your academic career. Activation of your NetID will also create a U-Mail account for you.

U-Mail is UCSB's student email service. There are no extra steps required to create your U-Mail account. It will be created for you once you activate your NetID. Note that all official University business and correspondence will be sent to this email address; and students are expected to check this account regularly. U-Mail messages may be forwarded to another account if you choose to do so.

You will be eligible to activate your NetID approximately one hour after submitting your SIR. To do so, sign in to the UCSB Identity Manager. The Identity Manager service will activate both your NetID and U-Mail account. The UCSB Student Support Center is available for assistance if you have any problems activating your account. Do not click any links from senders you do not recognize. Visit the UCSB Information Security site for details.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is mandatory for key UCSB services and applications. MFA adds an additional layer of security by verifying a password AND ensuring access to a registered device, like a smartphone. As you enroll at UCSB, you will need MFA for steps in residency for tuition, student health, and more. Get started with MFA here.

Students Who Did Not Enter a Social Security Number: If you are an international student or you did not enter a Social Security Number (SSN) in your UC Application, please enter “0000” as the last four digits of your SSN when setting up your UCSB NetID.

International Students: Within 72 hours of establishing your UCSB NetID and UCSB U-Mail account, you will receive an email from the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) to your UCSB email address with instructions on how to access UCSBGlobal, OISS's portal for all immigration-related requests. You will need to log in here to request your I-20 or DS-2019. All international students must have an I-20 or DS-2019 issued by OISS prior to starting their program. For information on requesting your immigration documents, visit here.

International Transfer Students: If you are an international transfer student, you must specifically initiate a transfer of your I-20 or DS-2019 with your previous school and make a request in UCSBGlobal for a transfer-in I-20 or DS-2019 from OISS. Your I-20 or DS-2019 does not automatically transfer or is created—You must initiate the transfer process at both institutions. You can find more information here.

Multi-factor Authentication must be set up prior to completing this step.

If your Applicant Portal classifies you as a resident or nonresident, this step was confirmed through your UC Application and you are not required to complete the Statement of Legal Residence. Only “undetermined status” students need to follow the instructions below:

Submitting the online Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) is mandatory if your status has not yet been determined. The information you provide on your SLR is used by the Office of the Registrar to determine your UC residency classification for tuition and fee purposes. Therefore, all students are considered non-residents until they have submitted the SLR and UC residency is confirmed. PLEASE NOTE: Failure to submit the SLR will result in the assessment of non-resident tuition and fees, and may prevent disbursement of financial aid and course enrollment.

You may access the Statement of Legal Residence directly from your SIR confirmation page or from the Office of the Registrar. The SLR is available online only. If you have questions regarding residency requirements, feel the determination was made in error, or your status has changed, please contact the UCSB Residency Deputy via email at residency@sa.ucsb.edu to request a “status changed to undetermined.” The undetermined status will allow you to resubmit your Statement of Legal Residence for a new assessment. You may also visit the Office of the Registrar website and click on “Residency” tab for more information.

First-Year Students

• Return your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by May 1. 
• After you return your SIR, you will be able to complete your housing application online.
• The deadline is May 15. Visit the freshmen housing application page for more information.

Transfer Students

• Return your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by June 1.
• After you return your SIR, you will be able to complete your housing application online.
• The deadline is June 15. Visit the transfer housing application page for more information.

Multi-factor Authentication must be set up prior to completing this step.

All registered UC students are required to have medical health insurance that meets the California insurance requirement. It is a condition of enrollment AND a non-academic requirement of registration. Please log in to the MyHealth Portal and follow the “Medical Clearances” menu to acknowledge the University of California’s insurance requirement. PLEASE NOTE: This medical insurance acknowledgement/clearance form is not an insurance waiver form. If you would like to waive out of the UC medical insurance plan (UC-SHIP), please continue reading for information about how to submit an insurance waiver form online. Waiving UC-SHIP is subject to the deadlines posted on the UCSB student health website.

UCSB students are automatically enrolled in Student Health Insurance Plan (UC-SHIP), which includes medical, vision, and dental coverage, and access to UCSB Student Health with most services having no additional charges. The premium for UC-SHIP will be factored into your cost of attendance and will therefore be included in your Financial Aid award. The insurance premium will automatically be included in your quarterly billing statement from the BARC (Billing, Accounts Receivable, and Collections) office.

If you have adequate private insurance and do not wish to be enrolled in UC-SHIP, you must take action and submit a waiver online. The act of waiving requires the student to upload insurance documentation into a secure website and receive written email confirmation that their waiver was approved. Please note that your Financial Aid award will change if you waive out of UC-SHIP. The waiver deadline is September 7, 2026. Once a waiver request has been approved, it remains in effect until the beginning of the next academic year. Please visit the UCSB Student Health website, under insurance/billing and UC-SHIP coverage, for more information. 

Students with approved waivers may purchase pre-paid access to most Student Health services through the Gaucho Access Plan (GAP). 

Multi-factor Authentication must be set up prior to completing this step.

All incoming and re-admitted students are required to complete a Tuberculosis (TB) Screening Questionnaire/testing (TB tests must be within one year of entry to UCSB) mandated by the UC Office of the President.

