Online Graduate Student Requests

The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) online requests take about 2-3 weeks to be completely processed by all parties that require approval. Please be mindful of the deadlines when submitting these applications. 

Applications such as the half-time, LOA and withdrawal forms need to be submitted in order for tuition/fee charges and courses to be modified. 

International students must submit two sets of forms from two different portals: GEPA's and ISEO's iPortal. IMPORTANT: GEPA forms trigger billing and class modifications while ISEO's iPortal forms trigger modifications to I-20 documents.

If you have any specific questions, please contact your M.S. Advisor.

Change of Major Form

The ECE Department only allows internal change of major requests for admitted ECE M.S. students. ECE does not allow any non-ECE student change of major requests. If you are a non-ECE student in a different program and are interested in the ECE M.S. program, you must apply during the regular admission cycle. 

Students are not eligible to switch into the following impacted majors:

  • EC78- Electronic Circuits & Systems
  • EC79- Computer Engineering
  • EC80- Intelligent Systems, Robotics & Control
  • EC93- Machine Learning & Data Science

If you would like to switch into a non-impacted major, you will need to complete the following: 

  • Hold a 3.0+ cumulative GPA
  • Review the ECE degree planners to ensure that you can complete the program within the 6 quarter time limit.  Please count the quarters you have completed in your current graduate program towards the 6 quarters.
  • Review the degree capstone (thesis or comprehensive exam), when you would complete those requirements if/when you switched.
  • Submit a completed degree planner to your
  • ECE Student Affairs Advisor, via email, for the major that you plan on applying to. 
  • Submit an electronic Change of Major Form
    • Be sure to list the appropriate major Curriculum Advisor's @ucsd.edu email address in the application. You will need to select the major that you would like to switch into. The system will not allow the @eng.ucsd.edu email
  • If approved, it will take 2-3 weeks for the new major to be reflected onto TritonLink. 

If you have any doubts, please contact your primary ECE Student Affairs Advisor for assistance.

Half-Time Form

With approval, students can attend UCSD at half-time status. Graduate students are considered half-time if they enroll in 1-6 units in a quarter. Enrolling at half-time status requires approval. To see more details about fees, eligibility, and the application process, please visit Half-Time Study (Graduate Students).  

Graduate students are eligible for half-time status if they enroll in 1-6 units and are applying by the end of Friday of Week 2 of the quarter that they would like to be a half-time student. As long as the request is submitted by the deadline, it will be time-stamped and honored, unless there is an on-campus employment issue or other conflict. 

Half-time status (1-6 units which will require half-time tuition and fees - due by Friday of week 2 of the quarter that you are requesting HT for)

  • Be sure to list pmercier@ucsd.edu in the faculty advisor email address section and Mercier, Patrick in the faculty advisor name section.
    • Please do not contact Professor Mercier about this. The application will be routed to him automatically and it will approve it once it is in his queuing system. 

Half-Time Billing Information:

  • It typically takes about 2-3 weeks for a half-time application to be approved by everyone; students will need to plan accordingly and pay the bill by the billing deadline. 

  • If your bill was paid for full-time tuition, and then you applied for half-time by the Friday of week 2 deadline, you will receive a reimbursement, which will be reflected on TritonLink.

  • If your half-time application is still in progress and the billing deadline is approaching, you will be expected to pay for the bill by the deadline and then receive the reimbursement via TritonLink, once your application has been fully approved. 

  • If you applied for half-time well in advance of the billing deadline and got approval from all parties, the fees will be adjusted via TritonLink and you can pay the reduced amount by the billing deadline.

  • Once your application has been fully processed by all 8 parties, your reduction in tuition will be reflected in TritonLink whether that is in the form of a reimbursement or billing adjustment.

International students who would like to be on an approved half-time must also complete the Reduced Course Load form via ISEO's iPortal. International students must submit two sets of forms from two different portals: GEPA's and ISEO's.

  • The iPortal forms via ISEO's website make modifications to I-20 documents while GEPA's forms trigger billing adjustments. 
  • Students who would like to pursue this option need to submit both forms: Final Quarter RCL and Half-Time Form.
  • International students are eligible to apply for a final quarter RCL and enroll in less than 12 units for their final quarter. The RCL can correspond to the half-time study (graduate students) application depending on when the student is applying and the number of units enrolled. 

If you have any doubts, please contact your primary ECE Student Affairs Advisor for assistance.

Leave of Absence Form

A Leave of Absence (LOA) is when a student in good standing does not continue enrollment and has the intention to resume studies in a later term. Graduate students are eligible for a maximum 3 quarters leave of absence with department approval. For more information, please visit GEPA’s Leave of Absence page and note that the application deadline is the end of Friday of Week 2 of the quarter that they would like to be on an LOA. As long as the request is submitted by the deadline, it will be time-stamped and honored, unless there is an on-campus employment issue or other conflict. 

