Admitted Applicants: What's Next?

Statement of Intent to Register

To officially accept or decline our offer of admission, you must submit the online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), located within your online application. Please submit the SIR as soon as possible - we are eager to hear from you!

If you have received a funding offer: In accordance with the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) resolution on financial support offers, we must be in receipt of your acceptance of your funding offer no later than April 15. Be sure to follow the instructions in the funding letter you received to formally accept the offer. In addition, you must also officially accept your offer of admission by submitting your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) via the graduate application system prior to June 15.

Send Final/Official Transcripts

To finalize your admission you must send final/official transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions attended, at which you completed one or more full academic terms (or equivalent), including community colleges, summer sessions, and extension programs. Unofficial transcripts, including those uploaded to your application, do not take the place of official documents under any circumstance.

If you have earned a degree(s) from an institution(s) outside of the United States, you are required to complete and submit a WES Course-by-Course ICAP evaluation that includes all post-secondary study. Be sure to review all information on the Admitted International Students web page to ensure proper compliance.

How to Submit your Documents

Official transcripts must be sent to the UC Santa Barbara Graduate Division directly from the institution. If sending paper documents by mail, official transcripts must be sent to the UC Santa Barbara Graduate Division directly from the school in the institution's sealed envelope, with all official seals and stamps intact.

UCSB Graduate Division mailing address:

UCSB Graduate Division
Attn: Graduate Admissions
3117 Cheadle Hall
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2070

If sending electronic documents, transcripts must be sent directly from the institution using their approved official transcript or document delivery service. Be sure to supply the document delivery service with the Graduate Division's document submissions email address: transcripts@graddiv.ucsb.edu. Electronic document delivery services approved by UC Santa Barbara include Parchment, eSCRIP-SAFE, National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), Credential Solutions, and eTranscript CA. Transcripts sent as email attachments or using cloud storage services will not be accepted.

Official Document Requirements

Official transcripts must show all of the following:

• All courses taken
• Credits or hours
• Grades or marks in each course
• Rank or class level, if given
• Institutional grading scale, including maximum and failing grades
• Type of degree awarded or in progress (e.g., Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science), and the date of the award if the program is complete

Transcripts are not considered final until all degrees reported have been finalized and conferred. Records submitted to UCSB will not be copied, returned, or sent to another institution.

Document Submission Deadlines

If you were admitted for fall quarter, final/official transcripts must be received by September 1st. For winter, spring or summer admission, final/official transcripts must be received before the first day of instruction of the quarter to which you are admitted.

Records from International Institutions

All admitted applicants who have earned a degree(s) from an institution(s) outside of the United States are required to complete and submit a WES Course-by-Course ICAP evaluation that includes all post-secondary study. All degrees reported on your application must be finalized before proceeding with the evaluation.

Students who have completed degree(s) and/or coursework outside of the United States should review all information on the Admitted International Students web page to ensure proper compliance.

Document Review by the Graduate Division

As documents are received, the notes in your Decision Letter and the Required Documents tab of your eApp will be updated to reflect any items that are still pending. Please review these notes carefully to determine which documents have not yet been received and/or processed. Once all required documents and materials have been received and processed, your admissions status will be updated to Unconditional.

While every effort is made to process documents in a timely manner, we recommend checking for updates to your status beginning 6-8 weeks after your documents were received by the Graduate Division. If you sent your documents over the summer and no update has been made to your Required Documents tab or admissions status by October 15th, please contact us at gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu.

Deadline Extensions and Exception Requests

If your documents are delayed for any reason and will not arrive by the deadline, please email us at gradadmissions@graddiv.ucsb.edu. 

If you believe you may be unable to meet the other requirements for submitting official documents as outlined here, please contact your previously attended institution(s) for further instructions. Students are expected to arrange for the secure delivery of official academic records (including WES evaluations, degree verifications, etc., if applicable) from each post-secondary institution attended.

Note: Exceptions are considered only in rare circumstances where students can clearly demonstrate that every attempt has been made to request the required documents from the institution. Please contact your institution and discuss all available options before contacting the UCSB Graduate Division.

Obtain a UCSB Net ID and Umail

You will need to obtain a UCSB Net ID and activate your UCSB university email account (Umail). Please allow 5-10 business days after you submit your SIR before proceeding with this setup. Your UCSB Net ID will be used to access most student systems including the course registration system, housing preferences site, and the billing office to view and pay your fees and tuition. Please visit the UCSB Identity Manager and select "I am…A New or Current Student with a Perm Number." Follow the steps to set-up your UCSB Net ID. Your Umail account will be yourUCSBNetID@umail.ucsb.edu. Access your Umail account here.

