Registration and Enrollment

This is an archived copy of the 2015-16 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Although course requirements are essential components of any degree, the central focus of Berkeley’s academic programs is scholarship. Students become familiar with the intellectual boundaries of a discipline, study particular aspects of that discipline in depth, and develop competence in the fundamental skills and methodologies related to it.

Most registration and enrollment activities are handled by the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar supports every registered student, as well as all faculty and staff who interacts with them. Specifically, they are responsible for:

  • Assisting special populations such as U.S. veterans and service members
  • Class enrollment and registration
  • Determining residency for tuition purposes
  • Diplomas
  • Fee assessment
  • Preservation and privacy of student records
  • Reservations for more than 200 classrooms
  • Schedule of classes
  • Transcripts
  • Verifying registration and graduation

For additional information about registration and enrollment, please access the tabbed information on this page, or visit registrar.berkeley.edu

Registration

Tele-BEARS

Tele-BEARS is an online enrollment system that allows you to enroll in classes at UC Berkeley. You use Tele-BEARS to add, drop, or make other changes to your class schedule. For information on how to use TeleBears, please see the Office of the Registrar's website . 

Paying Tuition and Registration Fees

A monthly billing statement indicating all University tuition and registration fees due will be generated for you and posted online by the Student Billing Services office. You may pay your tuition and fees in full or in five installments on the Deferred Payment Plan. Tuition and fee payments (either in full or the first installment) are due on August 15 for the fall semester and January 15 for the spring semester. For more information, see the Student Billing Services website .

The Deferred Payment Plan

You may pay your tuition and registration fees in five installments if you wish. A nonrefundable processing fee will be charged to your first installment. Your billing statement will indicate the amount due for the first payment; subsequent statements for the remaining payments will be generated for you automatically. For full information about the Deferred Payment Plan, visit the Student Billing Services website .

Criteria for Being an Officially Registered Student

In order to be be officially registered at Berkeley, you must meet three criteria:

  1. You must be enrolled in at least one course.
  2. Your tuition and registration fees must have been paid, either in full or at least the first installment if you are on the Deferred Payment Plan.
  3. You must have no blocks against your registration.

Note: You must be officially registered to use campus services (e.g., the library, RSF).

Bear Facts

The Bear Facts website provides critical information regarding your registration, grades, billing, class schedule, and more. 

Cancellation & Withdrawal

Cancellation or Withdrawal of Registration

If you do not wish to attend the University for a semester and instruction has not yet begun, you must formally request a cancellation of your registration from the University. If instruction has already begun and you find it necessary to stop attending classes, you must formally request a withdrawal from the University. Whether you cancel or withdraw, any classes in which you are enrolled will be dropped from your schedule, and you will no longer be eligible to attend for that semester or any future semester until you are readmitted.

For further information on Cancellation and Withdrawal, please see the Office of the Registrar's website .

Tuition and Registration Fee Adjustments

The amount of tuition and registration fees that you may be responsible for at the time of your withdrawal or cancellation is prorated based on the effective date of your withdrawal or cancellation, according to the tables published on the Office of the Registrar's website .

Note: The Health Insurance and Class Pass, and Document Management fees are nonrefundable and, therefore, remain assessed at 100 percent for all withdrawals, regardless of the effective date.

Returning to Berkeley

Returning to UC Berkeley After Cancellation

New Students

If you cancelled your registration and wish to attend Berkeley in a future semester, you must submit a new application for admission. Your previous admission status will have no bearing on the decision for admission in the future.

Continuing Students

If you cancelled your registration and wish to attend Berkeley in a future semester, you must submit an “Application for Readmission."

Returning to Berkeley After Withdrawal

If you withdrew from the University and wish to return in a future semester, you must submit an “Application for Readmission." 

California Residency

California Residency and the Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition

A resident is a person who has been determined to have satisfied all University of California (UC) residency requirements to be classified as a California resident for tuition purposes. A non-resident is a person who has been determined to not meet all UC residency requirements and is assessed non-resident supplemental tuition (NRST) in addition to the mandatory resident fees.

If you have not been living in California with the intent to make it your permanent home for more than one year immediately before the residence determination date for each semester in which you propose to attend the University, you must pay the non-resident supplemental tuition fee in addition to all other tuition and fees. The residence determination date is the day instruction begins at UC Berkeley.

