3rd week of June

• {Admissions} Submit annual departmental admissions updates to the Associate Director of Admissions (by end of June): Application deadline(s); GRE requirements; Holistic Review/Alternatives to the GRE; Department/program web page updates (if applicable). See email from Admissions (usually sent in mid-May) for details.

• {Academics} Be on the lookout for an email from Grad Academics to start completing Spring degree check sheets. Please send any completed check sheets to academics@graddiv.ucsb.edu.

1st week of July

• {Admissions} Update Faculty Interests and Research Interests in App Review (by mid-August). 
  Update App Review user statuses (active/inactive, delete user, add new user) and/or advise the Department Chair on App Review user role updates for the next application cycle. Prepare/submit the GD System Access Request Form for new faculty approvers or staff users as needed (by mid-August if possible).

• {Financial} Verify that students with Pre-Fall stipends are registered in the requisite Fall units.

2nd week of July

• {Academics} Run an Academic Performance and Standing report on GradPoint. Work on “Unresolved” standing statuses.

• {Financial} Enter commitments for 90% of block grant budget for the upcoming year to ensure students' financial packaging, loan eligibility, and support is packaged in a timely manner.

3rd week of July

• {Academics} Submit all degree check sheets for Spring degree candidates to Grad Academics.

4th week of July

• {Financial} Submit Fall Associate packets to Grad Financial.

1st week of August

• {Academics} Check the deadline for the following petitions. These need to be submitted by the listed deadline in order to be effective for the Fall quarter:

  • Reinstatement

  • Intercampus

• {Financial} Enter Fall UC path employment and facilitate paperwork for student academic employments.

• {Outreach} Prepare department outreach plans and materials to submit to the Assistant Director of Outreach

• {Outreach} Check with the Graduate Division on their Outreach Schedule. Determine if your department would like to participate.

• {Admissions} Look out for an email from the Graduate Division Admissions unit with information on updated training / reference materials (Oct.-Nov., typically). Reach out to Admissions with questions or to request additional training.

2nd week of August

• {Academics} Double-check Spring degree lists this week and let us know if anyone is missing. You may run a report of your degree list on GradPoint Academics.

• {GSRC} Plan any applicable orientation/welcome activities for incoming graduate students.

• {Admissions} Start planning your admissions rubric and review system.

• {EMS} Any incoming international students that require EMS testing (e.g. ELPE) will be notified in the beginning of August by EMS.

• {Financial} Submit any pending commitment approvals for the upcoming year. Find commitments that need approvals by viewing the Funding Reports in GradPoint Financial.

• {Financial} Submit Fall Employment Exceptions to Grad Financial.

• {Financial} Review Fund Program list in GradPoint Financial Portal in preparation for the new year. Review budgets and submit the Financial Portal Fund Program Request Form to create new or remove discontinued fund programs.

3rd week of August

• {Outreach} Encourage prospective students to sign up for a virtual workshop or attend an event.

• {Admissions} Make sure any outstanding admissions business from the previous year is concluded. All 2025 decisions must be released and all SIRs submitted by the final business day before September 1.

4th week of August

• {Outreach} Share with Graduate Division any departmental outreach activities you would like us to share. Contact Marketing/Outreach.

• {Admissions} Check the admissions status of new and continuing students using the Provisional Students report from the Reports menu in App Review. Students who have not met their provisional admissions requirements may be blocked from registering – encourage them to submit their documents to the Graduate Division as soon as possible.

1st week of September

• {Academics} Check registration status of graduate students for the previous (summer) quarter. Make sure students who are meant to be registered do so before they are assessed a late registration fee.

• {Academics} Submit supporting documents for thesis/dissertation to Grad Academics. Deadline to file for a Summer Degree conferral is the last day of Summer instruction. 

• {Academics} Check the deadline for the following petitions. These need to be submitted by the listed deadline in order to be effective for the Fall quarter:

  • Leave of Absence

  • In Absentia

  • Part-Time Status

• {Academics} Check the deadline for Advancement to Candidacy exams (note that all requirements for advancement need to be met by the day before the next academic quarter, and the ATC action needs to be completed on Gradpoint before the Week 3 Census)

• {Admissions} September 1 is the deadline for incoming students to submit their final/official transcripts and/or WES evaluations to the Graduate Division to fulfill their provisional admissions requirements. Registration blocks may be placed on any students who remain provisional after September 1.

• {Admissions} New admissions year opens in App Review and eApp: Look for an announcement from Grad Div Admissions around this time.

• {Admissions} Prospective students will start to contact the department with questions as soon as the application opens; expect to receive more inquiries as the department’s deadline approaches. 

• {Admissions} Check GradPoint and Confluence for Admissions training materials (Staff Manual, Video Training Series, Quick Reference Guide, Country Guide, etc.) and review as needed. Note that most policies and procedures are consistent from one year to the next, so it is okay to use resources from the previous year.

• {Financial} Verify all students are registered in Fall units. GradPoint Financial will begin processing Fall fee payments the first week of September.

