Undergraduate Students

Please see below for frequently asked questions about Winter 2020 quarter grades:

How do I know if I need a grade for financial aid or other reasons?

This FAQ sorts out below out the different reasons you might require a grade to be entered.

What should I do if I need a final course grade for financial aid or other reasons?

If you have a question about your final course grade, please contact the faculty member in charge of your course. If you are uncertain who the Instructor of Record is, please contact the Chair of the instructor’s department). Instructors are responsible for ensuring that grades are officially submitted to the Registrar. You may contact them via email. An informal or unofficial communication about a grade from a Teaching Assistant who is not the Instructor of Record will not suffice for any official purpose.   

How can I contact an academic advisor if I have questions?

College of Letters and Science students can contact a general academic advisor in Cheadle Hall. Face-to-face appointments can be made via the Letters and Science Advising Queue or by texting “L and S Advising” to 805-585-5821. L&S advising is located in 1117 Cheadle Hall. You can also reach an advisor via email at academic_advising@ltsc.ucsb.edu. You also can phone 805-893-2838 to make an appointment. Advisors can meet with students face-to-face or via Zoom by prior arrangement. L&S advisors are available 9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Friday.

Engineering students may contact an academic advisor via email at coe-info@engineering.ucsb.edu, in person in 1006 Harold Frank Hall or by phone at 805-893-2809. Engineering academic advising is available from 9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Friday.

College of Creative Studies: Please contact info@ccs.ucsb.edu, call 805-893-4146, or visit during office hours from 8:00-12:00, 1:00-4:00. 

Academic Probation:

Are there consequences for students on academic probation who do not receive grades in a given quarter?

Academic Senate regulations state that a student who is on academic probation must have at least a 2.0 GPA for the subsequent quarter and bring their cumulative GPA to at least 2.0, or they are “Subject to Disqualification” (i.e. dismissal.)  Students will be reviewed for academic progress and academic status as usual. Deans have the discretion to make exceptions for students who do not meet the terms of their academic contract or who do not have grades posted for the term due to exceptional circumstances (as was done, for instance, in the wake of the Thomas Fire).

It is worth noting that both probation and dismissal are not punitive measures, but are intended as interventions for students who are struggling, to connect them with resources and prevent them accumulating student loan debt when they are not making academic progress. Students are encouraged to meet with or contact a College academic advisor if they have concerns about their progress, academic status, or ability to continue their enrollment in spring quarter.

Athletics:

Are there any consequences for student-athletes who do not receive grades in a given quarter?

Yes. The NCAA mandates that Division I student-athletes be certified for eligibility after each quarter. Eligibility is based on student-athletes meeting set benchmarks such as minimum GPA requirements and completed unit requirements. The Office of the Registrar has three days from the end of quarter grading deadline to certify student-athletes for intercollegiate competition.

What happens if a student-athlete is not certified for the subsequent quarter?

If student-athletes are not certified, they will be considered immediately ineligible and they will not be permitted to compete per NCAA regulations.

What counts as an officially recognized grade for athletic certification?

The NCAA requires that certification be based on the student-athlete’s academic record in existence.  For UC Santa Barbara, this means only grades officially submitted to the Registrar by the Instructor of Record and recorded and appearing finalized in egrades may be recognized for NCAA purposes. Any other form (email or verbal) would not be usable to certify student-athletes per NCAA regulations.

Financial Aid:

Are there any consequences for students on financial aid who do not receive grades in a given quarter?

The short answer is that it depends on the student.

The Office of Financial Aid assesses “satisfactory academic progress” (SAP) on a yearly basis for all students at the end of the academic year (spring or summer depending on student enrollment). Students are expected to maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA and they need to complete 67% of their overall units attempted. Students who do not meet these standards will have their financial aid suspended for the subsequent aid year. However, students are given the opportunity to appeal to have their aid reinstated. If a student’s appeal is successful, they are placed on Financial Aid Probation.

Students on Financial Aid Probation have a quarterly assessment performed to determine if: 1) the student is now meeting the SAP standards referenced above 2) the student met the terms of their probation. This assessment will determine if they will have their financial aid status updated to 'satisfactory', have their probation status extended to the subsequent term or if they will be disqualified for the subsequent term.  All students who are placed on Financial Aid Probation are provided with a fee payment deadline extension, which can extend their fee payment deadline to the third week of spring quarter. 

Students who are on Financial Aid Probation for the winter quarter will be required to petition to have their spring financial aid reinstated if they fail to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation standards for the winter quarter. All other students will have their Satisfactory Academic Progress standing assessed after the spring or summer term depending on their last term of enrollment for the academic year.

These policies are mandated via federal regulation; the campus cannot waive these requirements.

Students on Financial Aid who receive no grades at all in a given quarter are considered to have "unofficially withdrawn" from the quarter and the Office of Financial Aid must perform a withdrawal calculation to determine if the student is responsible for paying back a portion of their financial aid - students are assigned a withdrawal date 50% into the quarter.  Again, this is federal regulation.

I’m a veteran studying under the GI Bill.  Are there special consequence if I do not receive grades in a given quarter?

Each quarter the Office of Financial Aid gets a list of grades received, including NG, for all students with Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. There are no immediate financial implications for NG. Only if that NG turns into an Incomplete or Withdrawal is there cause for concern for VA benefits.

Education Abroad:

I’ve already been nominated to study abroad for a summer/fall/year EAP program.  What happens if my grades are not submitted?

Some (but not all) host universities may want to see updated transcripts.  If you are requested to provide an updated transcript, this information will be stated on your program’s Pre-departure Requirements section of your UCEAP Portal.  Or, you may receive this request by email.  Consult with your EAP Regional Advisor should you have any questions.

I’m planning to submit a study abroad application in May 2020 for a winter/spring 2021 EAP program.  What happens if my grades are not submitted?

Please contact your EAP Regional Advisor https://eap.ucsb.edu/contact-us about your situation. 

I’m a reciprocity student studying abroad at UCSB.  What should I do about missing grades?

Your ability to enroll in spring quarter should not be impacted by missing grades (please see information below regarding prerequisites).  If you are returning to your home campus, please consult with your home campus regarding missing grades and your future coursework.  Please also notify your UCSB EAP Reciprocal Exchange Coordinator at  alice@eap.ucsb.edu when your grades have been posted.

Graduation:

I’m planning to graduate at the end of Winter or Spring quarter.  What happens if my grades are not submitted?

First, remember that participating in Commencement is distinct from graduating from UCSB (that is, certification that you have completed your degree requirements.)  If you have declared candidacy and made a Commencement 2020 reservation on GOLD, missing grades will have no impact on your participation.  However, to have your degree conferred in any particular quarter, you must complete all degree requirements, including Incomplete grades, by the official ending date of the UCSB quarter in which candidacy has been declared.  Grades for those courses must be received by the Office of the Registrar no later than April 17th for Winter 2020 candidates or August 7th for Spring 2020 candidates.

International students:

What are consequences for international students if grades are not submitted?

International students are required to be in full time status, enrolled in at least 12 units, to maintain their visa status. However, there is no visa requirement that grades be submitted by any particular deadline.  Students who are due to graduate and are in the process of applying for work authorization need to have completed their degree requirements to be legally permitted to work in the US, see above.

Prerequisite checking:

I signed up for a Spring class that has one of my current classes as a prerequisite. What happens if no grades are submitted?  Will I be dropped?

As with academic probation issues above, after the Thomas fire, the campus waived prerequisite checks for the subsequent quarter.  Some students who needed to repeat a course advanced instead into a course they were not prepared for, and at the end of winter were in the position of needing to repeat two courses.  Regardless of what policy is implemented at the College level, individual faculty have, under Academic Senate Regulation 10, the ability to remove a student from a class if they subsequently have reason to believe the student is unprepared under Academic Senate Regulation 10: “No student may begin or continue a course if the officer of instruction in charge considers him or her unqualified by lack of preparation. “

In the event that prerequisites are not enforced, you must carefully asses your ability to continue in the subsequent course. If you need assistance, please contact your current course instructor or next quarter’s course instructor for advice.

Again, if you have questions or concerns about the submittal and recording of your final grade, contact the faculty member in charge of the course, the department chair, and or your College advising office.