The quarters that students take an approved LOA will not count toward the 6 quarter ECE M.S. program time limit. 

International students that would like to be on an approved LOA must also complete the Gap Quarter(s): Leave of Absence forms via ISEO's iPortal. International students must submit two sets of forms from two different portals: GEPA's and ISEO's iPortal. The quarter during which you take a leave will not count toward your 6-quarter time limit. If you're an international student on a leave of absence, you may need to extend your I-20 to remain in the US and complete your program.

IMPORTANT: GEPA forms trigger billing and class modifications while ISEO's iPortal forms trigger modifications to I-20 documents.

A student who has registered, paid fees and enrolled for the quarter in which a leave is being requested, is subject to the refund schedule published in the Schedule of Classes. Students are only eligible for a 100% refund if withdrawing from graduate studies on/by the 1st day of instruction.

If you have any doubts, please contact your primary ECE Student Affairs Advisor for assistance.

Withdrawal Form

A student leaving the University and not planning to return or a student withdrawing from all courses in any given quarter can submit a Withdrawal Request. Please visit Withdrawal Information for Graduate Students.

If you would like to return to UCSD and need a readmission form processed, you must not have established a GPA or have a GPA of 3.0+. 

International students must submit two sets of forms from two different portals: GEPA's and ISEO's iPortal. International students who would like to withdraw from UCSD must complete the withdrawal from UC San Diego termination forms via ISEO's iPortal.

IMPORTANT: GEPA forms trigger billing and class modifications while ISEO's iPortal forms trigger modifications to I-20 documents.

A student who has registered, paid fees and enrolled for the quarter in which a leave is being requested, is subject to the refund schedule published in the Schedule of Classes. Students are only eligible for a 100% refund if withdrawing from graduate studies on/by the 1st day of instruction.

If you have any doubts, please contact your primary ECE Student Affairs Advisor for assistance.

Readmission Form

A student, not on an approved leave of absence, whose status has lapsed due to an interruption in registration, must petition for Readmission. Students need to contact the ECE department to request readmission.

If you have any doubts, please contact your primary ECE Student Affairs Advisor for assistance.

 Transferring / Waiving Course Credit Information
UCSD Undergraduate Degree (Waiving Courses)

To transfer/waive courses/units from your UCSD undergraduate record to reflect on your ECE M.S. graduate record, here are the guidelines:

  • Course(s) must have been used in excess (CANNOT count towards any aspect of your undergraduate major or college requirements, this would be in the electives section at the end of your Degree Audit Report)
    • Taken for a letter grade
    • Must be B- or better
    • Only courses that count towards the ECE M.S. graduate degree can be transferred
    • Up to 24 units (6 courses) can be transferred from your UCSD undergraduate record
    • Please read the UCSD GEPA Transferring Credit policy and procedures for more information.
    • Grades from your transferred undergraduate courses will NOT apply to your graduate GPA. Only the units transfer, not the grades.

Steps That Student Needs to Take:

  • Run the undergraduate Degree Audit Report
    • Go to TritonLink under the 'Advising & Grades' tab click 'Degree Audit' and run a new audit in PDF format. 
    • If the degree audit is correct, please download/save the PDF format with the following information as the title: 
      • Last Name, First Name_PID_ECE
    • The UCSD Registrar's Office will not accept the HTML version of this document so please save it as a PDF.
    • Students DO NOT need to sign this document just save it as a PDF. 
  • Highlight the courses you are looking to transfer in the “Units In Excess” box on the bottom of your degree audit and email this to your M.S. Advisor.
  • Your M.S. Advisor will submit an UG Waiver/Transfer Credit form on your behalf via DocuSign.
  • You will need to sign off on this form electronically.  
  • The transfer will be completed in a few weeks so please plan accordingly with any graduation paperwork submission deadlines. 
  • Your M.S. Advisor will inform you when the Registrar's Office has processed the forms. 

In any given quarter, please email your M.S. Advisor to transfer your courses/units at the start of the M.S. program so that there are no delays with your graduation paperwork.

 
 Another UC Campus / UCSD Extension

To transfer/waive courses/units from another UC Campus or UCSD Extension to reflect on your ECE M.S. graduate record, here are the guidelines:

  • The student must have been in graduate student standing when taking the course(s). No exceptions.
  • The course(s) must have been used in excess and CANNOT count towards any aspect of your degree requirements at another UC campus / UCSD Extension.
    • Taken for a letter grade
    • Must be B- or better
    • Only courses that count towards the ECE M.S. graduate degree can be transferred
    • Up to 24 quarter units (6 courses) can be transferred
      • If transferring courses from UC Berkeley or UC Merced please use the semester to quarter unit conversion table below to assist with calculating the quarter units. 
    • Please read the UCSD GEPA Transferring Credit policy and procedures for more information.
    • Grades from your transferred courses will NOT apply to your graduate GPA. 
    • Only the units transfer, not the grades.  
    • The class name will not be listed on the transcript.

