UC San Diego Lingo

Registering for Courses

• WebReg: UCSD’s online course registration system. You will use WebReg to enroll in classes, check your schedule, view waitlist status, and make changes to your courses.

• Enrollment: The process of registering for courses each quarter. Students must enroll in classes through WebReg during their designated appointment times.

• Appointment Times: Your assigned time slots for enrolling in or modifying courses on WebReg. There are different enrollment periods, including first pass & second pass. Be sure to check your appointment times to register as early as possible!

• EASy Request: The Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) is used to streamline the process of requesting and granting authorization for the following reasons:

  • Requesting pre-authorization to enroll in a class that you have not met the pre-requisite for,
  • Dropping classes (after week 2)
  • Late adding classes (after week 2)
  • Changing units (after week 2)
  • Changing grading option (after week 2)

  Please allow up to five (5) business days to process your EASy request. You can begin submitting EASy requests every quarter during Week 5 for enrolling in a course the following quarter. Making an EASy request does not guarantee that you will be cleared of a pre-requisite to enroll in a course. Once you make the EASy request, the department will process it in one of the following ways:

  • Approve - you will get an email with the approval and directing you with instructions, if necessary.
  • Reject - you will get an email with the rejection and the steps you need to take to help the request be approved or let you know it will not be approved at this time.

Courses

Canvas: Canvas is UCSD’s learning management system where you can access course sites, syllabus, assignments, grades, and other important course materials.

Syllabus: A document outlining the course structure, expectations, grading policies, office hours, required materials, and deadlines. It is essential to read your syllabus carefully to stay on top of assignments and exams.

Midterms/Finals: Exams given throughout the quarter. Midterms may happen at any point in the quarter (not just the middle), while finals take place during Finals Week at the end of the quarter. Each class may have a different exam structure.

Office Hours: Dedicated times when professors and TAs are available to meet with students for questions about the course, help with assignments, or general academic guidance. Attending office hours is highly encouraged, especially if you're considering research or graduate school.

Instructors & Course

Professor: Tenure-track faculty members (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor) who teach courses and conduct research. Professors typically hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., Ed.D., etc.).

Lecturer: Instructors whose primary role is teaching, rather than research. Lecturers often hold doctoral degrees and can be referred to as “Dr.” if they have one.

TA (Teaching Assistant): Graduate students who assist with teaching a course by leading discussion sections, grading assignments, and holding office hours.

 IA (Instructional Assistant): Undergraduate students who serve as assistants to a faculty member. Duties as an IA: teaching, leading discussions, grading, formulating exam questions, attending meetings and lectures, and holding office hours.

Lecture: The main class session where the professor delivers course material. Some courses consist only of lectures, while others also include discussion sections or labs.

Discussion Section: Smaller, interactive class meetings led by TAs to reinforce lecture material, review assignments, and engage in discussions. Some courses require attendance in both lectures and discussions.

Lab: A hands-on component of certain courses, usually in STEM fields, where students apply lecture concepts through experiments, coding, or technical exercises. Labs are typically led by TAs.

Academics

Major: Your major is your primary field of study. It defines the coursework required for your degree and reflects your depth of knowledge in a particular discipline. Some students pursue double majors—speak with an academic advisor to explore this option.

Minor: A minor is an optional secondary area of study that allows you to explore another field of interest. You must declare a minor through the department offering it.

Electives: Courses taken outside your major and GE requirements. Electives help fulfill unit requirements for graduation and can be used to explore new subjects.

Units: Units (or credits) represent the workload of a course. Most UCSD courses are 4 units, meaning they require about 12 hours of total work per week, including class time and studying.

Course Structure & Requirements

General Education (GE) Requirements: A set of required courses that provide a broad foundation across disciplines. Each of UCSD’s seven colleges has its own unique GE requirements.

General Catalog: The UCSD General Catalog lists academic programs, course descriptions, and degree requirements. It is an essential resource for planning your academic path.

Lower-Division Courses: Courses numbered 1–99, generally taken in your first two years. These courses cover foundational concepts in a subject.

