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Students

Registration

Eligibility to register

New students

New graduate students are eligible to register after you have received a conditional or full offer of admission. A provisional offer of admission is not sufficient.

Some departments also require an acceptance deposit before you are considered to have accepted your offer. You will be notified by your department if this applies to you.

Current students

Current students are eligible to register in the next session if you:

  • registered in the most recent session or were on an approved leave of absence
  • are in good academic standing
  • are in good financial standing with UVic

If you've withdrawn from your program or are switching into another degree program, you must apply for reregistration before you can register for courses.

If you're not in good financial standing, you won't be eligible to register until your accounts have been settled with Accounting.

Continuous registration

Graduate students must be continually registered with UVic. This means that every term you must do one of the following:

  • register in coursework or a co-op work term
  • register for a personal leave of absence
  • request a leave of absence for medical, parental or compassionate reasons
  • withdraw with permission

If you are not registered, on leave, or withdrawn with permission, then you will be removed from your program. Your official transcript will indicate that you have been "withdrawn without permission", and you will have to apply to be reinstated to your program.

Leaves of absence

Before you request a leave of absence

If you need to take a leave of absence from your graduate program, start by consulting with your supervisor for guidance and direction.

  • if you're an international student, check if a leave of absence will affect your temporary resident status in Canada
  • if you have funding (e.g. UVic fellowship, graduate awards, NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR), email fgsaward@uvic.ca to see if it can be deferred
  • if you're enrolled in the GSS Extended Health and Dental Plan, email gsoc@uvic.ca to ensure your insurance coverage will not be interrupted

Personal leaves of absence

  • you can register for a personal leave through Online tools before the deadline
  • there is a limit to how many personal leaves you can take during your program
  • personal leaves do not "stop the clock" on your program. Time spent on a personal leave counts toward the overall completion time of your program.

Leave of absence for medical, parental or compassionate reasons

  • if you're requesting leave for medical, parental or compassionate reasons, submit a Graduate Academic Concession form to your graduate secretary.
  • this type of leave "stops the clock" on your program. Time spent on this type of leave does not count toward the overall completion time of your program.

Compassionate leave for COVID-19

Requests resulting from COVID-19-related impacts should be filed as compassionate leave. In Section B of the Graduate Academic Concession Form, provide a brief statement regarding your COVID-19-related circumstances.

Tuition fees

You will not be charged tuition fees during your leave of absence.

Program extensions

If you reach the end of the completion time allowed for your program and need more time, submit a Request for Program Extension form to your graduate secretary. You won't be able to register until your extension is approved.

COVID-19 extensions

If your extension is approved for COVID-19 reasons, you'll be assessed reregistration fees rather than full programs fees for the period of the extension.

Selecting courses

If you're a new student, you should meet with your supervisor or departmental graduate adviser before registering for courses. They'll work with you to choose the best courses for your program.

Courses outside of your program

To register in a course outside of your program, submit a Graduate Registration form to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office. If you have questions about a course's eligibility, talk to your supervisor or graduate adviser.

Thesis/dissertation courses

If you're working on or defending your thesis, project or dissertation, you must register in your thesis/project/dissertation course during that term.

Auditing courses

To audit a course, submit a Graduate Registration form to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office.

Dropping courses

Before you drop a course, check the academic calendar to see the deadlines for dropping courses and for receiving fee reductions.

How to register for courses

Find step-by-step instructions on how to register for courses using Online tools.

Registration support

Contact the Graduate Admissions and Records Office for assistance: