Intercampus Exchange Programs for Graduate Students (IEPGS)

Purpose

The Intercampus Exchange Program for Graduate Students (IEPGS) provides UCSB students access during fall, winter, or spring quarter to courses at another UC campus not ordinarily available at UCSB.
 

Eligibility

Applicants must have completed at least one academic year (three quarters) of residence at UCSB and be in good academic standing.

Students who are within their first year must provide a letter of support from their advisor and include the rationale for the exception.

Students enrolled in programs that are financially self-supporting (i.e. M.B.A., M.D.), cannot participate in intercampus exchange since the host university program is not state-supported. 
 

Application Process
and Instructions

Contact the professor or department at the host campus expressing interest in and notifying them to expect your IEPGS application. The completed IEPGS application, with your home Department Chair or Graduate Advisor's signature, should be submitted to the Graduate Division four weeks prior to the beginning of the quarter you wish to be on exchange. Separate applications are required each quarter.

Approvals are required from the Department Chair and the Graduate Dean on both campuses. The Graduate Division will secure the approval of the UCSB Graduate Dean, and route the application to the host campus for approval.

If approved, you must register in a minimum of 8 units at UCSB in addition to the approved course(s) at the host campus. Fees are paid at UCSB only.

Upon completion of the coursework, an official UC transcript from the host institution will be sent to the UCSB Registrar. Courses taken and grades earned at the host school will be recorded on the student's UCSB transcript and calculated into their GPA.
 

Responsibilities of the
Academic Department

Departments should screen all IPEGS applications carefully. The courses to be completed through IEPGS should be ones that are not available on the student's home campus and constitute an important supplement to the student's degree program. The course instructor(s) should be willing to allow the student into the course(s) based on the credentials presented and if space permits.
 

Frequently
Asked Questions

No. This program is limited only to other UC campuses.

If approved, the host Graduate Division will send the student a detailed approval letter, describing the registration process. The student must complete the registration process at the host campus, as well as at UCSB, to get credit for the classes taken there.

Only rarely do IEPGS visitors gain access to student housing at the host campus.

Enrollment and payment of fees at UCSB for Fall quarter will cover Fall semester at Berkeley or Merced. Alternatively, the student must register and pay fees for both Winter and Spring quarters at UCSB if attending Spring semester.

Students who wish to leave UCSB and transfer to another UC must submit an official admission application for that particular campus.

Possibly, if offered an academic appointment at the host campus. Please contact the Graduate Division Appointment Analyst.

Education Abroad Program (EAP)

UCSB graduate students may study or pursue research overseas through UC's Education Abroad Program (EAP) in over 30 countries with nearly 250 program options. EAP provides a means for graduate students to achieve competency in a foreign language, enhance their understanding of another culture, access coursework of an international or comparative nature, or conduct research while maintaining UC student status. Detailed information is available at UC Education Abroad Program or from UCSB Education Abroad Program.

UC Online (Cross-Campus Enrollment)

The goal of this program is to provide UC students access to high-quality online courses developed and taught by UC faculty at campuses across the system. These courses have been developed and are taught by outstanding UC faculty representing exciting opportunities to learn online in engaging and interactive ways from instructors on other UC campuses. 
 

  • Be registered and paid in a minimum of 8 UCSB units (UC Online units do not count toward the 8)
  • Be in good academic standing
  • UCSB students are limited to 1 UC Online course per quarter, but the student's college can allow an exception to this (see Exceptions below)

Enrollment takes place via the UC Online website, and final enrollment will be approved by the Office of the Registrar.

Students requesting to enroll in more than 1 UC Online course in a quarter must submit to the Graduate Division (gradacademics@graddiv.ucsb.edu) a letter of support from their research advisor that includes the courses the student is requesting to enroll in and a justification for the request (i.e. the courses are necessary for research/training, but aren't available at UCSB, etc.). When received, the letter of support will be submitted to the Associate Dean for review and final approval. The Registrar's Office will be notified of the outcome.

Undergraduate upper-division or graduate-level courses may be allowed to satisfy unit requirements for graduate degrees. Consult with your department regarding program requirements.

Undergraduate lower-division courses (numbered 1-99) will appear on a graduate students’ transcript, but will not satisfy unit requirements or be calculated into the grade point average.

Students are responsible for adhering to the host campus’ published deadlines for adding, dropping, changing grading option, and withdrawing from the online course.

Cotutelle/Ad-Hoc Joint Degree Programs

Cotutelle agreements, also known as Ad-Hoc Joint Degree Programs or Dual Degree programs, are ad-hoc agreements for a student to complete a doctoral degree jointly at two different universities. UC Santa Barbara does not allow such degree programs, due to a Graduate Council Ruling (February 2019).​