Steps That Student Needs to Take:

  • Compile a list of course(s) that will be requested to be transferred.
  • Gather the syllabus and Course Catalog from the school that you took the courses from. 
  • Compare that with the UCSD ECE Course Catalog and narrow down which courses might be equivalent.
  • Contact your ECE major's Curriculum Advisor, via email, who can assist you with determining the course equivalency to the UCSD courses.
  • Present all of these components to the Curriculum Advisor and have them confirm the equivalency. 
  • Once confirmed, email M.S. Advisor and cc the Curriculum Advisor onto the email. 
    • Include the course names and UCSD equivalency
    • UCSD Course catalog description and the Course Catalog description from another UC Campus
    • Original course syllabus
  • Did you disclose these courses on your GEPA admission application?
    • If not, you will need to provide a justification as to why you did not include them. 
  • Did you submit official transcripts that included these classes with your GEPA admission application?
    • If you did, you do not need to submit these transcripts again because they have them on record.
    • If you did not, you will need to submit the official transcripts to the GEPA so that they have them on record. 
  • Your M.S. Advisor will submit a Transfer Credit form on your behalf via DocuSign and upload all of the attached documents that you provided via email. 
  • You will need to sign off on this form electronically.  
  • The transfer will be completed in a few weeks so please plan accordingly with any graduation paperwork submission deadlines. 
  • Your primary M.S. Advisor will inform you when the Registrar's Office has processed the forms. 

In any given quarter, please email your primary M.S. Advisor to transfer your courses/units at the start of the M.S. program so that there are no delays with your graduation paperwork.

 

 Non-UC Institution

To transfer/waive courses/units from a Non-UC Institution to reflect on your ECE M.S. graduate record, here are the guidelines:

  • The student must have been in graduate student standing when taking the course(s). No exceptions.
  • The course(s) must have been used in excess and CANNOT count towards any aspect of your degree requirements at another UC campus / UCSD Extension.
    • Taken for a letter grade
    • Must be B- or better
    • Only courses that count towards the ECE M.S. graduate degree can be transferred
    • A maximum of eight quarter units of work completed while in graduate standing
      • Please use the semester to quarter unit conversion table below to assist with calculating the quarter units
    • Please read the UCSD GEPA Transferring Credit policy and procedures for more information
    • Grades from your transferred courses will NOT apply to your graduate GPA
    • Only the units transfer, not the grades
    • The class name will not be listed on the transcript

Steps That Student Needs to Take:

  • Compile a list of course(s) that will be requested to be transferred.
  • Gather the syllabus and Course Catalog from the school that you took the courses from. 
  • Compare that with the UCSD ECE Course Catalog and narrow down which courses might be equivalent.
  • Contact your ECE major's Curriculum Advisor, via email, who can assist you with determining the course equivalency to the UCSD courses.
  • Present all of these components to the Curriculum Advisor and have them confirm the equivalency. 
  • Once confirmed, email your M.S. Advisor and cc the Curriculum Advisor onto the email.
    • Include the course names and UCSD equivalency
    • UCSD Course catalog description and the Course Catalog description from another UC Campus
    • Original course syllabus
  • Did you disclose these courses on your GEPA admission application?
    • If not, you will need to provide a justification as to why you did not include them. 
  • Did you submit official transcripts that included these classes with the GEPA admission application?
    • If you did, you do not need to submit these transcripts again because they have them on record.
    • If you did not, you will need to submit the official transcripts to the GEPA so that they have them on record. 
  • Your M.S. Advisor will submit a Transfer Credit form on your behalf via DocuSign and upload all of the attached documents that you provided via email. 
  • You will need to sign off on this form electronically.  
  • The transfer will be completed in a few weeks so please plan accordingly with any graduation paperwork submission deadlines. 
  • Your primary M.S. Advisor will inform you when the Registrar's Office has processed the forms. 

In any given quarter, please email your primary M.S. Advisor to transfer your courses/units at the start of the M.S. program so that there are no delays with your graduation paperwork.

 

Repeat Course Form

A graduate student assigned a grade of D, F, or U only may request to repeat the course on the same grading basis for which it was first taken. Fill out and submit an online form to the GEPA prior to enrollment in the course to be repeated. Please read How to Repeat a Class and submit your request through Repetition of Courses.

If you have any doubts, please contact your primary ECE Student Affairs Advisor for assistance.