Enrollment

Helpful Links for Enrollment

General enrollment Information such as the finding classes to understanding your enrollment window, waitlists, special programs, etc. 

Enrollment How-To Videos from Orientation (how to waitlist, how to edit/swap, how to use permission numbers, etc.)

**Have questions about General Chemistry in Summer 2026 and/or Fall 2026? See the General Chemistry Redesign 2026-2027 section below!**

CHEM & BIOC Course Permission Numbers

Click here to request a permission number for a Chemistry or Biochemistry course (EXCEPT BIOC 100A - see below for BIOC 100A requests). 

• Are you a non-Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics major who wants to take BIOC 100A? Request enrollment in BIOC 100A with this form.

Closed/Full Classes

So the class you want/need to enroll in is full? Read below for advice on what you should do!:

• Do not panic! Take some deep breaths. 

• First Pass Enrollment: The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry monitors enrollment numbers throughout the enrollment period and adjusts capacities as possible/necessary. If a Chemistry or Biochemistry course’s sections are full but the total course enrollment has not been met, it is likely that more space in the sections will open up and students should check back frequently during their enrollment appointment if they need to get into that course.

• Second Pass Enrollment:  Waitlist for the course you want if it is full. Do not contact the instructor asking for a permission code to get you off the waitlist.

  • All students who have met the prerequisites or enrollment restrictions for a CHEM or BIOC class that is full should waitlist for the class. 

  • NOTE: Completing the permission number request form will NOT get you a permission number to override a full course and does NOT allow you to bypass the waitlist.

Waitlisting

If a class that a student wants to enroll in is full, the students should waitlist during their second pass enrollment appointment. All Chemistry courses will have a waitlist. Do not contact the instructor asking for a permission code to get you off the waitlist.

In fall, winter, and spring quarters during your waitlist/second pass appointment, you may begin adding up to 14 waitlist credits. You can see your waitlist/second pass  appointment in your myUCSC Student Center by selecting “details” under “Enrollment Dates”. 

Answers to common questions and essential tips about waitlisting can be found on this Registrar website.

CHEM 3B/CHEM 3BL waitlisting: If one or both of these courses are full during second pass enrollment, students should enroll on the waitlist for CHEM 3BL ONLY (do not also enroll in CHEM 3B). Once a seat is secured in CHEM 3BL, the student must also enroll in CHEM 3B (unless CHEM 3B or CHEM 1A was already completed).

CHEM 3C/CHEM 3CL waitlisting: If one or both of these courses are full during second pass enrollment, students should enroll on the waitlist for CHEM 3CL ONLY (do not also enroll in CHEM 3C). Once a seat is secured in CHEM 3CL, the student must also enroll in CHEM 3C (unless CHEM 3C or CHEM 1C already completed).

Waitlist Timing: The waitlists open during second pass enrollment and are closed on the eighth day of instruction. On the eighth day all waitlists are purged and no longer "in play". 

• • Students who want to get into a course after this point must have a permission code to enroll. The reason for this is because students who have not attended a course prior to the eighth day fall behind on course content. Students can use the Chemistry/Biochemistry Permission Number Request Form to request a permission number for a Chemistry or Biochemistry course.

General Chemistry Redesign 2026-2027

Starting in fall 2026, the CHEM 3 labs are being integrated into the CHEM 3 lectures. Instead of students enrolling in the mandatory lecture/lab co-requisites as separate courses, the enrollment in lecture, discussion section, and lab section will be done all under one enrollment. The courses’ number of credits is also changing. 

CHEM 3B (3 units) & CHEM 3BL (2 units) will become just CHEM 3B (7 units)

CHEM 3C (3 units) & CHEM 3CL (2 units) will become just CHEM 3C (7 units)

There will be a limited space offering of Chem 3BL and 3CL in fall 2026 for students who completed the lecture but did not pass the lab. These standalone labs have limited space and are most likely the final offerings of the standalone labs, so the strongest recommendation is still to complete General Chemistry in its entirety over summer if possible.

Please see the following scenarios to determine how you should move forward with your General Chemistry completion. If you are unsure, please check in with your department/major advisor for individualized advice:

Late Enrollment Policy for General Chemistry & Organic Chemistry

Late enrollment in General Chemistry and/or Organic Chemistry lectures and/or labs beyond the seventh day of the quarter is not permitted.

Starting in Spring 2026, switching sections in General Chemistry and/or Organic Chemistry lectures and/or labs beyond the seventh day of the quarter is permitted, but students must work with the Office of the Registrar to make that switch. The Office of the Registrar can make the switch for these students, so long as there is space in the section the student would like to switch into.

CHEM 1 & the General Chemistry Redesign

Did you start in CHEM 1 and need to complete General Chemistry? The General Chemistry series has been redesigned and is now referred to as CHEM 3 & CHEM 4.

Below is an explanation of which CHEM 3 courses articulate/are equivalent to which CHEM 1 courses:

• If you need an “equivalent” course to CHEM 1A, request a permission number for CHEM 3B.

• If you need an “equivalent” course to CHEM 1B, request a permission number for CHEM 3A.

• If you need an “equivalent” course to CHEM 1M, request a permission number for CHEM 3BL.

• If you need an “equivalent” course to CHEM 1C, request a permission number for CHEM 3C.

• If you need an “equivalent” course to CHEM 1N, request a permission number for CHEM 3CL.

  • Check in with your major advisor if you’re unsure what General Chemistry course you need or when you should plan to take it.

CHEM 4 is not offered in 2025-26, nor is it planned to be offered in 2026-27.