2nd week of September

• {Academics} Check the listed deadline to file in between quarters. Submit supporting documents for thesis/dissertation to Grad Academics.

• {Academics} Submit monitoring/probation follow-ups in GradPoint Academics Portal.

• {Financial} Run Employment Exceptions Needed report and submit any outstanding Fall exception request forms.

• {Grad Deans} Make sure that your department’s Campus Contacts is updated on Grad Academics for the new academic year. Please contact the Executive Assistant to the Deans if you need to add/remove people.

2nd week of September

• {Financial} If a delay in student funding (ie. EFR payment due to late UC Path entry; fellowship payment due to delayed budget funds) is anticipated, submit Graduate Student BARC Paid Status forms to BARC which will assist in setting their BARC account to "Paid" status before the payment deadline.

3rd week of September

• {Academics} Start completing degree check sheets for Summer degree candidates

• {Academics} Run a report to see who is in paid and registered status for the Fall quarter. Check in with students who have not yet met this status.

• {Outreach} Graduate Division Outreach begins travel to recruit for all departments. Season usually ends the first week of November. Virtual Admissions workshops are held monthly September through December.

4th week of September

• {Academics} Submit all degree check sheets for Summer degree candidates to Grad Academics.

• {Outreach} Look out for a list of prospective applicants from diverse backgrounds and research programs. (i.e. McNair, UC-HBCU, Sally Casanova, Mellon Mays). Lists are continually updated throughout the season.

1st week of October

• {Outreach} Look out for memo from the Graduate Dean regarding outreach funds to support departments with Diversity Outreach (Pre-Application).

2nd week of October

• {Academics} Check for any NG/NR/ Incomplete grades and remind instructors to submit grades.  You may run an incomplete grades report in GradPoint Academics Portal.

• {Academics} A final call will be sent out to submit Fall follow-ups. All follow-ups must be submitted prior to the third week census.

• {Academics} Double-check Summer degree lists this week and let Grad Academics know if anyone is missing. You may run a report of your degree list on GradPoint Academics.

3rd week of October

• {Admissions} Discuss application review plans with the Faculty Graduate Advisor, Admissions Chair, and/or Department Chair (whichever faculty members are responsible for admissions in the department). Address topics such as:

  • When to move applications between queues;

  • When to review applications;

  • Whether any late materials may be accepted (e.g. letters of recommendation);

  • Any other departmental admissions business practices.

  • Ensuring all review processes are compliant with Proposition 209 (no consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in admissions decisions);

  • Implementing holistic review practices that consider a broad range of indicators of academic potential (e.g., research experience, leadership, overcoming adversity) rather than overreliance on single metrics like GPA or test scores.

4th week of October

• {Admissions} Continue to respond to admissions inquiries and review admissions training materials. Applications should start to appear in your Submitted queue around this time. 

1st week of November

• {Academics} Check the deadline for the following petitions. These need to be submitted by the listed deadline in order to be effective for the Winter quarter:

  •  Reinstatement

  •  Intercampus

• {Academics} Continue to work on completing Academic Progress Plan Actions.

• {Financial} Prepare submission of 2 faculty reviewer nominations for the fellowship competition season.

2nd week of November

• {Financial} Submit Winter Associate packets to Grad Financial.

• {Admissions} The earliest application deadlines for fall admission are in mid-November.

3rd week of November

• {Academics} Check registration status of graduate students for the current (fall) quarter. Make sure students who are meant to be registered do so before they are assessed a late registration fee.

4th week of November

• {Financial} Enter Winter UC path employment and facilitate paperwork for student academic employments.

• {Financial} Submit Winter Employment Exceptions to Grad Financial.

1st week of December

• {Academics} Check the deadline for the following petitions. These need to be submitted by the listed deadline in order to be effective for the Winter quarter:

  • Leave of Absence

  • In Absentia

  • Part-Time Status

• {Academics} Check the deadline for Advancement to Candidacy exams (note that all requirements for advancement need to be met by the day before the next academic quarter, and the ATC action needs to be completed on Gradpoint before the Week 3 Census)

• {Admissions} The application deadlines for the majority of departments are between Dec. 1st and Dec. 20th. Expect many last-minute questions from applicants, particularly concerning late application materials.

• {Financial} Verify all students are registered in Winter units. GradPoint Financial will begin processing Winter fee payments the first week of December.

• {Financial} Run Employment Exceptions Needed report and submit any outstanding Winter exception request forms.

2nd week of December

• {Academics} Submit supporting documents for thesis/dissertation to Grad Academics. Deadline to file for a Fall Degree conferral is the last day of the Fall quarter. 

• {Academics} Start follow up process for students who were in the following standing: monitoring status, academic probation, have not met their milestones or departmental standards. Collect completed academic progress plans from students.

• {Admissions} Begin checking application requirements (including GPA calculations and institution accreditation) for applicants the department decides to admit (continue to check for each applicant until the department has finished admitting for the year – see the Quick Reference & Checklist - Graduate AdmissionsPreview for a checklist). 

