General Catalog
Also called "the Catalog," it is a publication that informs students of their rights and responsibilities in their quest to reach an educational goal. It includes policies and procedures of an institution and how an institution interacts with a learner academically. Covers admission requirements and courses needed to reach an educational goal, and other topics including residency and academic integrity. To ensure all incoming learners are treated equally, catalog information is updated by catalog year.
Grade-point average (GPA)
A student's grade-point average (GPA) is calculated by: assigning a numerical value to each grade, multiplying the grade value by the number of units for each course (grade points), adding up all the grade points, and dividing the total grade points by the total number of units taken.
All courses undertaken at the University of California (UC) except those graded passed/not passed or satisfactory/unsatisfactory are included in the student's GPA.
Grading option
Courses at UCSB are offered one of three ways:
- Letter grade only: Everyone registered for the course must take it for a letter grade.
- Optional: Everyone registered for the course has the option of taking it for a letter grade or for P/NP. Students choose their grading option at the time of registration and may edit it until the published deadline for grading option changes.
- Pass/No Pass (undergraduate courses) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (graduate courses): Everyone registered for the course only has the option of taking it P/NP or S/U.
Graduate student
A student pursuing a master's or doctorate degree.