Note: If you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN), please enter “0000” as the last four digits of your SSN when setting up your UCSBnetID.

Submit Statement of Legal Residence

After you have established your UCSB Net ID, submit your Statement of Legal Residence (SLR). You will need your UCSB Net ID and password to log-on and complete this step. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar at Residency@sa.ucsb.edu.

Apply for Graduate Student Housing

UCSB offers a variety of housing options for incoming graduate students, including San Clemente Villages single-student housing. For more information or to apply for housing online, please visit the Housing and Residential Services Online Application.

Update Your Address

Please update your Address information in the Application Sections tab of your eApp to ensure that any materials mailed by campus or departmental offices reach you.

Update Your Preferred Name

When your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) is processed, only your legal name is transmitted to the Office of the Registrar. To specify your lived or preferred first name for your student and registration records, please log into the Identity Services Directory Editor, and update the "Preferred Name" field. This field should also be used to update or remove a lived or preferred first name (if needed). See the Office of the Registrar’s website for more information.

Submit your immunization information by Sept. 1

All incoming students are required to receive certain vaccinations and tuberculosis screening. Failure to comply may result in a registration hold. We strongly urge you to have all your immunizations up-to-date before you arrive at UCSB.

Complete this requirement by following the instructions on the Student Health website. You will need to enter your dates of the required immunizations and tuberculosis screening as well as upload your immunization records.  

Review and agree to UC requirements for health insurance coverage by Sept. 1

All registered UC students are required to have medical health insurance that meets minimum coverage limits. It is a condition of enrollment AND a non-academic requirement of registration. Please log on to Student Health Gateway Portal and follow the “Forms” menu to comply with this requirement.

UCSB students are automatically enrolled in the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP), which includes vision and dental coverage, and access to most Student Health services with no additional charges. The insurance premium is automatically included in your quarterly BARC bill. For information about this comprehensive plan, visit the Student Health website.  

If you have adequate private insurance and do not wish to enroll in UC SHIP, you may submit a request for a waiver. You will need to have your insurance plan information available. Waiver requests may be submitted beginning in April. The waiver deadline is September 1. Once a waiver request has been approved, it remains in effect until the beginning of the next academic year.

Students with approved waivers may purchase pre-paid access to most Student Health services through the GAUCHO ACCESS PLAN (GAP). Students who waive with insurance plans exclusive to any county outside of Santa Barbara will be REQUIRED to be enrolled in GAP.  Click here for more information about GAP. 

Apply for Student Accommodations (if applicable)

UCSB’s Disabled Students Program (DSP) offers a robust program to accommodate students with a wide variety of documented needs.

To register with DSP, please follow the guidelines posted on the The Disabled Students Program Registration Checklist. If you have questions about whether your personal disability qualifies for services through DSP, please contact their office at 805-893-2668.

Providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities is a shared responsibility of the campus. Students with disabilities are responsible for ensuring that DSP is aware of their disabilities and for providing DSP with appropriate documentation. DSP is located at 2120 Student Resource Building and serves as the campus liaison regarding academic issues and regulations related to students with disabilities. The DSP staff works in an advisory capacity with a variety of campus departments to ensure that equal access is provided to all disabled students.

International Students

For information on mandatory requirements for newly admitted international students, please visit the International Applicants information page and the Office of International Students and Scholars.

Contact Your Department

Your department can provide you with complete information about your graduate program. Department faculty and staff are eager to hear from you and welcome questions. We recommend that you contact the Graduate Program Staff Advisor for your department and ask to be put in touch with faculty and current graduate students in your specific area of interest.

New Student Page

Visit our New Students Page for information about housing, transportation, campus orientations, the local area, frequently asked questions, and more.

Graduate Student Resource Center (GSRC)

Get connected to the Graduate Student Resource Center, where you can find resources and information on many aspects of graduate student life. The GSRC also houses graduate peer advisors who are available to speak with you about issues related to funding and finances, writing and editing, professional development, and more. Click here for a list of the GSRC staff, peer advisors, and their office hours.

UCSB GradPost

Subscribe to the UCSB GradPost, which is the go-to website for news about graduate student life at UCSB, including information about events and workshops, graduate students profiles, and tools for academic success. To receive regular updates, sign up for the GradPost e-mail digest.