Course Registration & Waitlist Policies

 

Enrollment Policy | Waitlist/Crashers List Policy | Graduate Course Policy | FAQ: Registration and Wait Lists

 

Enrollment Policy

  1. To be fair to EVERYONE, the enrollment process for the Math Department is handled exclusively online, through GOLD. Please do not ask your instructor or the department staff to help add you to courses, which are full, or waitlisted.
     
  2. Enrollments through GOLD is on a first-come, first-serve basis. We strongly encourage Math majors to register for their major courses during Pass 1.
     
  3. Discussion sections and upper-division class enrollment limits are already set at the maximum.
     
  4. If your preferred lecture is full, you will need to put yourself on the waitlist for the lecture. DO NOT ADD A LECTURE THAT YOU CANNOT ATTEND EXPECTING THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHANGE LECTURES.
     
  5. If you need to switch sections because of a scheduling conflict, it is at the discretion of your TA(s). Contact the TA of the section you are officially registered in and the TA of the section you would like to unofficially attend. The department is not involved in switching sections.
     
  6. Math 2A-B, 3A-B, Math 4A-B and Math 6A-B will be open ONLY to Math, PSTAT, Engineering, Physics and CCS majors during Pass 1.
     
  7. Math 8 will be open ONLY to Math majors during Pass 1 and open to ONLY PSTAT majors during Pass 2. It will open up for all majors in Pass 3.
     
  8. We are unable to assist students in getting back into courses they accidentally dropped after “open registration” period has ended. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of registration dates and deadlines. 
     
  9. We are unable to assist students in getting back into courses they were dropped from due to billing/collection issues.
     
  10. We are unable to assist students in getting back into courses they were dropped out of by the Department due to lack of attendance. If you are going to miss class and have a valid reason, please contact your faculty member prior to the course. Exceptions will only be made for emergency situations.
    • Make sure you are aware of your course instructor’s attendance policy (should be stated in your syllabus). A faculty member can request a student be dropped from their course for lack of attendance.

Course clearance for lower-division courses will only be given based on the official major listed on GOLD. We are unable to clear courses for students newly declaring the Pre-Major.

Department of Mathematics: Waitlist & Crashers List Policy

  • Waitlists are available through GOLD.
  • You will need to ask instructors to add you as a course visitor on Canvas. 
  • Signing up on the waitlist does not guarantee a spot in the course!
  • Instructors DO NOT handle approval codes. The Math Department manages the waitlist and provides approval codes when appropriate.

The following criteria must be met in order to be given an approval code to add a class, ranked in order of relevance and importance. The course instructor and/or the Undergraduate Vice Chair must approve exceptions to the following policy.

Please note: Waitlist consideration will only be given based on the official major listed on GOLD. Anyone wishing to sign up on the waitlist must meet the prerequisite requirements for the course they are waitlisting, if not you will be dropped.

  1. Attendance in lectures and discussion sections
    1. Students wishing to add a course must attend all course meetings.
    2. Attendance will be enforced via crashers list. TA’s or instructors will take attendance the first two weeks in section for lower-division courses, or in lecture for upper-division courses (instructor’s discretion).
    3. Students who do not attend class will be dropped from the waitlist.
  2. Senior L&S Math majors
    1. Priority given based on number of units completed/proximity to graduation.
    2. GPA will be considered if class standing alone does not clearly determine seniority
  3. CCS Math majors
    1. Priority given based on number of units completed/proximity to graduation.
    2. GPA will be considered if class standing alone does not clearly determine seniority
  4. Non-Senior L&S Math majors
    1. Priority given based on number of units completed/proximity to graduation.
    2. GPA will be considered if class standing alone does not clearly determine seniority
  5. Engineering, PSTAT and Physics majors
    1. Priority given based on number of units completed/proximity to graduation.
    2. GPA will be considered if class standing alone does not clearly determine seniority.
    3. For Math 8 only, priority will be given to PSTAT majors before Engineering and Physics majors.
  6. All other majors
    1. Priority given based on number of units completed/proximity to graduation.
    2. GPA will be considered if class standing alone does not clearly determine seniority.

