Enrollment

Enrollment Guide Fall 2026! 

Last Updated: 05.14.26

Fall Enrollment Schedule (At-a-Glance): 

• Enrollment Prep Week Begins May 11th and ends on May 15th.

  • The Fall Schedule of Classes should be released approximately two weeks before First Pass Appointments begin.

• First Pass Appointments start May 18th (check your MyUCSC for your first pass enrollment date).

  • Credit Limits:

    • Senior Standing: 19-credit limit

    • Junior, Sophomore, and Frosh Standing: 14-credit limit

  • Appointments every half hour - 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

  • First-pass enrollment remains open during your assigned appointment window

• Second Pass Appointments and Waitlists: begin May 26th.

  • Credit limits: 

    • Enrolled: 19-credit limit

    • Waitlist: 14-credit limit

    • Appointments every half hour - 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

• Enrollment remains open for continuing undergraduates until 11:59 PM on July 31st, 2026.

• Also see: 

  • Office of the Registrar - Enrollment Information: Everything you never knew you wanted to know about enrollment, especially the technical aspects and enrollment times

  • Key Dates for Registration and Enrollment 

  • FAQs for Students: Enrollment Appointments - How to check your enrollment date and time and much more!

Important Announcements:

• PHYS 1B will only be offered in Winter 2027. 

• The General Chemistry Series is undergoing updates. Please check your Degree Progress Report (DPR) in your MyUCSC to see what Chemistry coursework you still need to complete 

  1. 1. 1. • CHEM 3BL and CHEM 3CL will be offered for the final time in Fall 2026. Beginning Fall 2026, Chemistry Lectures and Labs will be combined into a single 7 unit course. 

Enrollment Reminders:

• Check your major requirements and academic plan

• Courses offered this academic year

• Use the MyScheduler tool to plan your enrollment

• Visit this site for information on Enrollment Holds (what they are, how/when to clear them, etc.)

• Enrollment FAQs

• Prioritize your major courses during First Pass enrollment and add GE’s during Second Pass enrollment, if necessary.

• How to use the Waitlist

  • WAITLISTS DO NOT BECOME AVAILABLE TO ANY STUDENT UNTIL YOUR SECOND PASS ENROLLMENT APPOINTMENT during fall, winter and spring; and not until late August for new frosh and transfer students.

• All UCSC courses are set to waitlist by default, and waitlists will open during second pass. Sections will appear closed until a student adds themselves to the waitlist.

  • Students may now edit waitlisted secondary sections.

  • Students will have access to edit their own waitlisted secondary section, and to change their “drop if enrolled” selection, without intervention by the Registrar’s Office staff. Additional information and screenshots are available here.

• Waitlist Troubleshooting

• Permission Codes: EEB Advising cannot issue permission codes or override enrollment restrictions/prerequisites/schedule conflicts. You must attend the first day of class to request a permission code. EEB faculty are not provided permission codes until very near the first day of class each quarter.

• Letter Grade Policy: All courses used to satisfy any Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department major requirements must be taken for a letter grade.  This includes both introductory lower division and advanced upper division requirements. 

  • 1. 1. P/NP grades will not be accepted unless the course is ONLY offered on a P/NP basis. 

       2. Currently, the only course offered P/NP only that may satisfy a major requirement (for EEB-sponsored BS majors only) is ENVS 183. This course is not an elective option for students in the Biology BA.

• Spring 2020 courses are excepted from this policy.

• Need to repeat a class for the third time? Be sure to check in with your College regarding a Double Repeat/Triple Take petition!

• Courses located in “CoastBio” rooms are held at the Coastal Biology Building. 

• Courses located in “Lg Discovery” rooms are held at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.

• Courses located in “Ocean Health” rooms are held at the Ocean Health Building. 

• These facilities are located at UCSC’s Coastal Science Campus. They are not located on the main campus. Please carefully check the location of your courses when planning your schedule.

• Student Responsibility: You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of your enrollments. Be sure to verify your classes, modes of instruction (in person, online, or hybrid), classroom location, how planned courses meet degree requirements, and grade options prior to the enrollment deadlines listed in the Academic and Administrative Calendar.

Special Course Information & Applications: 

BIOE 20F: Field Biology in Practice (2 units)

Enrollment by application. Introduction to the practice of field biology. Includes implementing the scientific process from formulating and testing hypotheses, sampling, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation. Grounded in the natural ecosystems surrounding the UCSC campus, this course incorporates field and lab techniques, natural history of flora and fauna, and both observational and experimental biology.