Law Governing Residence

The rules regarding legal residence for tuition and fee purposes at the University of California are governed by the California Education Code as adopted by Standing Order 110.2 and and Regents Policies 3105 and 3106 of The Regents of the University of California. Under these rules, adult citizens, permanent resident card holders, or certain classes of immigrants and non-immigrants can establish residence for tuition and fee purposes. There are also particular rules that apply to the residence classification of minors (under the age of 18 years).

Who Is a California Resident?

If you are an adult who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and you want to be classified as a resident for tuition and fee purposes, you must have established your continuous presence in California more than one year immediately preceding the residence determination date for the semester during which you propose to attend the University, and you must have given up any previous residence. If you are not a US citizen or permanent resident and carry a non-immigrant visa, some visas may preclude you from establishing residency (i.e. B, F, J, TD/TN). You must also present objective evidence that you intend to make California your permanent home. Evidence of intent must be dated one year before the term for which you seek resident classification. If these steps are delayed, the one-year duration period will be extended until you have demonstrated both continuous presence and intent for one full year. Physical presence within the state solely for educational purposes does not constitute the establishment of California residence under state law, regardless of the length of your stay. Your residence cannot be derived from your spouse nor, since you are an adult, from your parents. Likewise, a registered domestic partner does not derive residence from the other registered domestic partner.

Establishing Intent to Become a California Resident

Indications of your intent to make California your permanent residence can include registering to vote and voting in California elections; designating California as your permanent address on all school and employment records, including military records if you are in the military service; obtaining a California driver’s license or, if you never had a driver’s license from any state, a California State Identification Card; obtaining California vehicle registration; paying California income taxes as a resident, including taxes on income earned outside California from the date you establish residence; establishing a California residence in which you keep your permanent belongings; licensing for professional practice in California; and the absence of these indications in other states during any period for which you claim California residence. Documentary evidence is required. All relevant indications will be considered in determining your classification. Your intent will be questioned if you return to your prior state of residence when the University is not in session.

Financial Independence Requirement

Effective fall 1993, if your parents do not meet the requirements to be considered California residents for tuition and fee purposes or if you were not previously enrolled in a regular session at any University of California campus, you will be required to be financially independent in order to be a resident for tuition and fee purposes. If you are an adult student and your parents are not California residents, you must demonstrate financial independence, along with physical presence and intent, when seeking resident classification for tuition and fee purposes. You are considered “financially independent” if one or more of the following applies:

  1. You are at least 24 years of age by December 31 of the year you request residence classification;
  2. You are a veteran of the US Armed Forces;
  3. You are a ward of the court or both of your parents are deceased;
  4. You have legal dependents other than a spouse or registered domestic partner;
  5. You are married, a registered domestic partner, or a graduate or professional student and you were not/will not be claimed as an income tax deduction by your parents or any other individual for the tax year preceding the term for which you are requesting resident classification; or
  6. You are a single undergraduate student who was not claimed as an income tax deduction by your parents or any other individual for the two tax years immediately preceding the term for which you are requesting resident classification, and you can demonstrate self-sufficiency for those years and the current year.
  7. You are a student who turned 18 years of age in California while your parents were residents for tuition purposes of the state AND your California resident parents left to the state to establish a residence elsewhere AND you, the student, continued to reside in California after your parents' departure.

Note: Graduate students who are graduate student instructors, teaching or research assistants, or teaching associates employed at 49% time or more (or awarded the equivalent in University-administered funds, e.g., grants, stipends, fellowships) in the term for which resident classification is sought are exempt from the financial independence requirement.

General Rules Applying to Minors

If you are an unmarried minor (under age 18), the residence of the parent with whom you live is considered your residence. If you have a parent living, you cannot change your residence by your own act, by the appointment of a legal guardian, or by the relinquishment of a parent’s right of control. If you live with neither parent, your residence is that of the parent with whom you last lived. Unless you are a minor present in the United States under the terms of a non-immigrant status which precludes you from establishing domicile in the United States, you may establish your own residence when both your parents are deceased and a legal guardian has not been appointed. If you derive California residence from a parent, that residence must satisfy the one-year duration requirement.

Specific Rules Applying to Minors

Divorced/Separated Parents

If you want to derive California resident status from a California resident parent, you must move to California to live with that parent before your 18th birthday and establish the requisite intent and remain in California until school begins. Otherwise, you will be treated like any other adult coming to California to establish your legal residence.

