Enrollment

1. Go to the Class Schedule and use the powerful search and filters to find amazing classes for the term you are planning.
2. Visit Twitter.com/BerkeleyGuide to see Suggested Classes with open seats. Follow @BerkeleyGuide on Twitter to see open classes as they are recommended by departments and faculty.
3. Plan your schedule within CalCentral.
4. Set up a meeting with your adviser at your college and/or department to enroll.

Normal Course Loads
Undergraduates: A course load of 15 units per semester is considered a normal undergraduate course load, and you are expected to enroll in at least 15 units.

Graduate Students: A course load of 12 units per semester is considered a normal, full-time graduate course load.

Reduced Study Loads
If you are an undergraduate and anticipate being enrolled in fewer than the minimum number of units required by your college or school, contact the dean's office of your college or school as soon as possible (preferably before the end of the previous semester, or at least well before the end of Phase II) to request approval to be enrolled in a less-than-full course load.

You can add/drop classes within CalCentral. 

Visit this site for Enrollment FAQ.

The Student Calendar includes dates you can add/drop (and when the add/drop fee applies).

Note: The late registration fee will not be assessed during the 2024-25 academic year.

Enroll in a Class

If you want to enroll in (add) a class, keep in mind:

• Departments may reserve seats in classes for students who meet certain criteria, based on major, level, etc. These classes are indicated in the Berkeley Guide Class Schedule and CalCentral.
• If you qualify for a seat reservation category but it is full, you will receive the message: "The enrollment category for which you qualify is full."
• If you attempt to add a course and you do not meet the restrictions, you will not be allowed to enroll and you will receive the message, "You have not met the enrollment restrictions (or criteria) for this class," or "Students at your course level are not permitted to enroll in this class."
• You'll be charged a $5 fee for each class added after the third week of instruction (11:59 p.m. PST on Friday).
• If you are not officially registered by the end of the third week of instruction, you'll be charged a $150 late-registration fee when you become officially registered (enrolled in at least one class, having no blocks on your CalCentral account, and paying at least 20% tuition and fees).
• You have until the add/drop deadline to change the unit value of a variable unit course.

Time Conflict Process

If you attempt to enroll in classes with overlapping days/times, you will only be able to do so if at least one of the conflicting classes is set up to allow time overlaps with other classes. You must click YES after you receive the error message “A scheduling conflict exist, please press 'yes' to accept and continue."

If both conflicting classes are not set up for students to enroll in classes with time conflicts, you will be unable to enroll in both classes while the times conflict. You must choose one or the other or find alternatives that allows time conflicts or do not conflict.

Drop a Class

To drop an enrolled or wait-listed class from your schedule, go to your current class schedule and select the class you wish to drop. You must confirm the transaction before the class can be dropped from your schedule. Please be aware some courses have early drop deadlines (EDD). The deadline for dropping EDD courses is midnight on Friday of the second week of instruction. Check your college/school's website for more information. You will be allowed to drop below full-time units until the end of the fourth week of instruction. If you do not plan to attend/enroll for the semester, you will not be able to drop your last class. You must submit a withdrawal form on CalCentral > My Dashboard > Add a Withdrawal Request.

Students will be charged a $10 late fee for each class dropped after the end of the second Friday of instruction (11:59 p.m. PST).

Add/Drop Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

If you are unable to enroll in a class because it is full, there are two ways you may be added to a wait list: automatic or manual. You can find out the wait list options through CalCentral.

1) Automatic. You can place yourself on the class's wait list within CalCentral. Automatic wait lists are processed every three hours through the end of the third week of instruction. Students on automatic wait lists are enrolled sequentially, provided there are seats available for their enrollment group.

Note: If you are already enrolled in a class that conflicts with the scheduling of a class you are wait-listed for, it is considered a time conflict. You will not be automatically enrolled from a wait list if there is a time conflict in your schedule and both classes do not allow time conflicts.

2) Manual. An instructor or department can change a wait list from automatic to manual (or vice versa) at any time. An instructor/department also can selectively choose to add students from a wait list and may not adhere to the sequential order of students on the wait list. (Students added this way are not charged a $5 add fee.) Departments may enroll students from a manual wait list beginning the first day of Phase I through the end of the fourth week of instruction. 

Wait-listed students usually receive first priority for enrollment. However, there is no guarantee that you will be enrolled in the course. Being enrolled from a wait list depends on a number of factors, such as whether the list is "automatic" or "manual," your position on the list, the size of the course, and whether enough space becomes available (through drops or an increase in seats).

Units for wait-listed courses are counted as part of your unit total. You need to be actually enrolled (i.e., not on the wait list) in at least one course to be considered officially "registered" (in addition to having paid at least 20 percent of your registration fees and having no registration holds).

If you no longer wish to take a wait-listed course, you are responsible for dropping yourself from the wait list, preferably by the end of the second week of instruction. If you have already been enrolled from a wait list, you are responsible for dropping the class.

If you  are not officially registered by the end of the third week of instruction (subject to change), you will be charged a $150 late-registration fee if you become officially registered after this time.

Undergraduates

If you are an undergraduate student and you have not enrolled in classes by the end of the fourth Wednesday of instruction (11:59 p.m. PST), you must obtain approval from an adviser in your college or school in order to enroll.

Graduates

If you are a graduate student and you have not enrolled in classes by the end of the fifth Friday of instruction (11:59 p.m. PST), you must reach out to your Graduate Student Affairs Officer (GSAO) to submit a re-enrollment request on your behalf

You must be enrolled in at least one class to be considered a registered student at Berkeley (in addition to having paid registration fees and having no registration blocks or holds). However, you are expected to be enrolled in at least the minimum number of units approved by your college or school by the end of the third week of instruction. Minimum unit requirements are as follows:

Undergraduate Minimum Unit Requirements:
Haas School of Business: 13 Units

College of Chemistry: 13 Units

College of Engineering: 12 Units

College of Environmental Design: 12 Units

College of Letters & Science: 13 Units

Rausser College of Natural Resources: 12 Units

Graduate Minimum Unit Requirements:
All graduate students: 12 Units

Graduate students under special programs, such as fellowship or financial aid recipients, have different minimum unit requirements. Consult your department.

If you wish to enroll in more units than the maximum, you must seek approval from your college or school dean's office (declared majors in Letters and Science should go to their department for approval). Requests are reviewed by the college after the adjustment period. Maximum unit limits are as follows:

Undergraduate Maximum Unit Limits:
Haas School of Business: 20.5 Units

College of Chemistry: 19.5 Units

College of Engineering: 20.5 Units

College of Environmental Design: 20.5 Units

College of Letters & Science: 20.5 Units

College of Natural Resources: 20.5 Units

Graduate Maximum Unit Limits:
Law School students: 16.0 Units

All other graduate students: 20.5 Units

As of January 2020, the policy for auditing classes has changed. Please see the complete Policy for Auditing Classes at UC Berkeley for details.

You should always drop any unwanted classes from your schedule immediately. Don't wait for or assume an instructor will drop you from a class.

But, an instructor may drop you from a class if you do not attend every class meeting during the first three weeks of instruction or if you do not meet the prerequisites.