Important considerations:

  • The waitlist will automatically add students on GOLD as spaces become available until the end of week 1 (see registrar calendar for specific dates).
     
  • Approval Codes will be given out during week 2 and 3 every quarter by the the waitlist criteria as spaces open up. If a course remains full, we cannot provide any approval codes.
     
  • Students wishing to fulfill minor requirements will be given lower consideration than that of majors.

Students on the waitlist will be given course approval codes via their UCSB Email account as spaces become available. If you do not receive an add code for the specific course you waitlisted for, please check GOLD for an alternative lecture or section; otherwise, you may have to register for the class in another quarter.

Make sure to check your UCSB Email throughout Weeks 2 & 3 for an approval code. If you are emailed an approval code you will have 24-hours to register before the space is offered to the next student on the waitlist. If you do not add the course within this time frame, you will be moved to the bottom of the waitlist.

Department of Mathematics Graduate Course Policy

In addition to the Registrar's requirements (see their website) for enrolling in graduate level courses, the Math Department also requires the following:

1.  Have a minimum of A- in all the following courses:        

  • Math 108A & 108B

  • Math 111A, 111B, & 111C

  • Math 118A, 118B, & 118C

  • Math 122A & 122B   

2.  Have a GPA of 3.5 or above

3.  Be restricted to take a maximum of 2 graduate math courses per quarter

4.  Get endorsement from your faculty advisor

(For L&S and ENGR students, please skip ahead to the next step and submit a request form. For CCS students, Professors Maribel Bueno Cachadina or Karel Casteels are the faculty advisors, please reach out to them directly and then submit a request form). 

 
If you meet the above requirements, please contact your faculty advisor for their endorsement (L&S and ENGR students can skip this step and fill out the request form). Once you've done that, please fill out the Graduate Math Course Request form. Please note, the Math Department does NOT begin processing these requests until Pass 2. FYI: the instructor makes the final decision. If the instructor of the course feels you are underprepared for a graduate level course, they may deny your request.
 
Once your form is reviewed in Pass 2, if you are eligible and if there is space in the course, a Docusign petition will be sent to your UCSB email address. Please complete the petition and then it will be sent along to your faculty advisor and the instructor. If the instructor of the course does not approve of your request, you will be notified via UCSB email by the Math Department.
 

Department of Mathematics Frequently Asked Questions: Registration and Waitlists

  1. Can I get an approval code from the course instructor?
    • No. Add codes are only provided by the department, as space becomes available.
  2. How can I find out where I am on the list?
    • Since approval codes are not provided on a first-come, first-served basis, your position on the list is not a factor.
  3. Do I need to check back later to see if I’m still on the list?
    • No, you will be notified via U-Mail if you are removed from the list.
  4. When and how will I find out if I got into the class?
    • The waitlist will automatically add students on GOLD as spaces become available until 5th day of instruction. If you are not added during this period, you will be notified via your U-Mail account on the Thursday of weeks 2 & 3 of the quarter For lower division course spaces are not guaranteed, so please plan accordingly.
  5. What if I meet all of the requirements but still didn’t get an approval code?
    • Approval codes will not be provided until spaces open up. If a course remains full, we cannot provide any approval codes. Please check GOLD for an alternative lecture or section; otherwise, you may have to register for the class in another quarter.
  6. What if I’m finishing a math pre-major work this quarter – will I be able to get into upper-division math courses?
    • You can fill out the petition for full-major status now, and we will process it when the quarter grades come in. After meeting with an advisor, you will be given access to upper division courses and approval codes will not be necessary.

Questions regarding Statistics course should be directed to the Statistics Department South Hall 5607A (one floor directly below the Math Department).
 

To access the waitlist, please login to GOLD using your UCSBnetID and password here: https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/gold/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fgold%2f