Parent of Minor Moves from California

If you are a minor US citizen or eligible alien whose parent was a resident of California but who left the state within one year of the residence determination date, you are entitled to resident classification if you remain in California after your parent departs, enroll in a California public post-secondary institution within one year of your parent’s departure, and, once enrolled, attend continuously until you turn 18.

Self-Support

If you are a US citizen or eligible alien and are a minor and can prove that you lived in California for the entire year immediately before the residence determination date, that you have been self-supporting for that year, and that you intend to make California your permanent home, you may be eligible for resident status.

Two-Year Care and Control

If you are a US citizen or carry an eligible immigrant status and you lived continuously for at least two years before the residence determination date with an adult who was not your parent but was responsible for your care and control, and who, during the one year immediately preceding the residence determination date was a resident of California, you may be entitled to a resident status. This exception continues until you turn 19 years of age and have resided in the state long enough to become a resident, as long as you continuously attend an educational institution.

Exemptions from Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (Proof of Eligibility Is Required)

Member of the Military

If you are a member of the US military stationed in California on active duty, unless you are assigned to a state-supported institution of higher education for educational purposes, you may be exempt from non-resident supplemental tuition. You must provide the residence deputy on campus with a statement from your commanding officer or personnel officer indicating the dates of your assignment to California and confirming that the assignment to active duty in the state is not for educational purposes. If you are a graduate or professional student, you are eligible for this exemption until you have resided in the state the minimum time necessary to become a resident (366 days).

As an active duty member, you may be eligible for an exemption while continuously enrolled, during which time you must fulfill Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) requirements in order to maintain waiver eligibility. You must be on active military duty in California for a period of more than 30 days on or during the residence determination date of the term for which the exemption is requested and whose domicile or permanent duty station is in California.

If you are an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student and a former active duty member of the military, you may be exempt from non-resident supplemental tuition if you were stationed in Calif­ornia and were on active duty for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to being discharged from the military.  Beginning July 15, 2015: if you are a veteran who enrolled at UC within three years of discharge or released from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more AND eligible for Chapter 30 or 33 benefits, you may be exempt from non-resident supplemental tuition.

Spouse, Registered Domestic Partner, or Other Dependents of Military Personnel

You may be exempt from payment of non-resident supplemental tuition if you are a dependent natural or adopted child, stepchild, registered domestic partner, or spouse of a member of the armed forces of the United States stationed in California on active duty. If you are a graduate or professional student, you will be entitled to this exemption until you have resided in the state the minimum time necessary to become a resident (366 days). If you are enrolled in an educational institution and the member of the Armed Forces is transferred outside California where he or she continues to serve on active duty or retires from active duty, you will not lose your exemption until you have resided in the state the minimum time necessary to become a resident (366) days.

If you are a student who is a dependent natural or adopted child, stepchild, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a member of the armed forces of the United Sates who is stationed in CA on active duty, you may be entitled to a resident classification. The student must be the dependent of a member of the armed forces who is stationed in California on active duty on the residence determination date or, after serving in California on active duty, has been transferred outside California where he continues to serve, or has retired from active duty immediately after serving in California.

Beginning July 15, 2015: if you are a student whose spouse, registered domestic partner, or parent was a former active duty member of the military, you may be exempt from non-resident supplemental tuition.  To qualify, the former active duty member of the military must have been discharged from a period of active duty service of 90 days or more within 36 months of your first date of enrollment AND you must be eligible for and elect to receive VA Chapter 30 or 33 benefits during your first term of enrollment.

Child, Spouse, or Registered Domestic Partner of Faculty Member

To the extent funds are available, if you are an unmarried dependent child under age 21 or the spouse or registered domestic partner of a member of the University faculty who is a member of the Academic Senate, you may be eligible for a waiver of non-resident supplemental tuition. Confirmation of the faculty member’s membership in the Academic Senate must be secured each semester before this waiver is granted.

Child, Spouse, or Registered Domestic Partner of University Employee (Whose Assignment is Outside California)

If you are an unmarried dependent child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a full-time University employee whose assignment is outside California (e.g., Los Alamos National Laboratory or the University of California Washington, D.C., Center), you may be eligible for a waiver of non-resident supplemental tuition. Your parent’s, spouse’s, or registered domestic partner’s employment status with the University must be ascertained each semester.