Upper-Division Courses: Courses numbered 100–199, typically taken in junior and senior years. These courses require prerequisites and offer advanced material.

Prerequisites: Courses or requirements that must be completed before enrolling in a more advanced course. WebReg will prevent you from registering if prerequisites are not met.

Pass/No Pass (P/NP): Some courses can be taken Pass/No Pass instead of for a letter grade. There are limits on how many P/NP courses count toward degree requirements, so check with an advisor before selecting this option.

IGETC: The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) allows California community college students to fulfill lower-division GE requirements before transferring to UCSD.

Advising & University Structure

Academic Advisors: Students have two types of advisors: college advisors (who help with GE and graduation requirements) and major advisors (who help with major-specific coursework and policies). If you're pre-med, pre-law, or considering graduate school, specialized advising is available through the Career Center.

Colleges: UCSD has eight undergraduate colleges (Revelle, Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth). Each has its own unique GEs, philosophy, and student community. Your college does not determine your major.

Academic Calendar & Scheduling

Quarter System: UCSD operates on a quarter system, meaning each academic year has Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters, each lasting 10 weeks plus finals. Summer Session is optional.

Summer Sessions: UCSD offers Summer Session I, II. Students can use summer classes to stay on track, get ahead, or retake courses.

Academic Year: A period of time schools use to measure a quantity of study. At UC San Diego, the academic year consists of a fall, winter, and spring quarter, during which a student must complete a total of 36 units. Academic years vary from school to school and even from educational program to educational program at the same school.

Aggregate Limit: The maximum amount a student can have outstanding under a certain loan program.

Annual Limit: The maximum amount a student can borrow from a certain loan program in a given academic year.

Assets: Elements of a student's personal and family financial worth; includes real estate other than a primary residence, stocks, bonds, cash savings, and college savings plans, but generally not a family farm, retirement, or prepaid tuition assets.

Award Offer: An offer notifying a financial aid applicant of the types and amounts of aid being offered, responsibilities, and the terms and conditions of each award.

Award Notification: An award offer provided via the Web. At UC San Diego, undergraduate students receive Web award notifications by using the Financial Aid tool on TritonLink.

Borrower: A person who agrees to repay money received, plus interest, according to the terms of a promissory note they have signed.

Campus-Based Aid: The two federal programs administered by colleges and universities: Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and Federal Work-Study.

Capitalization: When interest is added to the principal balance of a loan rather than being paid as it accrues. Any future interest is then based on the higher loan amount (the combined total of principal and accrued interest).

Capitalizing Interest: Adding any interest that accrues to the principal balance of the loan (instead of repaying it immediately). See Capitalization above.

Citizen/Eligible Non-Citizen: A U.S. citizen, a U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa and Swain's Island), or a U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551, or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card). A student with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the INS with one of the following designations: Refugee; Asylum Granted; Indefinite Parole and/or Humanitarian Parole; Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending); or Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980).

Co-Signer: A person who assumes joint responsibility with the primary borrower for repaying a loan. Federal student loans do not require a co-signer, but many private/alternative loans do.

Cost of Attendance: The average, estimated educational costs for the academic year, also called the cost of attendance. The Cost of Attendance (COA) includes:

• Direct Costs: Charges paid directly to the institution, such as tuition, fees, and on-campus housing.
• Indirect Costs: Estimated expenses not paid directly to the institution, such as books, supplies, transportation, and off-campus housing.

Each portion of a student's Cost of Attendance is allocated to the following categories:

• Systemwide Tuition and Fees: A direct cost covered under the UC Tuition Stability Plan.
• Campus-Based Fees: A direct cost funding student-related services.
• Health Fees: A direct cost covering UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP).
• One-Time Document Fee: A direct cost billed for all new students.
• Books, Course Materials, Supplies, and Equipment: An indirect cost for school supplies.
• Food and Housing: Includes:
  • On-Campus Housing (Direct Cost)
  • Off-Campus Housing (Indirect Cost)
  • Living with Parents (Commuter) (Indirect Cost)
• Miscellaneous Personal Expenses: An indirect cost for personal expenses.
• Transportation Expenses: An indirect cost for commuting and travel.