The due date for your Entry Immunization Requirements is September 1st. Failure to comply with the requirements will result in a registration block for the following quarter. We strongly encourage you to start this process early, as you may be required to complete additional steps prior to your arrival on campus.

Instructions for completing these requirements can be found on the MyHealth Portal for verification by our immunization team staff.

All students who enter the University of California must demonstrate their preparedness for university-level writing by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).

• All transfer students have already satisfied the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) with their transfer coursework.
• Incoming first-year students may satisfy ELWR before enrolling at UCSB in any of the ways described on the Writing Program website.
• California resident and domestic non-resident students who have not satisfied the ELWR requirement before enrolling at UCSB should take the Collaborative Writing Placement (CWP) program.
• International first-year students who have not satisfied the ELWR requirement before enrolling at UCSB should take the Undergraduate Entry Level Placement in English (UG ELPE), as directed by the English for Multilingual Students (EMS) Program. Students' performance on the UG ELPE may indicate required academic writing instruction, from one to three sequential pre-ELWR courses (Linguistics 3A, 3B, or 3C) and/or Linguistics 12 (Approaches to University Writing for Multilingual Students), which satisfies the ELWR.

Qualified students may take Writing 1 at UCSB during the Freshman Summer Start Program or Linguistics 12 during Summer Sessions.

All California resident and domestic non-resident students must fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement by the end of their third quarter at UCSB.

All international students must either fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement by the end of their third quarter at UCSB or remain enrolled in their required EMS Writing courses every quarter until the requirement is fulfilled.

California resident and domestic non-resident students who have questions regarding the Collaborative Writing Placement (CWP) may contact placement@writing.ucsb.edu. International first-year students with questions regarding the Undergraduate Entry Level Placement in English (UG ELPE) may contact EMSinfo@linguistics.ucsb.edu.

Multi-factor Authentication must be set up prior to completing this step.

Freshman Orientation: 

• Two-day in-person freshman orientation sessions: June 25 – June 31, 2026
• Two-day online freshman orientation sessions: August 3-4 & August 6-7, 2026

You are strongly encouraged to attend orientation! While not mandatory, orientation gives you an important head start in preparing for your college career. The two-day sessions include extensive academic advising and introductions to important campus resources for students and their families. First-year students who attend orientation will register for classes during their session. Attending an earlier session does not prioritize class registration; each session is given the same priority for class registration.

Beginning on May 16, at 12:00 PM PT, all new first-year students who have returned their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), establish their UCSB NetID, and set up multi-factor authentication can select their orientation session date by submitting a reservation on the Orientation Programs website. Space in each orientation session is limited and session dates will close when full. After submitting your reservation, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to an online Pre-Orientation module that will provide you with foundational information for understanding UCSB academics. We recommend reviewing this prior to your orientation session. More detailed information is available on the Orientation Programs website.

Transfer Orientation: 

• Transfer online module: Opens June 1, 2026
• One-day transfer orientation sessions: August 10-14, 2026

Transfer Orientation is a comprehensive, two-part program consisting of an initial online module followed by an in-person session on the UCSB campus. While attendance is not mandatory, completing both components is highly recommended to facilitate a smooth transition. The online transfer module opens to transfer students on June 1 containing academic and campus resource information. While the module provides extensive information, we highly encourage you to attend a one-day transfer orientation session where you can meet academic and campus resources in-person. Completion of the online module provides you with priority registration. More detailed information is available on the Orientation Programs website.

All international students will have two orientations: 1) with the UCSB Orientation Programs and Parent Services and, 2) with the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS). Orientation will cover all things UCSB, including student life, student services, and academic expectations. OISS will cover essential immigration information for your enrollment at UCSB. This orientation is called CALI Training (Cultural Awareness, Laws, and Immigration Training). CALI Training takes place online, with an additional webinar with OISS staff in late August/early September. Please be aware that all new international students to UCSB are assessed a one-time fee.

International Students: Non-SEVIS transfer international students currently outside of the U.S. will not be able to enter the U.S. with their student visa more than 30 days prior to the start of classes. Online orientation sessions for international first-years will be offered during the summer; information will be sent via U-Mail/UCSB email. International transfer students should complete the transfer module and are strongly encouraged to attend a transfer orientation session. Please contact OISS if you have any questions.

• Transcript submission deadline: July 1
• Test score submission deadline: July 15
• Summer session transcripts: September 1.

The Office of Admissions must receive the following.

• Official final high school transcript: Final high school transcripts are required of new first-year students. Your final high school transcript must show the exact date of your graduation. "Class of 2026" is not acceptable. Transcripts are considered official when they are delivered directly from the school. 
• Transfers are also required to submit a final high school transcript unless the student is submitting an official full IGETC/Cal-GETC certification from a community college. UCSB will continue to require your high school transcript until an official full IGETC/Cal-GETC certification is received by the Office of Admissions. An official high school transcript or full IGETC/Cal-GETC certification is due to the Office of Admissions by July 15, 2026.
• Official transcripts from all colleges you have attended. 
• Official Advanced Placement (AP) exam, International Baccalaureate (IB) score reports, and Duolingo English Test (DET), TOEFL, IELTS or GCE A-Level results, if applicable. The results must be sent directly from the testing agency to the Office of Admissions. Test scores can take more than a month for delivery, so order them early!
• If you plan to take courses during the summer, submit transcripts through spring on-time and then transcripts by September 1 for the summer coursework to avoid a delay in receiving transferable credit for completed coursework.

