Enrolling New Students

Online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR)

The online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) enables applicants to formally respond to an offer of admission. Once the Graduate Division has processed a decision to admit (unconditional or provisional), the online SIR can be accessed via the eApp. The SIR status for each applicant is available in the Processed Apps queue. A report is also available to Application Administrators.

Only submission of the SIR constitutes a formal acceptance or rejection of UCSB’s offer of admission. Correspondence with department faculty or staff does not reserve an applicant’s space in the program. If departments receive information about an applicant’s intentions through any other means (e.g., phone call, email, or letter), instruct the applicant to submit the SIR via eApp. After June 15, if you receive a notice from an applicant stating they will not attend, please forward this to the Graduate Division. Positive SIRs after June 15 require a request for an Exception to Admissions Policy.

UCSB NetIDs and Umail

All students must obtain a UCSBNetID and UCSB student university email account (Umail). New students should allow 5-10 business days after submitting the SIR days (the time it takes for the Registrar to create a quarter for incoming students) before proceeding with this step. Students should visit the UCSB Identity Manager and select "I am…A New or Current Student with a Perm Number." A student’s Umail address will be their UCSBNetID@umail.ucsb.edu.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
1 Enrolling New Students 1.1 Online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) 1.1.1 UCSB NetIDs and Umail 1.1.2 Registration Information 1.1.3 SIR Reversals and Registration Cancellations 1.2 Online Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) 1.3 Housing 1.4 Other Enrollment Steps 1.5 Summer Pre-Matriculation 1.5.1 Summer Pre-Matriculation Employment

Note: Students who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) should enter “0000” as the last four digits of the SSN when setting up the UCSBnetID.

Registration Information

The Registrar’s Office will send an email notification regarding registration to incoming domestic and international students, typically in mid-June. However, pass times for most incoming graduate students begin in late May. Departments are therefore encouraged to communicate directly with incoming students about registration expectations and course enrollment requirements. More detailed online registration instructions are clearly outlined on the Registrar’s page: Welcome New Students.

SIR Reversals and Registration Cancellations

Each year, some students decide not to attend UCSB after initially submitting an SIR indicating their intent to enroll at UCSB. Students who wish to cancel their SIR may email gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu to request this update. The department must also provide written acknowledgement of the SIR cancellation via email to gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu. The Graduate Division Admissions staff will ask the applicant to explicitly confirm that they wish to change the SIR from a YES to a NO, and will not be attending UCSB in the specified quarter and year of admission. The applicant will also be asked to verify their Application ID number, date of birth, and the email address associated with the application and to respond to the SIR “NO” survey questions.

SIR reversals/cancellation requests can only be processed through the end of the admissions year in which the applicant applied (even if they deferred to a later year). To cancel registration on or after September 1^st of the admission year, applicants must submit the Cancellation of Registration form to the Office of the Registrar or contact the Office of the Registrar directly. The Graduate Division Admissions unit does not need to be contacted in these cases, though the department should inform the Financial unit of any SIR reversals or registration cancellations where the student had secured funding.

Online Statement of Legal Residence (SLR)

Once newly admitted applicants have completed the online SIR, the Graduate Division will transmit their online application information to the Office of the Registrar. After 5-10 business days (the time it takes for the Registrar to create a quarter for incoming students), incoming students need to complete the Registrar’s online Statement of Legal Residence (SLR). All new graduate students must complete the SLR as soon as possible after submitting an SIR. Any questions concerning the SLR should be directed to the Office of the Registrar’s Residency staff. Only the Office of the Registrar can advise on residency status and qualifications.

Housing

Students interested in campus housing (San Clemente Villages, Family Student Housing, etc.) must apply via the UCSB Housing website by the appropriate deadline(s). Questions should be directed to University & Community Housing Services at housinginfo@housing.ucsb.edu.

Other Enrollment Steps

Incoming graduate students should refer to the Admitted Students section of the Graduate Division website for a complete list of steps that must be completed after submitting the SIR. In addition to establishing the NetID and submitting the SLR, new students must submit proof of certain immunizations, submit final/official transcripts and/or WES evaluations (if applicable), and complete required trainings.

Summer Pre-Matriculation

Newly admitted graduate students starting fall quarter may choose to take classes during the preceding summer through Summer Sessions. This is known as summer pre-matriculation. Non-resident tuition is not assessed for summer courses, and students are able to pay by the unit. Upper-division and graduate-level coursework taken during the summer will count toward university and department requirements.

Students interested in summer pre-matriculation must first fill out an online application form. Incoming international students who apply through Summer Sessions must also contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS). Once students have applied, department staff should contact the Registrar’s Office to verify that these students should hold graduate student status and be assessed graduate student fees (please note that their quarter of admission will not be changed to summer).

Summer Pre-Matriculation Employment

New students who register early (typically in June) for fall quarter in at least 8 units are eligible for summer GSR appointments. New students whose first quarter of registration will be in the fall may not be TAs prior to the fall unless they register for at least 4 units in a summer quarter. For more information on graduate student employment during the summer immediately preceding the fall quarter of admission, refer to the Academic Personnel Student Employment Guidelines or contact the Graduate Division financial unit. Please note that Exception Requests to change the applicant’s quarter of admission are not required in order for students to take Summer Sessions courses.