Default: A status your loan enters when you fail to make payments according to the terms of your promissory note; defaults are reported to credit bureaus and can influence your future credit and ability to receive financial aid.

Dependent Student: A student under 24 years old who doesn't qualify as an independent student by federal guidelines and whose parental income and asset information is used in calculating her or his expected family contribution. Dependent students must include parental information on the FAFSA to be considered for financial aid.

Direct Loans: Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, PLUS loans, and consolidation loans) offered under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program, where the federal government acts as the lender and guarantor. UC San Diego does not participate in the Direct Loan Program, but instead participates in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP).

Disburse: The transfer of funds from either the lender to the school, or from the school to the student.

Disclosure Statement: A notice which a lender must send to a borrower before disbursing funds, summarizing loans pending disbursement.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC): The portion of the student's personal and/or family financial resources that should be available to help pay educational costs, based on the federal methodology. The EFC is calculated using the information provided on the FAFSA.

FAFSA on the Web: The electronic version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that allows student financial aid applicants to complete and file their annual federal financial aid applications online. Read more about FAFSA, or visit FAFSA online.

Federal Methodology: The federal formula, defined by Congress, which is used to determine the expected family contribution (EFC) for student financial aid applicants.

Federal Processor: The federal government's computer system that analyzes FAFSA information, calculates the expected family contribution (EFC), and sends out the Student Aid Report (SAR); also called Central Processing Service (CPS).

Financial Aid: The difference between a student's expected family contribution (EFC) and the college's budget (cost of attendance); also known as financial need.

Financial Aid Eligibility: The difference between a student's expected family contribution (EFC) and the college's budget (cost of attendance); also known as financial need.

Financial Aid Package: The total amount of financial aid, usually a combination of grants, scholarships, loans, and employment opportunities offered to a student to meet the cost of attendance.

Fixed (Interest Rate): An interest rate on a loan that stays the same for the life of the loan.

Forbearance: When a lender allows the borrower to temporarily postpone repaying the principal, usually because of economic hardship. Interest continues to accrue, even on subsidized loans. Must be applied for with the lender; not permitted for loans in default.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The form used to apply for federal student financial aid, including grants, loans, and work-study. In addition, most states and schools also use this application form to award non-federal student financial aid. Completing the FAFSA is the first step in the financial aid process. It can be completed on the Web. Read more about FAFSA, or visit FAFSA online.

FSA ID: Provided by the U.S. Department of Education, the FSA ID serves as your e-signature on the electronic FAFSA. Both students and parents can obtain an FSA ID. Apply online at https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch.

Gift Aid: Grants and scholarships which are neither earned nor require repayment. (Compare to self-help aid.)

GPA: Grade point average (GPA) is the average of a student's grades, generally where grades have been converted to a 4.0 scale.

Grace Period: The short time period after graduation (or dropping below half-time enrollment status) during which the borrower isn't required to begin repaying her or his loan: that's 6 months for Subsidized Direct Loans and California Dream Loans, 9 months for University and the Quon Family loans. There is no grace period for Unsubsidized Direct Loans and PLUS loans.

Grant: Grants are gift aid (financial aid that does not require repayment). There are federal, state, and university grants.

Guarantee: A promise to pay a debt if the borrower fails; the government or guaranty agency guarantees/insures federal loans.

Guarantor: A non-profit organization that guarantees that if a borrower defaults, it will pay on the loan.

Guaranty Agency: The agency that insures loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan Program against default.

Independent Student: A student who is 24 years old or older, or who is not 24 but both parents are deceased, a ward/dependent of the court, a veteran, married, a graduate or professional student, has legal dependents other than a spouse, or has special circumstances (see the FAFSA for exact requirements). Compare with dependent student.

Interest: The fee charged to borrowers by lenders for using loan money.

