A student who has a lapse in registration must petition to return to registered status.
To reinstate, the student and department must complete and submit to the Graduate Division a Petition for Reinstatement to Graduate Status.
Please note that reinstatement is not guaranteed; approval is at the discretion of the department and the Graduate Dean.
If not registered (also known as “lapsed”) in Spring quarter and a student plans to complete degree milestones during Summer, they must petition to reinstate to the Fall quarter and complete a minimum of 1 unit* during one Summer Session (unless the quarter needs to count towards academic residency)* If the final degree is conferred during Summer, Fall registration will not be required.
International students should consult with OISS about minimum required units for Summer registration due to the changing nature of immigration policies. While only 1 unit is required for academic purposes, additional units may be required by OISS to meet immigration policies.
Reinstatement does not alter a student’s original start quarter and year. Review time-to-
degree standards to determine whether within or beyond departmental/Graduate Council
time standards.
The department should consider a number of factors when approving reinstatement, including:
- Was the student having trouble meeting academic requirements when lapsed status occurred?
- Have departmental resources supporting the student's area of interest diminished?
- Have faculty with whom the student previously worked left UCSB?
If the student is beyond departmental/Graduate Council time-to-degree standards, the department must consider whether the student will follow the degree requirements in place at time of admission or current degree requirements and communicate that to the student. The department should also consider if the student needs to repeat meeting any critical milestones (such as comprehensive and qualifying exams) or resubmit any admissions application documents and communicate that as well.
Please note that fall quarter reinstatement is required for all students in lapsed status who plan to enroll in Summer Sessions courses to fulfill a degree milestone (i.e. advancing to doctoral candidacy) or complete a degree. Students must register in a minimum of one unit during one summer session. If the final degree is conferred during summer, fall registration will be cancelled.
See the Office of the Registrar's Calendars and Deadlines for the deadline to submit a Petition for Reinstatement to Graduate Status.
For students waiving UC SHIP Health Insurance:
Each academic year all students are enrolled in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) automatically. If you are currently insured with a qualifying health plan and do not wish to keep UC SHIP as secondary coverage, you may submit a waiver request.
Before completing the reinstatement petition, please review the waiver period for each quarter and plan to submit the waiver form in advance of your reinstatement quarter.
NOTE: Students in lapsed status forfeit their student privileges, which may include pre-existing offers of departmental financial support such as academic employment and fellowships. This is especially true for those students having exceeded time-to-degree standards. Students should contact their department with any questions about financial support (fellowships, student academic employment, etc.).