UCLA New Parent & Family Orientation

2017

Academics at UCLA

University and School RequirementsTo graduate from UCLA, a student needs to complete THREE requirements:

1. University Requirements

Entry Level Writing Requirement/ESL Entry Level Writing Requirement

American History and Institutions

2. School/College Requirements

General Education

3. Departmental Requirements

Preparation for the major

Major requirements

4. Miscellaneous:

Electives – Elective units are used to fulfill the 180 minimum units required to graduate

Term CalendarMIDTERMS FINALS

WEEK

M T W R F

WEEK 1WEEK 1M T W R F

WEEK 0M T W R F

WEEK 3M T W R F

WEEK 2M T W R F

WEEK 5M T W R F

WEEK 4M T W R F

WEEK 7M T W R F

WEEK 6M T W R F

WEEK 8M T W R F

WEEK 10M T W R F

WEEK 9M T W R F

WEEK 11

Courses“Typical” Courses

• 4, 5, or 6 units• Lecture style – taught by professor• Discussion sections (classroom style) – taught by Teaching Assistant (TA)

General Education Clusters• 6 units• Three courses over three quarters of the academic year• Multi-disciplinary approach towards one topic• Satisfies four GE requirements and Writing II – if completed

Seminars and Fiat Lux Seminars• Seminars are generally 5 unit, classroom style courses taught by a professor• Fiat Lux Seminars are 1 unit seminars designed for first-year students

• Less intensive• Designed around instructors interests or research – specialized topics

GradingGrade points per unit are assigned as follows:A+ 4.0 C+ 2.3 F (Failure), NP (Not Passed) 0

A 4.0 C 2.0

A- 3.7 C- 1.7

B+ 3.3 D+ 1.3

B 3.0 D 1.0

B- 2.7 D- 0.7

Grade Points x Course Units = Total Grade Points

A- 3.7 4 14.8B 3.0 5 15C+ 2.3 2 4.6B+ 3.3 5 16.5

16 50.9

Example: To determine your GPA for the term, divide the total grade points earned (50.9) by the

total course units attempted (16). Your GPA is 3.18

HonorsThere are three ways a student can earn an “honors” distinction when they graduate

• Latin Honors

• Any UCLA student that graduates with an overall UCLA GPA of 3.7 or higher will

graduate with a Latin Honors notation on their transcript

• College Honors

• Honors Program only offered to students in the College of Letters & Science.

• Must apply to be admitted. Student needs to have a UCLA GPA of 3.5 or higher in

order to apply.

• Must successfully complete the Honors curriculum to earn College Honors

• Shows graduate schools/potential employers that you not only earned a degree from

UCLA but were able to complete a more intensive curriculum

• Departmental Honors

• Any UCLA student can work with their departmental advisors and faculty to create a

senior thesis/research project.

Incoming UnitsAdvanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)

• A higher score on an AP/IB test will bring in units, but will rarely bring in course credit

• Most AP/IB will not satisfy GE Requirements

• AP/IB units will count towards graduation, but will be deducted if a student hits the

maximum before their degree is complete - AP/IB will never hurt a student

Incoming Units (EXAMPLE)AP TEST Score Translation Units Satisfied Requirements

AP Biology 3-5 unassigned units 8 none

AP Economics

(Macroeconomics) 3 unassigned units 4 none

4-5 Economics 2 4 none

AP Mathematics

(Calculus BC) 3 unassigned units 8 Quantitative Reasoning

4 Math 31A + 4 units 8 Quantitative Reasoning

5 Math 31A & Math 31B 8 Quantitative Reasoning

Transfer CourseworkCourses Transferred In From Other Institutions

• Transferred community college work will be capped at 105 units

• Courses taken over 105 units will still transfer in but the units will not

• Grades earned in courses will not transfer in (except from another UC campus)

• A student’s GPA will not transfer in (except from another UC campus)

• Semester units will be calculated in Quarter units for each course

• Semester units x 1.5 = Quarter units

(3 semester units x 1.5 = 4.5 quarter units)

• Courses will transfer into UCLA in two different ways

• UCLA Credit

• Title Credit

Transfer Coursework (EXAMPLE)DIRECT TRANSLATION INTO UCLA

Course at “Southern CA College” Course Transferring into UCLA

English 100 – Composition (3 units) English Comp 3 (4.5 units)

TITLE CREDIT INTO UCLA

Course at “Southern CA College” Course Transferring into UCLA

History 125 – History of Witchcraft (3 units) Southern CA College

“History of Witchcraft”

(4.5 units)

EnrollmentEnrollment appointments are determined by number of college units completed (excluding AP/IB

units), not by the number of years of attendance.