Official transcripts can be submitted electronically using Credentials Solutions/eSCRIP-SAFE, eTranscript CA, JST DoD Military Transcripts, Kiteworks, National Student Clearinghouse, Parchment Exchange, Scribbles Software, SCOIR, SPEEDE, or by physical mail. We are unable to accept emailed transcripts as official documents. Send transcripts and test scores to: Office of Admissions, UC Santa Barbara, 1210 Cheadle Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2014.

Missing transcripts and/or test scores will result in your registration being blocked and ultimately the withdrawal of your admission offer. Delays in receiving official transcripts may also jeopardize your financial aid and/or housing possibilities, will disadvantage you in the academic advising process, and can affect enrollment in appropriate courses.

My Aid Status serves as the financial aid portal for UCSB students. You can log into My Aid Status with your UCSB NetID and password. After submitting your Statement of Intent to Register, be sure to check My Aid Status to review your application status and submit any required documents. You may also log in to our ScholarshipsUniverse portal to search for and apply for additional scholarship resources.

If all your requirements are completed, you can begin viewing your official financial aid award letter and accept your student loans on My Aid Status in mid-July. In late August, you can also begin viewing scheduled financial aid disbursements for the upcoming term. Emails are sent to your UCSB email account when you have requirements to complete, or when your aid is updated. It is important to read emails from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and check your My Aid Status portal throughout the year.

• Deadline: Ongoing 

Students must provide contact information for a parent, guardian or other contact to be used in case of an emergency and for periodic official campus communications. To add a parent or guardian contact, log into the Applicant Portal and click on “My Tasks” tab. If you do not have a parent or guardian, the form will allow you to select “other” in the “Relationship” field and include an alternate contact.

We strongly encourage you to attend orientation, where new students are assisted in the registration process. New students who do not attend orientation should register online during their Pass 2 registration appointment time in September. International students will receive an email with information about registering for courses.

The UCSB General Catalog contains major requirements, course descriptions, and prerequisites. Twelve units per quarter is the minimum to maintain full-time registered status. UCSB undergraduates typically register for an average of 15 units per quarter.

For important enrollment information, deadlines, and to search for classes, log in to GOLD. Please note that to use GOLD (Gaucho On-Line Data System), you must have activated your U-Mail account and UCSB NetID (please see the “Accepting Your Offer” section above). To see enrollment information and search for classes without logging into GOLD, visit the Curriculum Search page.

While you are in GOLD, visit the "My Personal Information" tab where you can ensure that the information there is current and complete. Scroll down to the Pronouns section and choose from the drop-down menu. The pronouns you select will appear on course rosters and in Canvas, the online learning environment for UCSB. To learn more about pronouns, review Pronouns 101. All students are encouraged to select their pronouns in GOLD.

• Fall Fee Deadline: September 15 

The exact cost of attending the University of California, Santa Barbara will vary. A detailed breakdown of estimated expenses is available on the UCSB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships’ Cost of Attendance page.

The university's billing system (known as Billing, Accounts Receivable, and Collections, or “BARC”) consolidates all of the financial transactions related to attending UCSB into one account. This includes all debts owed to the university such as fees, campus housing expenses, lab fees or library fines as well as all credits such as your Financial Aid and Scholarship transactions and payments made by you or by your family. Gaucho E-Bill is the electronic bill presentment system employed by the university to notify students of their financial obligations to the university. Billing statements are not mailed to students or parents. Each month an email is sent to students’ U-Mail addresses notifying them that their bill can be viewed and paid. In order for parents to receive email notifications and gain access to Gaucho E-Bill, students must first authorize parent users to their account. More information can be found on the BARC website, including step-by-step instructions on how to add a Parent User. New students can expect their first billing statement notification during the month of August, with payment due September 15. Payment plans have a non-refundable enrollment fee. Failure to meet financial obligations on time will result in a $50 late payment fee and/or being dropped from your classes. Fee payment deadlines are published in the Quarterly Deadlines Calendar on the Office of the Registrar site.

It is your responsibility to check your U-Mail for information and to meet all deadlines. See the Office of Admissions Dates and Deadlines page and don’t miss a deadline!

May 15: First-Year Housing Application Deadline | June 15: Transfer Housing Application Deadline

June 15: Submit all required Financial Aid documents by the priority deadline

July 1: Submit Transcripts

July 15: Test Score Deadline

September 1: Upload your immunization records to your MyHealth Portal, Complete TB Screening Questions/testing (TB tests must be within one year of entry to UCSB)

September 7: Review and agree to UC requirements for health insurance coverage

September 15: Pay fall quarter fees

September 19-20: Move-In Weekend (Tentative)

September 24: Instructions Begin