• Apply for BIOE 20F 

BIOE 75: Scientific Diving Methods (2units)

Designed for curious minds, proactive spirits, and aspiring marine scientists seeking to explore the underwater world. This course provides a comprehensive and rigorous, hands-on learning experience. As a scientific diver, you will learn essential safety standards, basic ecological sampling techniques commonly employed in underwater ecology research, and gain familiarity with specialized equipment and techniques.

Prerequisite(s): skill level equal to Advanced and Rescue Scuba Diver Certification, current AAUS/UCSC diving medical clearance, certifications in CPR/AED, First Aid and Oxygen Administration and minimum of 12 documented ocean dives; and interview: pass water skills evaluation. 

• More info for BIOE 75 HERE  

BIOE 82: Introduction to Field Research and Conservation (2 units)

Enrollment by application and instructor permission. A field-based course with overnight and day trips to regionally diverse areas throughout Central California. Field trips and lectures familiarize students with a wide variety of topics in the ecological, conservation, and environmental sciences as well as natural-resource management. Students are billed a materials fee of $100. 

• Apply for BIOE 82 (Application will be linked here and in the Class Schedule in MyUCSC when it is available for accepting responses)

BIOE 129/129L: Biology of Marine Mammals (Lab optional) (5 - 7 units) 

A survey of cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, and sea otters, including natural history, systematics, physiology, behavior, anatomy, and conservation.

BIOE 129L (lab) is not required to fulfill an upper-division elective or marine requirement. However, if you want to use the course as a DC requirement, both the lecture (BIOE 129) and lab (BIOE 129L) are required.

BIOE 135/L: Plant Physiology (7 units) 

This is a combined lecture (5 units) and lab (2 units) course that tackles both primary and secondary plant physiology, focusing heavily on water transport, photosynthesis, and phloem transport in the first five weeks, and covering topics like plant-microbe symbioses, soils, and secondary compounds in the second half of the quarter. Two midterms, a final exam, a group research project, and individual research comprise the grade for the lecture component, while labs and a lab practical cover the lab component. Have you ever wanted to know how plants work? Then this is the course for you! Prepare yourself for fun videos, plant anatomy, and lectures that connect plants to our lives.

• • • If you are a Plant Sciences BS Major, this course is required and only offered in the Fall quarters.

BIOE 161 and BIOE 161L: Kelp Forest Ecology and Kelp Forest Ecology Lab (5-10 units)

Study of the organization of kelp forests as models for examining biological communities. The physical and biotic factors responsible for community organization of kelp forests are explored using original literature and data collected in BIOE 161L. Class meets one full morning each week. Prerequisite(s): by interview only; BIOL 20A, BIOE 20B, and BIOE 20C are required. Students must pass the University Research Diving Certification (contact the diving safety officer, Institute of Marine Sciences, for further information). Enrollment is restricted to seniors. BIOE 161L must be taken concurrently.  Permission numbers are required. Contact instructor(s) for additional information.

Undergraduate Research Courses

EEB Undergraduate research courses provide students with academic credit for undergraduate research work done in an EEB faculty laboratory. Courses are offered Fall, Winter, and Spring only. Learn how to get started in undergraduate research and enroll in research courses here.

The following research courses are NOT VISIBLE in the Schedule of Classes.

• BIOE 182F Exploring Research in EEB, 2 units

• BIOE 193F Independent Research in EEB, 2 units (Prerequisite: BIOE 183W)

• BIOE 193 Independent Research in EEB, 5 units (Prerequisite: BIOE 183W)

• BIOE 195 Senior Thesis in EEB, 5 units (Prerequisite: BIOE 183W)

BIOE 183W Undergraduate Research in EEB - Writing (Fall and Winter offering only):  Students may enroll directly but must have faculty sponsor arranged and completed undergraduate research contract on file with the department by first class meeting.  

Other Course Information

How to enroll in an upper division ENVS course: All upper division ENVS courses require ENVS 100/L as a prerequisite. To petition to take an ENVS upper division class without the ENVS 100/L pre-requisite, please fill out this request form. If successful, students will receive a permission code to enroll during second pass enrollment. For more information about enrolling in ENVS courses as an EEB student please contact ENVS Advising at envsugpc@ucsc.edu.

Want to get a jump on course planning for the next couple of quarters? 

Visit the EEB Department's Planned Courses for the current academic year.  Please note that the courses listed here are planned, not guaranteed to be offered.

Did you receive a P grade in a major requirement course in Spring 2020? Please note that while your P grade is accepted by the department, it will not show as completed in your Degree Progress Report (DPR) automatically. Your DPR does not inform the enrollment system of your prerequisites, so there is no consequence to not having your P grade reflected in your DPR. Check with an EEB advisor should you have questions about this.

Have More Enrollment Questions? Email eebadvising@ucsc.edu.