Home / Academic Programs / Undergraduate Programs / Enrollment

MCD Biology Enrollment Guide for Fall 2025!

Updated 5/12/2025

 

This Enrollment Guide contains important information and updates about enrolling in classes for Fall Quarter 2025.

If you have concerns about housing insecurity, please contact Slug Support. If you are having trouble finding housing, please contact the UCSC Housing Office.

Helpful Reminders: 

  • Prioritize your major courses during First Pass enrollment and add GE’s during Second Pass enrollment, if necessary. 
  • Waitlists can only be joined during SECOND pass. 
  • Ensure you have no holds on your enrollment by checking your MyUCSC Student Center well before your enrollment appointment. 
  • Need to repeat a class for the third time? Be sure to check in with your College regarding a Double Repeat/Triple Take petition! NOTE: You MUST meet with your College to gain access to the Double Repeat/Triple Take petition.

Fall Enrollment Schedule (At-a-Glance): 

  • Continuing Student Enrollment
    • First Pass Appointments: May 20, 2025 to May 23, 2025
    • Second Pass Appointments and Waitlist: May 28, 2025 to June 2, 2025
      • Continuing Students Open Enrollment: June 2, 2025 to August 1, 2025
        • If the course has open seats, students can enroll via their MyUCSC 
        • NOTE: Continuing student enrollment will close at 11:59pm on August 1, 2025 to allow incoming students the opportunity to enroll
  • New Student Enrollment
    • Fall 2025 Frosh Enrollment begins August 11, 2025 to August 15, 2025
    • Fall 2025 Transfer Enrollment begins August 18, 2025 to August 21, 2025
  • All Student Enrollment
    • Enrollment opens for All students restarts on August 25, 2025

 

Table of Contents:

 

Fall 2025 Enrollment Resources 

How to Get Support During Enrollment

Due to limited staffing, our availability is limited. If you are declared or proposed an MCD Biology department sponsored major (Biology, BS; MCD Biology, BS; or Neuroscience, BS) please check your ucsc.edu email for a message to schedule a 15-minute Spring Enrollment appointment with an advisor.

    1. Drop-In for quick questions regarding enrollment, academic planning, or choosing classes for the upcoming quarter
    2. Appointments for Academic Planning 
      1. Be sure to have started an academic plan using the resources on the MCD Biology Academic Planning webpage
      1. Remember! If you are emailing mcdadvising@ucsc.edu, be sure to put your College in the subject line!
    1. Please be sure to also check-in with your College Advisors to be sure all your General Education and University Requirements are being met in addition to your major requirements. 
    2. Your College Advisor should also be your first point of contact for Double Repeat/Triple Take Petitions, major exploration, and general information about university policies.

 

What Should I Enroll In?

Transfer Students

Continuing Fall 2024 Transfer Students:

If you have completed BIOL 101 in Winter 2025 or Summer 2025, look to enroll in BIOL 110 for the Fall 2025 quarter. Also double check to see if you are eligible to enroll in a Comprehensive Requirement/Disciplinary Communication (DC) Lab requirement course for the Fall 2025 quarter (if you have completed BIOL 101L, you are most likely eligible to take a Comprehensive Requirement/DC Lab course).

 

Incoming Fall 2025 Transfer Students:

If you have completed CHEM 8B Organic Chemistry → Enroll in BIOL 100 Biochemistry. You can pair it with any lower division course you would like (e.g.,  MATH 11B/19B, STAT 5 or 7/L, or PHYS 6A). 

*Note: BIOL 100 is the main prerequisite for most upper division MCD Biology (BIOL) courses and should be completed as soon as possible after transferring to UCSC.

If you have not completed CHEM 8B - look to enroll in BIOL 105: Genetics and pair it with any you would like (e.g., MATH 11B/19B, STAT 5 or 7/L, or PHYS 6A.)

 

Frosh Students

Continuing Fall 2024 Frosh

Be sure you have completed the General Chemistry series by the end of the Fall 2025 quarter - if you are not able to enroll in CHEM 3C and CHEM 3CL OR CHEM 8A/L in Fall 2025, you need to get in contact with an MCD Biology Advisor as soon as possible to see your options to declare an MCD Biology Department Sponsored major.

REMEMBER: The MCD Biology Department has a Qualification Policy that requires students looking to declare an MCD Biology Department Sponsored major to complete all 8 Qualification courses by the end of their 5th quarter at UCSC (summer is not included in the quarter count) with C or better letter grades. If you started at UCSC in Fall 2024, your 5th quarter at UCSC is Winter 2026!

