Getting Started

Your academic journey begins with enrolling in your classes, connecting with your advisor, and learning to navigate some important advising tools, like the graduate catalog and your program handbook. 

Enrollment and Registration  

You’ll first need to determine how many classes you want to enroll in and when registration occurs. For graduate students, full-time enrollment for the fall or spring semesters is a minimum of 9 credit hours, for example 3 3-credit hour classes (for summer semesters, full-time enrollment is 6 credit hours). This may seem different than your undergraduate degree – and it is! Graduate coursework is designed to be more intensive and therefore 9 credit hours is plenty of work, especially if you plan to be working or completing an assistantship.  To learn more about full-time or part-time enrollment, review the Full-time Enrollment Requirements Policy in the Graduate Catalog.

Registration occurs during a defined period every semester. The Academic Calendar displays these dates each term and can be added to your calendar.  Failure to register before the end of Add/Drop week each semester may result in not taking classes at all for that semester. The end of Add/Drop week is always the last day of the first week of classes.  

Important Enrollment Tips  


First Semester Enrollment

You must enroll in your first term of admission. If you do not, your admission will be revoked, and you will need to submit a new application.  

Continuous Enrollment

To continue “Active Student” status, you must maintain an active enrollment each semester. If you do not enroll for 3 consecutive semesters, you will be discontinued from your program. If you are discontinued and wish to return later, you must reapply to your program.  

Thesis or Dissertation Hours

Work with your Graduate Program Director or Program Coordinator to register for thesis or dissertation hours. An approved committee must be on file with the College of Graduate Studies before registration is permitted.

Special Leave of Absence

If a situation will prevent you from enrolling for a semester or longer, consider applying for a Special Leave of Absence. 

Common Enrollment Errors


When you enroll in a course, you’ll either see a green check mark, confirming successful enrollment and your official seat in the class, or a red “X,” indicating an error in processing your request. An accompanying message will explain the issue. Common errors may occur if the course is full or if a prerequisite or required step is missing, such as:

Course Overrides

Contact the department or program offering the course to ask for a permission code to enter for successful registration. 

Term Activation Error

This error occurs if you were dropped for non-payment in the current semester, which disables future enrollment eligibility. To resolve this, contact Student Account Services to pay your fees. The error may also occur if you attempt to enroll shortly after being admitted to UCF.


myUCF

myUCF is an online portal for managing your personal, financial, and academic information. Accessible from anywhere, it allows you to:

  • Search for and enroll in classes
  • Check your final grades each semester
  • Review your GPS to track progress toward graduation
  • Access your unofficial transcript
  • Review financial aid information
  • Pay tuition and fees
  • Manage account holds and to-dos
  • Request official transcripts

Where can I access myUCF?

The myUCF portal can be accessed from any device with a connection to the Internet.

On a Computer

  1. Navigate to myUCF.edu.
  2. Click the Sign On button at the top left of the page.
  3. Login with your NID and NID password.

On a Mobile Device

  1. Navigate to myUCF.edu in your mobile browser.
  2. Login with your NID and NID password.

Advising  

Graduate advising is managed by your respective graduate program. Each program has a Graduate Program Director who can provide guidance and support. Here are the key individuals who may assist you: 

  • Administrative Support Staff: Handle general questions and help you connect with the appropriate resources or individuals. 
  • Graduate Advisors: Assigned to specific students or programs, they are experts in the field who can answer questions about the program, courses, and industry, while discussing your academic and professional goals.
  • Graduate Program Directors – Experts in the field of study, these are individuals who oversee the advisement and administration of the graduate program. 

Also, the College of Graduate Studies serves as a resource for general policies and procedures applicable to all UCF graduate students. While not specialists in specific degree programs, we are here to help navigate broader graduate requirements.

To determine what classes specifically to take, you’ll want to seek advising from your Graduate Program Director.  

Advising Tools  

Advising tools allow you to take ownership of your education and experience. Please be aware of where different information resides.