• {Financial} End of Fall quarter commitment clean up. Review the Funding Reports in GradPoint Financial, submit any pending approvals, and zero out or update commitments that will not pay to ensure full access to block grant funds and other program budgets for the remainder of the year.

3rd or 4th week of December

• {Academics} Start completing degree sheets for Fall degree candidates.

• {Academics} Check the listed deadline to file in between quarters. Submit supporting documents for thesis/dissertation to Grad Academics.

1st week of January

• {Academics} Run a report to see who is in paid and registered status for the Winter quarter. Check in with students who have not yet met this status.

• {Academics} Check for any NG/NR/ Incomplete grades and remind instructors to submit grades.  You may run an incomplete grades report in GradPoint Academics Portal.

• {Outreach} Application opens for undergraduates interested in Graduate Division Summer Research Programs (departments may wish to consider encouraging undergrads to apply and/or current grads and faculty to serve as mentors):

  • UC Santa Barbara UC LEADS

  • UCSB-CSU Summer Research Institute (UCSB-CSU SRI)

2nd week of January

• {Academics} Submit all degree check sheets for Fall degree candidates to Grad Academics.

• {Outreach} Begin to start planning your department's open house or recruiting event(s) for admitted students. Contact Outreach and Diversity for ideas.

3rd week of January

• {Admissions/Financial} Review Recruitment Fellowships Memo and Recruitment Fellowships Procedures Manual for current information on nominations and eligibility. Discuss plans for submitting and approving nominations by the deadline(s) with faculty approvers.

• {Academics} Submit monitoring/probation follow-ups in GradPoint Academics Portal.

• {Financial} Begin submitting Central Recruitment offers (e.g. Chancellor’s, Eugene Cota Robles, Regent’s, Racial Justice) in AppReview.

• {Outreach} Look out for memo regarding “Extra Night Stay for Hotel Cost” for domestic students from diverse backgrounds.

4th week of January

• {Outreach} Consider finalizing plans for any open houses or recruiting events, if the department will be hosting them in the winter or spring. 

• {Financial} Verify department’s nomination has been submitted for the UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship Nomination.

1st week of February

• {Academics} Check the deadline for the following petitions. These need to be submitted by the listed deadline in order to be effective for the Spring quarter:

  • Reinstatement

  • Intercampus

• {Financial} Verify department’s Racial Justice Fellowship offer has been submitted and approved in AppReview.

• {Financial} Submit Spring Associate packets to Grad Financial.

• {Outreach} Faculty with summer research students can reach out to the Assistant Director of Outreach if they would like their students to be invited to shared ARC programming.

• {Outreach} Reach out to the Assistant Director of Outreach if you have updated outreach materials for the team to take with them for spring travel and/or if you would like to participate. A spring Admissions webinar will also be advertised.

2nd week of February

• {Admissions} Work with Faculty Graduate Advisor, Admissions Chair, and/or Department Chair (whichever faculty members are responsible for admissions in the department) to review and begin finalizing most admissions decisions. Review applications to verify GPAs and confirm that those who will be recommended for admission meet all requirements.

3rd week of February

• {Academics} Check registration status of graduate students for the current (winter) quarter. Make sure students who are meant to be registered do so before they are assessed a late registration fee.

• {Financial} Submit Spring Employment Exceptions to Grad Financial.

4th week of February

• {Academics} Continue to work on completing Academic Progress Plan Actions.

• {Financial} Enter Spring UC path employment and facilitate paperwork for student academic employments.

• {Financial} Verify department’s Chancellor’s/Eugene Cota Robles Fellowship offer has been submitted and approved in AppReview.

1st week of March

• {Academics} Check the deadline for the following petitions. These need to be submitted by the listed deadline in order to be effective for the Spring quarter. 

  • Leave of Absence

  • In Absentia

  • Part-Time Status

• {Academics} Check the deadline for Advancement to Candidacy exams (note that all requirements for advancement need to be met by the day before the next academic quarter, and the ATC action needs to be completed on Gradpoint before the Week 3 Census)

• {Financial} Verify all students are registered in Spring units. GradPoint Financial will begin processing Spring fee payments the first week of March.

2nd week of March

• {Academics} Submit supporting documents for thesis/dissertation to Grad Academics. Deadline to file for a Winter Degree conferral is the last day of the Winter quarter. 

• {Academics} Start follow up process for students who were in the following standing: monitoring status, academic probation, have not met their milestones or departmental standards. Collect completed academic progress plans from students.

• {Financial} End of Winter quarter commitment clean up. Review the Funding Reports in GradPoint Financial, submit any pending approvals, and zero out or update commitments that will not pay to ensure full access to block grant funds and other program budgets for the remainder of the year.

• {Financial} Submit all nominations for the Continuing Fellowship Competition.

• {Financial} Run Employment Exceptions Needed report and submit any outstanding March exception request forms.

3rd week of March

• {Admissions} Begin planning departmental updates for the next application cycle. Consider/discuss with faculty: application deadline(s), GRE requirements, holistic review practices (or alternatives to the GRE), and department/program web page updates. If any changes need Grad Council approval, contact them ASAP to get on their docket before summer break - their last meeting is in May.