Child, Spouse, or Registered Domestic Partner of Deceased Public Law Enforcement or Fire Suppression Employee

If you are the child, spouse, or registered domestic partner of a deceased public law enforcement or fire suppression employee who was a California resident and was killed in the course of fire suppression or law enforcement duties, you may be entitled to a waiver of non-resident supplemental tuition.

Dependent Child of a California Resident Parent

If you have not been an adult resident of California for more than one year and you are a dependent child of a California resident parent who has been a resident for more than one year immediately before the residence determination date, you may be entitled to a waiver of non-resident supplemental tuition until you have resided in California for the minimum time necessary to become a resident as long as you maintain continuous attendance at an educational institution.

Native American Graduates of a Bureau of Indian Affairs High School

If you are a graduate of a California high school operated by the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, you may be eligible for an exemption from non-resident supplemental tuition.

Employee of a California Public School District

Any person holding a valid credential authorizing service in the public schools of the state of California who is employed by a school district in a full-time certificate position may be eligible for a non-resident supplemental tuition waiver.

Student Athlete in Training at US Olympic Training Center, Chula Vista

Any amateur student athlete in training at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista may be eligible for a waiver of non-resident supplemental tuition until he or she has resided in the state the minimum time necessary to become a resident.

Graduate of a California High School (AB 540)

You may be entitled to an exemption from non-resident supplemental tuition if you attended high school in California for three or more years and graduated from a California high school (or attained the equivalent). You are not eligible for this exemption if you hold a non-immigrant visa.

Recipient or Child of a Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor

If you are a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor or the child of a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, you may be eligible for an exemption from non-resident supplemental tuition.

T or U Visa Holders

If you hold a T or U non-immigrant visa and otherwise would meet the requirements of AB 540, you may be eligible for an exemption from non-resident supplemental tuition.

For more information, please see the Office of the Registrar's website .

Temporary Absences

If you are a non-resident student who is in the process of establishing California residency for tuition and fee purposes and you leave California during non-academic periods (for example, to return to your former or parent’s home state), your presence in California will be presumed to be solely for educational purposes, and only convincing evidence to the contrary will rebut this presumption. Students who are in the state solely for educational purposes will not be classified as residents for tuition and fee purposes, regardless of the length of stay.

If you are a student who has been classified as a resident for tuition and fee purposes and you leave the state temporarily, your absence could result in the loss of your California residence. Again, only strong evidence will rebut the presumption that you are/were in California solely for educational purposes. The burden of proof will be on you to verify that you did nothing inconsistent with your claim of a continuing California residence during your entire absence.

If you are a minor student, your residence is determined by the residence of the parent(s) with whom you live or last lived, and you would not lose that residence unless you perform acts inconsistent with a claim of permanent California residence. Some steps that you (or your parent(s) if you are a minor student) should take to retain resident status for tuition and fee purposes are:

  1. Satisfy California resident income tax obligations. It should be noted that individuals claiming permanent California residence are liable for payment of income taxes on their total income, including income earned outside the state (abroad or in another state).
  2. Continue to use a California permanent address on all records (educational, employment, military, etc.).
  3. Attend an out-of-state public institution as a non-resident for the entire period of enrollment there.
  4. Retain your California voter’s registration and vote by absentee ballot.
  5. Maintain a California driver’s license and vehicle registration. If it is necessary to change your license or registration while temporarily residing in another state, the license must be changed back to California within 10 days of the date of return to the state, and the vehicle registration must be changed within 20 days of the date of return.
  6. Return to California during your vacation periods.

Form and Documentation Deadlines

Please see the Office of the Registrar's website for information on all deadlines for new and continuing students. Additionally, there is a documentation deadline for each semester. If you do not provide the requested documents within the deadline you may be held responsible for the non-resident supplemental tuition.

Incorrect Classification

If you were incorrectly classified as a resident, you are subject to reclassification and to payment of all non-resident supplemental tuition not paid. If you concealed information or furnished false information and were classified incorrectly as a result, you are also subject to University discipline and may be referred to the Center for Student Conduct. Resident students who become non-residents must immediately notify the campus residence deputy.

