Enrollment

Enrollment is the process whereby students officially register for courses at UC Berkeley. Enrollment ensures you secure a spot in your chosen courses for the semester, which is possible after you complete your general Registration and Payment to the university.

The enrollment process has multiple steps before and during your enrollment periods, including tasks:

Explore courses and degree options.
Select courses and confirm you meet any academic prerequisites.
Build your class schedule in CalCentral.
Enroll during your Phase 1 and Phase 2 enrollment periods.*

*New students have one phase of enrollment, while continuing students have two phases. Read details about the enrollment process in the sections below.

Prepare to Enroll in Classes

Use the following tools to prepare yourself for enrollment:

Explore your courses and degree options via the Berkeley Academic Guide. Some courses may have prerequisites that are considered required for academic success.
Search for classes using keywords and filters in the Class Schedule (part of the Academic Guide). Read How to Enroll in Classes for more about planning your schedule each semester.
Build your class schedule in CalCentral using the Schedule of Classes and the Schedule Planner. Learn how to use the CalCentral class search and enrollment tool.
If needed, resolve any holds on your account: Administrative holds (e.g., for unpaid fees or missing documentation) must be resolved before enrolling in classes.

To get the most out of your enrollment appointments and better understand enrollment rules, please review the Student Information Systems Enrollment FAQ and the Class Search FAQ.

Use CalCentral to review your academic record and enroll in classes.

Enrollment Periods: Phase 1 and Phase 2

Course enrollment is divided into two phases for continuing students. New students have one enrollment period. Students have from the start of their enrollment appointment time until the end of that given phase to add, drop, or swap classes, change grading options, change discussion sections, and make variable unit updates. Please see deadlines available in the student Enrollment Calendar.

New students are limited to 17.5 units during Phase 1 and are not assigned a Phase 2 appointment.
Continuing undergraduate students are limited to no more than 13.5 units during Phase 1 and 17.5 units during Phase 2.
Continuing graduate students are limited to no more than 12 units during Phase 1 and 20.5 units for Phase 2.
All unit limits include waitlisted units. This is a hard cap enforcement.

Adjustments to Enrollment:

The Office of the Registrar does not modify enrollment appointments unless one was incorrectly assigned. If a continuing student does not enroll during Phase 1 for any reason, they will need to wait for their Phase 2 appointment time.
During the Adjustment Period in August (fall semester) and January (spring semester), students may enroll up to their college’s maximum unit limit. The adjustment period ends on the add/drop deadline.
Please see Summer Enrollment Changes for information regarding summer enrollment.

Note: You need to pay at least 20% of your bill by the Friday before instruction begins, or you will be dropped from your courses. For more information, read the Cancel for Non-Payment Policy (the Cancel for Non-Payment Policy is suspended indefinitely).

Enrolling in Classes Late:

If you are an undergraduate student and 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 advisor in your college or school in order to enroll late.
If you are a graduate student and 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 to enroll late.

Academic Preparation

Refer to the Berkeley Academic Guide Course Catalog to learn if a course has prerequisites.

If prerequisites are cited, they are considered to be required for academic success.
For some classes, prerequisites will be automatically enforced by the enrollment system.
If the system does not find the requisites in your academic record, you cannot enroll without first receiving permission from the department or instructor. Sometimes receiving permission to enroll may require that you provide proof of having completed acceptable transfer courses or exams.

The enrollment system currently checks for satisfaction of prerequisites for all classes that satisfy the University’s Reading and Composition requirement.

Prerequisites for Reading and Composition courses must be in progress at Berkeley or posted as an acceptable exam or transfer course to a student’s Transfer Credit Report.
Departments will not accept other proof of completion and will not provide permission to enroll.

The enrollment system also will check for satisfaction of prerequisites for the courses listed on this sheet. The sheet is accessible to anyone logged into Google with a berkeley.edu address.

Enrollment Resources

Explore the Enrollment process with these resources on our website.