Your Statement of Intent to Register must be completed by 11:59 p.m. PDT today, May 1. You do this through your campus applicant portal, not through the general UC admissions site. You may accept admission to one campus only and cannot transfer your SIR from one campus to another after you have declared your intent to register. A $250 nonrefundable deposit is required at the time you submit your SIR. Students who received an application fee waiver do not need to submit a deposit.

Do not wait on this. Most UC campuses guarantee on-campus housing for first-year students, but that guarantee depends on meeting the housing application deadline. Check your specific campus portal for the exact deadline. Themed communities, special interest floors, and roommate matching features tend to fill on a first-come, first-served basis.

Finding a roommate
Start with your campus housing portal, which may include a built-in roommate matching tool based on your lifestyle preferences. That is the most reliable place to begin.

Beyond that, most incoming students connect on Instagram. Search for your campus class year account, for example @UCLA2029 or @UCBerkeley2029, introduce yourself, and look for others doing the same. Many students find roommates this way before they ever hear from the housing office. Reddit also has active subreddits for most UC campuses where incoming students post roommate searches. TikTok class of 2029 threads have become surprisingly active for this too, with students posting short introductions and tagging their campus.

Whatever platform you use, be specific about the things that actually matter when you share a room: sleep schedule, study habits, how you feel about guests, and cleanliness expectations. Those details will serve you better than a list of shared interests.

Plan for move-in
Once housing is confirmed, start building your packing list. Coordinate with your roommate to avoid duplicates, especially on larger items like a mini fridge or microwave. Check your campus for move-in day procedures, assigned time slots, and any restrictions on appliances or bedding sizes before you shop.

Most UC campuses require first-year students in the residence halls to have a meal plan, and the options vary by campus. Plans typically range from a set number of weekly meal swipes to unlimited dining, and most include some amount of dining dollars you can use like cash at campus cafes and markets. Costs generally run anywhere from around $3,000 to over $6,000 per year depending on the plan and campus.

Think about your actual schedule before choosing: how often you will be on campus, whether you tend to skip breakfast, and how frequently you might eat off campus. It is worth checking your campus dining website for a full breakdown of what each plan includes and costs.

Most campuses allow you to change your plan at the start of a new term, though the rules differ. Upgrades are usually easier to process than downgrades, and some campuses do not allow cancellations at all once the year has started. Check the change and cancellation policy for your specific campus before deciding, so you are not locked into something that does not work for you.

This is one of the most commonly overlooked steps after committing, and missing a placement exam can directly affect which courses you can enroll in during your first term. Check your campus portal now for any placement tasks on your checklist. The main ones are:

Writing (ELWR)
All students entering UC as freshmen must fulfill the Entry Level Writing Requirement. You may have already satisfied it through a qualifying AP English, IB English, ACT, or paper-based SAT score, or by completing a UC-transferable English composition course. Official AP scores from testing agencies must be submitted by July 15. If you have not satisfied it through one of those routes, your campus will have its own writing placement process you must complete before orientation. Skip it and you will not be able to enroll in the English composition course required in your first term.

Math
Most UC campuses require students planning to enroll in calculus or other math courses to complete a math placement assessment before their registration window opens. For example, at UCSD, students who do not complete the Math Placement Exam by June 1 may receive a hold on their fall enrollment and will not be able to enroll in any class for fall quarter until they complete it. Deadlines and consequences vary by campus, but the risk is the same everywhere: miss it and you lose access to courses you may need in your first term.

Chemistry
If your major requires general chemistry, most campuses require a chemistry placement exam before you can enroll. At UC Davis, students who miss the orientation testing window and do not earn a qualifying score in the fall will be administratively dropped from their general chemistry course. Check whether your campus requires this and when the testing window opens.

Language
If you have prior knowledge of a language you want to continue studying, most campuses offer a free language placement exam. If you hope to test out of a language requirement for your major or college, a separate language proficiency exam is available. This must typically be completed before you enroll in a language course.

The specific exams required depend on your major and intended courses. Log into your campus portal, review your checklist, and complete any placement assessments well before orientation. As an incoming freshman you will already have one of the last registration windows. Missing a placement exam makes a tight situation worse.

Orientation is not optional at most UC campuses and spots fill quickly. At some campuses you are automatically registered after submitting your SIR; at others you need to sign up separately. Most UC orientations charge an additional fee, so budget for that. Orientation is where you receive your class registration window, meet your academic advisor, and begin setting up your first semester or quarter. Register as soon as possible.

Official final transcripts are due by July 1, 2026. Official AP, IB, and other test scores are due by July 15, 2026. Do not wait until summer to request these. High school registrars and testing agencies get backed up, and late submissions can result in holds on your enrollment or rescinded admission.

UC campuses are competitive when it comes to course enrollment, and incoming freshmen typically receive the last registration windows, after continuing students and transfers. That means popular courses, GE requirements, and lower-division major prerequisites may already be filling up by the time your window opens. Go in with a primary plan and two or three backup options for each course slot. The moment your window opens, register immediately. Do not wait.

All students attending a UC are required to have health insurance and are automatically enrolled in their UC campus plan. The cost is applied to your student billing account. If you are staying on a parent's plan that meets your campus's waiver criteria, submitting a waiver can save you several thousand dollars per year. A campus-specific waiver request along with proof of enrollment in the alternative insurance plan must be submitted to the campus by the posted deadline. 

Waiver deadlines vary by campus but generally fall in late summer before the start of fall quarter. Check your campus student health portal for the exact deadline and criteria. Late fees apply and forms are generally not accepted after the first day of instruction.

UC-required vaccines include MMR, Varicella, Tdap, MenACWY, and TB screening. 

The MenACWY requirement applies to students age 21 and younger. MenB vaccines do not satisfy this requirement. That said, doctors often recommend the Meningitis B vaccine in addition, especially for students living in residence halls. Ask your doctor about it at your next appointment. Failure to complete these requirements will impact your ability to enroll in classes. Log into your campus health portal and submit your records as soon as possible. Clearance can take one to two weeks after submission, so do not leave this for August.

Log into your campus financial aid portal and review your award package carefully. Confirm which grants, scholarships, and loans are included and whether any require additional steps before funds are disbursed. If your family's financial situation has changed since you submitted the FAFSA or CADAA, contact the financial aid office now rather than after the semester or quarter starts.

Offers of admission are provisional until the campus receives your final official transcript and verifies successful completion of all coursework required for UC eligibility. Grade drops, failed courses, and withdrawn classes are reviewed, and in serious cases, admission can be rescinded. This is not the time to coast.

May 1 — SIR deadline for first-year students

May 15 — Housing application deadline at most campuses (check your campus)

June 1 — ELWR deadline at UCLA for students who have not yet satisfied it

July 1 — Final official transcripts due; Math Placement Test deadline at UCLA

July 15 — Official AP, IB, and other test scores due

Summer — Orientation, class registration, UCSHIP waiver deadline (check your campus)

Getting into a UC is something to be proud of. You put in the work and it paid off. Now comes the part that is actually fun: planning for what is next. The steps are manageable, and they take less time than the application did. Handle them early and you will arrive on campus in fall ready to focus on everything that makes college worth it.

The hard part is behind you. Enjoy what comes next. 

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