Registration & Enrollment

Search this page for information on (click link to jump to section):

• Key dates and deadlines
• Official registration
• Enroll in classes
• Add or drop a class
• Cancellation for Non-Payment (CNP) policy
• What are registration holds
• Cancellation and withdrawal
• Residency

Key dates and deadlines

View the various calendars with important dates and deadlines regarding registration, tuition/fee payments, and degrees.

Enrollment Calendar | Includes important student deadlines and is updated periodically.

Academic Calendar | Lists important dates, events, and holidays for the traditional academic year and Summer Sessions.

Summer Sessions | Start and end dates for all sessions and enrollment deadlines.

Graduate Student Degree Deadlines | Filing, advancement, and application deadlines for graduate programs.

Official registration

Registration confirms your status as a student at UC Berkeley. Registering at Berkeley consists of two steps:

1. Enrolling in classes.
2. Paying your bill.*

*Important note for students: You must pay at least 20% of your bill by the Friday before instruction begins.

To be “officially registered” at UC Berkeley:

1. You must be enrolled in at least one course.
2. 20% of tuition and fees must be paid (even if not yet due). This percentage is the first installment amount of the Fee Payment Plan.
3. You must not have any holds against your registration.

You must be officially registered for the current term on CalCentral to be eligible to enroll in the next term. You must be officially registered to access campus services such as library privileges, the Recreational Sports Facility, University Health Services, etc.

A $150 late registration fee will be assessed if you do not meet the conditions above by Friday of the third week of instruction. This fee will not be assessed during the 2025–26 academic year and is suspended until further notice.

Enroll in classes

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.

• Enrollment for Fall Term begins mid April.
• Enrollment for Spring Term begins mid October.

Students are emailed a few weeks prior to the beginning of their enrollment phase. Your specific enrollment phase(s) and times will be listed in CalCentral.

Enroll in classes through CalCentral

How to enroll in classes: When you have an open enrollment phase, you will be able to enroll through CalCentral. You are able to add classes to your CalCentral shopping cart before your enrollment time begins. Visit the Office of the Registrar for details on how to enroll in classes. 

Enrollment restrictions: When a course has enrollment restrictions, it is most likely set up by the department under the direction of the professor. You can look up these restrictions on CalCentral’s Schedule of Classes or on the Academic Guide’s Class Schedule to see whether you qualify to enroll in a class and if there is still space available for you. 

• For details, read “Reserved seats in classes and course criteria” on the How to Enroll in Classes page.
• You should add yourself to the waitlist if the class is full and there are no restrictions preventing you from enrolling in the class if a space opens up.

Enrollment verification

To request verification of your enrollment online, log in to CalCentral and navigate to “My Academics” under Academic Records.

Enrollment verification for alumni and summer visitors: To verify enrollment for alumni and former students, read “Verification of Attendance and Degrees” on the Office of the Registrar Verify Attendance and Degrees page. 

Enrollment and financial aid eligibility

For financial aid purposes, 12 units per semester is considered full-time enrollment. Enrollment for less than 12 units per term may reduce your eligibility for certain types of aid. Specific types of aid, such as scholarships or grants, may have additional requirements. Cal Grants and Pell Grants are both affected by your unit load. Read more about how to maintain your financial aid eligibility.

Add or drop a class

For additional details, refer to the  “Details About Adds, Drops, and Waitlists” section on the Office of the Registrar How to Enroll in Classes page, or the  Add and Drop FAQ on the Student Information Systems site.

How to add a class

To add a class, please use CalCentral. A $5 fee will be assessed for each class added after Friday of the third week of instruction, including swaps, which act as both an add and a drop transaction..

How to drop a class

To drop an enrolled or waitlisted 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. 

The deadline to drop a class is the end of the second Friday of instruction. Please be aware some courses have early drop deadlines (EDD) and cannot be dropped after the deadline. Classes that do not have an EDD can be dropped after the deadline, but the student will be charged a $10 late fee for each class dropped, including swaps, which act as both an add and a drop transaction.  

Cancellation for Non-Payment (CNP) policy

Please note that the CNP policy has been suspended until further notice. 

What are registration holds

Holds can be placed on your account if you fail to meet an obligation to the university. Holds may prevent you from being able to enroll in classes, go to the gym, activate your Class Pass, etc. Avoid holds by taking action early.

There are three types of holds — sometimes called “blocks” — financial, academic, and administrative. Holds include, but are not limited to:

• Failure to pay registration fees or other outstanding debts, such as library fines.
• Failure to declare a major.
• Failure to submit requested documentation to certain offices, such as admissions.

How to remove registration holds

The type of registration hold — financial, academic, or administrative — will determine what action needs to be taken to resolve it. To find out the details about any hold on your account, log in to CalCentral and navigate to MyAcademics tab > Status and Holds. Click on any hold in CalCentral for details, how to clear it, and who to contact.

Administrative holds: To clear administrative holds, you must contact the office that placed the hold. Click on the hold to find the contact office.

Academic holds: To clear academic holds, you must contact the dean’s office of your college/school or major adviser.

Note: If your college has a semester limit, you may have a hold when you have reached that limit and are no longer eligible to enroll at UC Berkeley.

Financial holds: Make a payment online through CalCentral or an alternate payment option via Billing. If you have questions about your balance or payment options, please contact Cal Student Central.

Note: Library fine holds must be resolved with the Library Privileges Desk.