Inquiries and Appeals

Inquiries regarding residence requirements, determination, and/or recognized exceptions should be directed to:
Residence Affairs Unit, Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-5404, telephone (510) 664-9181, email orres@berkeley.edu OR 
the Legal Analyst: Residence Matters, 1111 Franklin Street, 8th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607-5200

No other University personnel are authorized to supply information relative to residence requirements for tuition and fee purposes.

Any student, following a final decision on residence classification by the residence deputy, may appeal in writing to the legal analyst within 30 days of notification of the residence deputy’s final decision.

Caution: This summary is not a complete explanation of the law regarding residence for tuition and fee purposes. Additional information is available from the Office of the Registrar's website . Additionally, the UC Office of the President, Office of the General Counsel provides more information including the UC Residency Policy and Guidelines .

Note: Changes may be made in the residence requirements since the publication date of this statement. 

Course Number Guide

For an explanation of the prefixes, suffixes, and course numbering system used in UC Berkeley's course listings , please see the guide provided below.

Prefixes to Course Numbers

C = Course is cross-listed with another department
H = Honors course
N = Summer-only course not equivalent to a regular session course with the same number
R = Satisfies Reading and Composition (R & C) requirement
W = Offered fully or predominantly online

Suffixes to Course Numbers

AC = Satisfies American Cultures requirement

Key to Course Numbers

1-99 = Lower-division (undergraduate) courses
100-199 = Upper-division (undergraduate) courses
200-299 = Graduate courses
300-399 = Professional courses for teachers and prospective teachers
400-499 = Other professional courses (acceptable toward academic degrees only within limitations prescribed by a college, school, or the Graduate Division)
601 = Special study for graduate students in preparation for master's examination
602 = Special study for graduate students in preparation for doctoral qualifying examination

Courses Numbered 24, 39, & 84

Freshman and Sophomore Seminars
For further information, please see the Freshman and Sophomore Seminars at Berkeley website .

Courses Numbered 98

Directed group study by lower-division students
You may use no more than 16 semester units of courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199 to meet requirements for the bachelor's degree. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the dean of your college or school. You may aggregate no more than 4 units of credit for courses numbered 98, 99, 198, and 199 for a single semester. Each section of a 98 course must receive approval by the chair of the department, based upon a written proposal submitted by the instructor who is to supervise the course. Only a grade of passed/not passed is to be assigned. The dean of your college or school may authorize exceptions to these limitations.

Courses Numbered 99

Supervised independent study by academically superior, lower-division students
You may use no more than 16 semester units of courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199 to meet requirements for the bachelor's degree. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the dean of your college or school. You may aggregate no more than 4 units of credit for courses numbered 98, 99, 198, and 199 for a single semester. You must have a 3.3 GPA and prior consent of the instructor who is to supervise the study, and you must submit a written proposal to the chair of the department for approval. Only a grade of passed/not passed is to be assigned. The dean of your college or school may authorize exceptions to these limitations.

Courses Numbered 197

Field study (upper-division)
You may use no more than 16 semester units of courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199 to meet requirements for the bachelor's degree. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the dean of your college or school. Courses with this number are restricted to passed/not passed grading. To take them you must have completed 60 units of undergraduate study and be in good academic standing (2.00 GPA or better). Exceptions to these rules may be granted by the dean of your college or school.

Courses numbered 198

Directed group study (upper-division)
You may use no more than 16 semester units of courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199 to meet requirements for the bachelor's degree. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the dean of your college or school. You may aggregate no more than 4 units of credit for courses numbered 98, 99, 198, and 199 for a single semester. Each section of a 198 course must receive approval by the chair of the department, based upon a written proposal submitted by the instructor who is to supervise the course. To enroll in 198 courses, you must be in good academic standing (2.00 GPA or better). Only a grade of passed/not passed is to be assigned. The dean of your college or school may authorize exceptions to these limitations.

Courses numbered 199

Supervised independent study (upper-division)
You may use no more than 16 semester units of courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199 to meet requirements for the bachelor's degree. Exceptions to this rule may be granted by the dean of your college or school. You may aggregate no more than 4 units of credit for courses numbered 98, 99, 198, and 199 for a single semester. You must have prior approval of your major adviser, the instructor who is to supervise the study, and the chair of the department. Approval must be based on a written proposal that you submit to the chair. To enroll in 199 courses, you must be in good academic standing (2.00 GPA or better). Only a grade of passed/not passed will be assigned. The dean of your college or school may authorize exceptions to these limitations.

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