Ideally, you should be looking to enroll in CHEM 8A/L or CHEM 3C/CL and BIOL 20A or BIOE 20B and BIOL 20L in the Fall 2025 quarter. 

 

Incoming Fall 2025 Frosh Students

Prioritize your General Chemistry Series with the aim of completing CHEM 3A, CHEM 3B/3BL and CHEM 3C/3CL by the end of Spring 2026 (Fall 2026 at the latest!). MATH 11A/MATH 16A/MATH 19A is also a high priority. 

Once you complete CHEM 3A (ideally in Fall 2025 or Winter 2026), you can enroll in BIOL 20A (in Spring 2026 or Fall 2026).

*Remember that ALL qualification courses need to be completed by your 5th quarter (Winter 2027), so that you can declare in your 6th quarter (Spring 2027).


Full/Closed Class - What Should I Do? 

Always prioritize qualification courses or the Core Upper Division (BIOL 100, 101, and 105) courses during first pass enrollment. We try to hold some seats in courses until after second pass enrollment, but we cannot guarantee additional seats will be available.

The ONLY WAY to request a seat in a course that is FULL is to get on a waitlist during second pass enrollment. A spot on the waitlist does not guarantee a spot in the class, so make sure you have a back up plan.

Please be sure to also read the course notes/enrollment restrictions for courses. Most enrollment restrictions lift during or after Second Pass Enrollment.

If you are not able to enroll or waitlist during your Second Pass enrollment appointments, it may be because:

  1. You are missing a prerequisite
  2. You have an enrollment hold (check your portal for details)
  3. You have exceeded the number of units you are allowed to enroll in or waitlist

If you were unable to waitlist or add a class from your portal, you can complete the Enrollment Request Form for Fall 2025 about 2 weeks before the First Day of Instruction: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025 at 8am!

*Note: The Enrollment Request Form does not override holds or prerequisites nor is completing the form a substitution for being on the waitlist for a course.

The reason we are waiting until 2 weeks before the first day of class to open the form is because many enrollment problems/challenges that students are encountering right now will be resolved well in advance of the first day of class or they may decide that they are no longer interested in taking the class. 

Please remember that the MCD Biology Department strictly enforces course prerequisites - the Enrollment Request Sheet does not override course prerequisites.

Academic Planning

MCD Biology Curriculum Plan 2025-2026

Visit the MCD Biology Department Curriculum Plan to help you plan your courses for the rest of the year. Please remember that the curriculum plan is subject to change. For the summer session schedule, please check the Summer Session’s website.

Note that other departments have these too:


Need a Second or Third Class? 

Be sure to meet with your College Advisor to check your General Education (GE) requirements as well as other University requirements are met. The Colleges have provided a list of courses that have few (if any) prerequisites - this list is called the “Best Bets List”. If you have questions regarding the Best Bets list, please contact your College Advisor.

Remember! You have at least 2 Advisors at UCSC! MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising is your Major advising home; your College Advisors are your General Education and University Requirement advisors - they also have resources to help you be successful during your time at UCSC.

 

Need to Make a Plan for Yourself? 

Need help with creating an Academic Plan? Schedule an appointment or attend Drop-in with our Peer Advisors.

Visit our MCD Biology Academic Planning Page where you will find blank plans, sample plans, and checklists for your majors.

 

MCD Biology Department Updates

Prerequisites and Enrollment Restrictions for MCD Biology Courses

The MCD Biology department has revised our prerequisites for most of our upper division courses - be sure to read the course descriptions for courses.

New Enrollment Restriction for BIOL 20A: First Pass Enrollment

Starting Spring 2025, BIOL 20A will have a First Pass Enrollment Restriction. Students must be one of the following proposed majors to be eligible to enroll in BIOL 20A during First Pass Enrollment: 

  • All Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) majors: Biology BA, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BS,Marine Biology BS, Plant Sciences BS
  • All Molecular, Cell, and Developmental (MCD) Biology Majors: Biology BS, MCD Biology BS, Neuroscience BS
  • EEB/ENVS combined BA
  • Global and Community Health BS
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS
  • Microbiology BS
  • Science Education BS
  • Biomolecular Engineering BS
  • Biotechnology BA

During Second Pass Enrollment, all other majors (proposed or declared) will be eligible to enroll or waitlist BIOL 20A.

