The Molecular, Cell & Developmental (MCD) Biology department will consider appeals from students who do not qualify for one of the MCD Biology sponsored majors or would like to declare one of the majors after the major declaration deadline. 

Please review the Major Qualification Policy and Major Declaration Deadlines as well as the following information before submitting an appeal for review.

The department will notify the student and their college of the decision within 15 days of the quarterly appeal deadline (see below). Submissions are reviewed once after the quarterly deadline (not on an ongoing/rolling basis). Some students will not receive their results until after the quarterly deadline has passed.

Being granted the option to appeal is not a guarantee of admission into the major. Students that submit an appeal are strongly advised to have a backup plan in place in the event that their request is denied. It is recommended that - with the assistance of your college advisor, you identify a major that interests you (outside of the MCD Biology department), and be able to declare that major and make good progress in that major. Appeals are not guaranteed, so it is very important you develop a major pathway that you will commit to outside of the MCD Biology department.

Pre-Appeals

Due to reduced Advising Staff starting Fall 2024 - The MCD Biology Department is no longer able to accept Pre-Appeals. Students who are not able to complete the Qualification Requirements to Declare an MCD Biology Department Major are strongly encouraged to meet with their college advisor to explore other major options.

Please remember, to submit an appeal to decalre an MCD Biology Department major, all the qualification courses must be completed by the end of your 5th quarter at UCSC (as a Frosh student). Transfer students must be admitted to an MCD Biology department sponsored major to be eligible to declare an MCD Biology Department sponsored major. 

Appeals

A student may submit an Appeal to declare an MCD Biology sponsored major when:

• The major was not declared by the declaration deadline and all qualification courses have been completed
  • This includes students who would like to change majors
    • For example: from Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to MCD Biology; Psychology to Neuroscience; or Biology BS to Neuroscience, BS; etc.

After reviewing the student’s personal statement and academic records, the department will either approve or deny the appeal based on the likelihood that the student will be able to successfully complete the degree in a reasonable amount of time. In some cases, the approval of the appeal will be conditional on the completion of one or more additional courses with a satisfactory grade, usually within one quarter. 

MCD Biology Appeal Dates and Deadlines

Winter 2024 Filing Period: October 14th, 2023 to February 5th, 2024

Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by February 9th, 2024

Spring 2024 Filing Period: February 6th, 2024 to April 19th, 2024

Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by May 15th, 2024

Summer 2024 Filing Period: April 20th, 2024 to June 30th, 2024

Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email by July 19th, 2024

Fall 2024 Filing Period: June 30th, 2024 to October 14th, 2024

Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by October 24th, 2024

Winter 2025 Filing Period: October 24th, 2024 to February 7th, 2025

Results will be sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by February 21st, 2025

NOTE: A Modified Summer appeal schedule has been developed to support students who are completing courses during summer and also coordinate with the limited staff and faculty availablity during the summer. 

Submitting an Appeal

Appeals are submitted using the Appeal Form shown below.  Note that you must be logged in to your UCSC email account to view the form.  

If you have problems viewing the form, please try to view it in a different browser. If you are using a mobile device and cannot see the form below and/or are having difficulty accessing the form, you may need to use a laptop/desktop computer to access the form.  

When completing the form, you will be given the opportunity to submit a brief personal statement explaining why you are seeking admission to the major and describe the extenuating circumstances and other factors that prevented you from satisfying the major qualification requirements.