D. Fees and Registration
- Registration Fees and Financial Planning
- Establishing California Residency for Tuition Purposes
- Registering for Classes
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Policy and Requirements
Registration Fees and Financial Planning
A detailed assessment of the costs for the current academic year may be found on the following Registrar's Web pages:
- Graduate Student Quarterly Fees gives a summary of basic fees, non-resident tuition and fee credits (i.e., graduate student fee remission for academic appointees, and non-resident tuition reduction).
- Estimated Graduate Student Budget (Nine Months) gives an estimate of the typical expenses that a graduate student would incur.
Establishing California Residency for Tuition Purposes
Every entering student is classified as a resident or non-resident of California for tuition purposes. U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have come to UC Santa Barbara from outside the state of California should establish California residency as soon as possible through the Residence Deputy in the Office of the Registrar. If the appropriate steps have been taken students should obtain California residency by the beginning of their second year.
Information on requirements and procedures for establishing legal California residency can be found in the "Residency" section on the Office of the Registrar Web site or by contacting the Campus Residency Deputy, Office of the Registrar, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2015, located in 1105 Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building, (805) 893-3033.
Registering for Classes
Students register for classes online via the Registrar's Gaucho Online Data (GOLD) system. A schedule of classes can also be found on the GOLD Web site.
English as a Second Language (ESL) Policy and Requirements
There are two language examinations concerning international students whose first language is not English.
Engligh Language Placement Exam
- Incoming international and permanent resident graduate students whose first language is not English are required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Exam (ELPE) at the beginning of their first quarter of enrollment.
- NOTE: International and permanent resident graduate students, who have completed an undergraduate degree from an institution where English is the primary medium of instruction are exempt from both the oral and written portions of the ELPE.
- This required exam is conducted by the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program faculty.
- The ELPE includes both a written and an oral examination. After taking the writing exam, students make individual appointments with ESL staff to take the oral exam on a different day.
- The results of the ELPE are communicated to each department by the ESL Program.
- As a result of the student's performance on the ELPE, the student will either (1) be placed in an ESL course, or (2) be exempted from ESL courses.
- Students are advised to complete the ESL course progression within their first year.
- Testing dates, times, and locations are available on the ESL Program, the Office of International Students and Scholars, and the Schedule of Classes Web sites.
- NOTE: International students whose first language is not English but were exempt from the TOEFL or IELTS requirement must still take the ELPE, unless they completed their undergraduate degree from an institution where English is the primary medium of instruction.
- NOTE: International students visiting UC Santa Barbara under the Education Abroad Program and other non-degree reciprocity statuses are not required to take the ELPE. However, if they later apply for admission to a graduate program, they must take the ELPE at the beginning of their first quarter of enrollment.
Teaching Assistant Language Evaluations
Graduate Council policy requires all prospective teaching assistants (TAs) whose first language is not English to take the TA Language Evaluation prior to being certified to hold sole classroom teaching or laboratory responsibilities.
The TA Language Evaluation simulates instruction in an undergraduate discussion section. It involves a faculty representative from the student's department and a faculty member from the ESL Program. The exam is a 10 minute oral presentation during which the prospective TA teaches a basic, non-technical concept assigned by the department to the examining committee. Additionally, the prospective TA is asked questions by the evaluators who play the role of undergraduates.
- Students not certified for sole classroom responsibilities during the TA Language Evaluation are required to complete ESL coursework to improve their spoken English. After completion of the assigned ESL coursework, the student is re-evaluated for certification by a committee of ESL faculty at the end of the quarter.
- TAs who fail the TA Language Evaluation are assigned to alternate, non-teaching responsibilities determined by the department until the student passes the exam.
- Departments should contact ESL staff directly to schedule a TA Language Evaluation. Students cannot self-nominate to take a TA Language Evaluation.