 

Student Opportunities Email Google Group

Join our new Student Opportunities Email Google Group to receive messages regarding opportunities shared with MCD Biology Advising from: other departments at UCSC, California state graduate schools, job, scholarship, research, training, volunteer & internship opportunities. You can unsubscribe at any time.

This Google Group is optional and you must register yourself at the link below - please note you can leave the group at any time.

New Student Opportunities Email Google Group: MCDB FWD Opportunities!

 

 

MCD Biology, BS

**NEW** STARTING FALL 2025: BME 110 or BIOL 104L can be used to fulfill the Bioinformatics Requirement for the MCD Biology, BS major. This means that BME 110 will no longer be an upper division elective option and will only satisfy the Bioinformatics Requirement.


Reminder - BIOL 104L is required for all MCD Biology, BS majors who started at UCSC 2021 or after.

 

Neuroscience, BS

Change to BIOL 125: Introduction to Neuroscience Offerings - BIOL 125 will be offered in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. Please remember that the prerequisite for BIOL 125 is BIOL 100.

BIOL 126 and BIOL 128 are only offered in the WINTER QUARTER for the 2025-2026 academic year.

BIOL 129L (the new upper division 5-units lab) will count towards fulfilling the Senior Exit/DC Lab requirement for all Neuroscience majors and will be offered every quarter for the 2025-2026 academic year. Note that BIOL 129L prerequisites are  BIOL 100 and BIOL 101; BIOL 101L ; BIOL 125; and STAT 5, or STAT 7 and STAT 7L.  - be sure to plan your schedule accordingly.

REMINDER: BIOL 110 is no longer a required course for the Neuroscience major. It is an upper division elective option

 

Upper Division Comprehensive Requirement/DC Lab Requirement

 

Biology BS majors: Please utilize the option of choosing the shaded electives on your checklist to meet the Comprehensive Requirement and DC requirements.

If you have already met the Comprehensive Requirement / DC, PLEASE do not enroll in another one! 

 

BIOL 115L Eukaryotic Molecular Biology Laboratory

Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Biology, BS and MCD Biology, BS majors only. Capacity of 16.

 

BIOL 129L Neurobiology Lab

Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Neuroscience, BS. Biology, BS and MCD Biology, BS majors can enroll in BIOL 129L during Second Pass Enrollment. Capacity of 20.

 

BIOL 186L Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology

Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Biology BS, MCD Biology BS only. Enrollment is by application only. 

Please do not submit an application unless you already have a faculty member who is serving/willing to serve as your research mentor and you have carefully reviewed the course description. Capacity of 25. Priority will be given to students who submit an application by Monday, March 31st, 2025. 

Please be sure to attend the first class meeting of BIOL 186L even if your application is still in process. Not attending the first day of class may void your application.

More information regarding the BIOL 186 courses as well as other Undergraduate Research courses can be found on our Undergraduate Research webpage.

 

METX 100L General Microbiology Lab 

Formerly METX 119L. Fulfills the Comprehensive Requirement and DC Lab requirements for the Biology, BS major.

Please note the Enrollment Requirements in the Schedule of Classes - First Pass Enrollment is only for Microbiology, BS majors; Biology, BS majors can enroll in the course during Second Pass Enrollment. METX 100L is monitored by the Microbiology and Toxicology Department (METX).

MCD Biology, BS Majors following 2023-2024 or earlier catalogs can still complete METX 100L for the Comprehensive Requirement/DC Lab Requirement.

 

Important Policies for MCD Biology-Sponsored Majors:

  • Letter Grade Policy: All major and minor requirements require a letter grade. P Grades will not be accepted to satisfy major specific requirements. 

 

  • Major Policy Reminder: Effective Fall 2019, all MCD Biology sponsored majors must complete BIOL 20A and all of the Core 4 courses (BIOL 100, 105, 101 and 110) at UCSC. Frosh who began attending UCSC in Fall 2019 and onward, will need to remember that the above classes cannot be taken outside of UCSC unless they submit an Exception to Policy asking for permission - Note: There is no guarantee that any petition submitted will be approved.

 

  • C- grades CANNOT be used to satisfy a major requirement and cannot satisfy a prerequisite for another course. You must repeat a course if you receive a C- grade for major or pre-requisite credit. Only grades of “C” (2.0) or better will fulfill major requirements.



Best wishes for a wonderful Spring quarter,

Jeannette, Kylie, and Leanna

MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising

Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Division of Physical and Biological Sciences

MCD Biology Advising

Academic Planning Resources

Enrollment Information

UCSC Mental Health & Wellness Support

UCSC CARE Center

UCSC Identity-Based Resource Centers