Dear undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students,
We’re excited to begin a new year within our amazing learning community. Here are a few steps to take to help your semester start smoothly:
- Complete your CalCentral tasks.
Log into the CalCentral student portal to complete all outstanding tasks and resolve any holds. - Prep for Financial Aid disbursement on August 19.
To receive your financial aid disbursement on time, complete your tasks in CalCentral as soon as possible and make sure you are enrolled in a minimum of 6 units. Use the Calculate a Balance Worksheet to determine if you’ll receive a refund or have a balance due after financial aid is applied. You may also want to create a spending plan. - Set up direct deposit.
Get your money faster with direct deposit into the U.S. bank of your choice. Need a paper refund check? Checks are mailed to your local address, so be sure it’s up to date in CalCentral. - Give delegate access to parents/guardians or spouse/partner.
Decide if you want to give your parents/guardians or spouse/partner delegate access to certain parts of your student account. Make sure they have their code phrase to view your financial information in CalCentral, pay bills, or to be able to speak to Cal Student Central. - Review your finances.
Do your actual living expenses (i.e., housing, books, health insurance) differ from your Estimated Cost of Attendance? Request a Cost of Attendance Adjustment once the form becomes available. - Officially register by September 13.
To officially register, make certain you have done these three things:- enrolled in at least one class;
- paid 20 percent of tuition and fees (even if it’s not yet due) by September 13, and;
- have no holds against your registration.
- Deadline to withdraw is August 27: If you do not intend to enroll in Fall 2024, you must proactively withdraw to avoid financial penalty or you will be subject to the prorated penalties.
- New students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to discuss the possibility of deferring before withdrawing.
- Late enroll, drop, and add fees: To avoid future late fees, pay tuition and fees in full, enroll, and make a payment on the Fee Payment Plan, or apply for a Fall 2024 co-payable emergency loan (available August 21). Get more information on late payment penalties.
- As a reminder, the Cancel for Non-Payment (CNP) policy will remain suspended for the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Verify enrollment by September 27.
Check bCourses (or your bMail if your class is not on bCourses) during the first few weeks of the semester for prompts to “verify participation” in each of your courses by completing a reading assignment on Academic Integrity. This process is crucial to ensuring your eligibility for financial aid and is mandatory for all students, regardless of their financial aid status. - Find help on standby for you.
Need to speak with someone about financial aid, billing and payments, enrollment, or transcripts? Cal Student Central offers online, phone, and in-person advising. - Ask the chatbot questions 24/7/365.
Get your financial aid, registration, billing, payment, housing, and rec sports questions answered through text and video in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese. It’s as easy as visiting the Cal Student Central, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Office of the Registrar, Berkeley Housing, or Berkeley RecWell websites. - Get access to key campus services:
- Pick up your Cal 1 Card; this is your campus ID card allowing access to buildings, debit accounts, meal plans, and university services.
- Register your AC Transit EasyPass to get unlimited AC Transit travel, including local service in the East Bay and Transbay Express service to and from San Francisco and the peninsula.
- Sign your RecWell Activity Waiver to ensure access to gyms, pools, group exercise classes, and more. Go to CalCentral, then “Notifications,” select “RecWell Waiver,” and hit “Accept.” Failure to sign the waiver will restrict your access to facilities and programs.
Have a wonderful semester and Go Bears!
Sincerely,
Stephen C. Sutton, Ed.D. (he/him/his)
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
This message was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students.