Enrollment Group Completed Units

Group 1 135 or more

Group 2 90-134.9

Group 3 45-89.9

Group 4 0-44.9

EXAMPLE Appointment Start Appointment End Unit Maximum

First Pass 11/17/2017 3:00:00 PM 11/22/2017 11:30:00 PM 10

Second Pass 12/2/2017 8:00:00 AM 01/16/2018 11:59:00 PM College/School Maximum*

Enrollment

Enrollment Logistics After Orientation

• Appointment times assigned by number of complete college units (excluding AP/IB)• Only allowed to enroll in up to 10 units during priority and 1st passes• Allowed to enroll in rest of units (usually 19 units max) during 2nd pass

All students attending Orientation will get to enroll in all of their Fall Quarter classes at their session under the guidance of their New Student Advisor. First-year students enroll on the third/last day of their session, and transfer students enroll at the end of the day of their session.

EXAMPLE Appointment Start Appointment End Unit Maximum

First Pass 11/17/2017 3:00:00 PM 11/22/2017 11:30:00 PM 10

Second Pass 12/2/2017 8:00:00 AM 01/16/2017 11:59:00 PM College/School Maximum*

Changing MajorsCollege of Letters and Science students changing to another major in the College of Letters and Science

• Generally easy to do• Must talk to the departmental advisor of the new major to gain permission• Some majors will require an application/admission process before being accepted and

admitted

Students in other Schools that want to switch into the College• Follow the same rules as listed above• If a student switches into the College they CANNOT automatically move back to their

original school if they change their mind. They must reapply and be readmitted to the School (see below)

College of Letters and Science students changing to another School• Difficult• Students must apply and provide supplemental information (i.e. portfolio, audition,

etc.) before any decisions are made• Can only apply once or twice a year (depending on the School)

Academic Counseling ServicesCollege of Letters and Science

• College Academic Counseling – Murphy Hall• Honors Program – Murphy Hall• Academic Advancement Program – Campbell Hall• Athletics – J.D. Morgan Center

School of the Arts and Architecture – Broad Art Center

School of Engineering and Applied Science – Boelter Hall

School of Music – Schoenberg Hall

School of Nursing – Louis Factor Building

School of Theater Film and Television – East Melnitz Building

Departmental Advisors – professional staff members found in each department offering specialized counseling for the major

Websites to Know

• My.UCLA.edu• Finances

• Financial aid summary and efan• Tax withholding• BruinCard account• Student billing (Bruin Bill)

• MyHousing account• 3rd Party Access• Announcements• Enrollment

• Registrar.ucla.edu• Academic calendars and course lists

Bruin Bill AccountAll students have a Bruin Bill Account that records all charges and payments.• Summary of all charges by month• Able to pay online with credit card• One email reminder each month• All charges must be paid in full by the

20th of each month.• 2018 Registration fee deadlines:

Sept., Dec., and Mar. 20th

• Payment plan option for small administrative fee

• SHIP charged to every student by default• Financial Aid disbursed directly to

BruinBill

FERPAWhat is FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy ActOnce a student turns 18, or attends a school beyond the high school level, the University cannot release information about the student to anyone, not even parents or other family members. FERPA’s purview includes (but is not limited to) grades, disciplinary proceedings, billing, and financial aid.

MyUCLA and Third-Party Access

Allows students to give rights to their account to another via “3rd Party Access” (typically a parent, relative, or guardian)

www.myucla.ucla.edu

Students can manage the third-party items viewable, including:

- Study List, Grades and GPA - Bruin Bill

- Degree Audit Report - Financial Aid Awards

- Registration Status - Financial Aid Documents

- Academic and Financial Holds - Address Information