Need-Based: Financial aid that depends on your personal and/or family financial situation; most government sources of financial aid are need-based.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP): The progress a student must maintain toward a degree or certificate to receive and remain eligible for financial aid; the school's written standard of satisfactory academic progress. Read UC San Diego's Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines for undergraduates and graduate students.

Scholarship: Gift-aid, financial aid that does not require repayment; awarded on the basis of merit, academic excellence, and in some cases, additional criteria such as study in a particular major, leadership, study abroad, or financial need.

Selective Service Registration: If required by law, a student must register, or arrange to register, with the Selective Service to receive federal student aid; applies to males born on or after January 1, 1960, who are at least 18 years old, citizens or eligible non-citizens, and not currently on active duty in the Armed Forces. (Students can register online at www.sss.gov.)

Self-Help Aid: Loans that must be repaid and work-study funds that must be earned. Compare to gift aid.

Student Aid Report (SAR): The report summarizing information provided on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); produced and sent to student financial aid applicants by the Federal Processor/Central Processing Service (CPS).

Work-Study: Self-help aid, a federal- or state-subsidized student employment program.

For more information, directly contact the Financial Aid Office at UC San Diego:

Submit a question:
UC San Diego Services & Support Portal

Submit a question for non-UC San Diego contacts:
Financial Aid Case Support for Non-UC San Diego contacts

Phone: (858) 534-4480

In Person Advising (Student Services Center, 3rd floor north) map/directions

UCSD App: The official UC San Diego mobile app provides access to campus resources, including student communication, shuttle tracking, real-time library busyness updates, and more.

Undergrads: Undergraduate students, also known as undergrads, are students pursuing a bachelor's degree—Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BS), or other undergraduate degrees.

Class Level: Undergraduate class levels (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) are determined by the number of units completed.

Grad Student: Graduate students, or grad students, have already earned their bachelor's degrees and are now pursuing a graduate-level degree, such as a master's or doctoral degree.

Transfer Student: Transfer students have transferred to UC San Diego from a previous institution, such as a community college or another four-year university.

Commuter Student: A commuter student is one who lives off-campus, often with family, friends, or individually, and travels to campus for classes and activities.

Study Abroad: UC San Diego’s Study Abroad programs allow students to live and study in a foreign country for academic credit.

Greek Life: Greek life at UC San Diego includes fraternities and sororities that focus on social, cultural, service, and/or academic purposes.

Dining Hall: The dining halls on campus serve meals that can be purchased using a meal plan, typically included in on-campus housing plans.

• Dining Dollars: Dining Dollars are a form of preloaded campus currency included with meal plans, which can be used at campus dining locations. They are non-refundable and expire at the end of the academic year.

• Triton Cash: Triton Cash is a campus debit system that allows students to load funds onto their student ID card. It can be used at dining halls, markets, some off-campus restaurants, and even for printing and laundry. Unlike Dining Dollars, Triton Cash does not expire.

Price Center (PC): Price Center, often called PC, is a central hub on campus featuring restaurants, study spaces, student organization offices, a movie theater, the campus bookstore, and various student services.

RA (Resident Assistant): A Resident Assistant (RA) is a trained student leader who helps build community in on-campus housing, plans activities, and provides guidance and support to residents.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): CAPS provides free, confidential mental health support for students, including one-on-one counseling, group therapy, workshops, and crisis support. Services can be accessed in person or virtually. Learn more at the CAPS website.

UCSD Health Center: UC San Diego Health offers medical services to students through the UC San Diego Student Health Center, providing a wide range of healthcare services, including general medical care, urgent care, mental health services, and wellness programs. The Health Center also offers preventive care, such as immunizations and physical exams. For more information, visit the UC San Diego Student Health Center.

UCSD REC App: The UCSD REC app provides access to recreation facilities, including gym reservations, fitness class schedules, and other wellness resources for students.

Pronto Card & Free Transportation: UC San Diego students can use a Pronto Card for free access to MTS buses and the San Diego Trolley. Students must activate their Pronto card or app through the university for free transit benefits.