Navigating the UCLA Class Planner: A Comprehensive Guide to Degree Planning and Enrollment

Planning your academic journey at UCLA can feel like navigating a complex maze. With a multitude of courses, intricate degree requirements, and the ever-present question of "What should I take next quarter?", students often find themselves overwhelmed. Fortunately, UCLA provides a suite of resources, including the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) and the MyUCLA Class Planner, to help students effectively plan their degrees and enroll in courses. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to utilizing these tools and understanding the various aspects of class planning at UCLA.

Understanding Your Degree Requirements with DARS

The Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) is a dynamic platform designed to help students track and plan the degree requirements necessary for graduation. Think of DARS as a personalized counselor available 24/7. Here's how to use it:

Access MyUCLA: Log in to your MyUCLA account.
Run Audit: Find and click on "Run Audit".
Start a New DARS: Select "Run Selected Program" to initiate a new audit. If you've recently run an audit, you can select "View" next to it, provided the information is current.
Choose School/College: Use the dropdown menu to select the appropriate school or college. Most majors fall under the College of Letters and Science.
Add Major: A red "Add Required" button will appear next to "Major." Click it and select your major.
Add Additional Programs (Optional): DARS allows you to add a second major, a minor, or a specialization. If you're considering these options, add them to see their requirements.
Run Audit: Click the "Run Audit" button at the bottom of the page and wait for it to process.

Interpreting Your DARS Report

Once the audit is complete, you'll see a detailed report outlining your progress toward your degree. Here are key sections to review:

Articulation Status: Check if your IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Contract) is reflected. If it's pending, check again later in the quarter. If it's missing, contact your academic counselor.
Advanced Standing Credit: Verify that you're receiving credit for qualifying exam results (e.g., AP, IB) and transferable college courses taken elsewhere.
Preparation for the Major / Major Requirements: This section lists all the courses needed to fulfill your major's preparation and requirements.

Troubleshooting DARS Issues

Incorrect Major/Minor: Run a new audit with the correct major/minor inputs.
IGETC Not Completed: If you're a transfer student and certain you've completed IGETC/UC Reciprocity, don't worry if it initially shows as incomplete. The system may need time to process records. Check again mid-quarter.
Missing AP/IB Exam or Transfer Course Credit:
1. Ensure that you/your school officially sent the exam results and transcripts to UCLA Admission. Check your DARS later to confirm receipt.
2. If you've sent everything, contact UCLA Admission to confirm. The exam results may not count, or the college course(s) may not be transferable.
Course Not Fulfilling Requirement: Consult your counselor or departmental counselor. They may need to translate the credit manually or require you to fill out a petition. Requirements can also be major-dependent.

Utilizing DARS for Planning

Run your DARS periodically to ensure you're on track. Meeting with your departmental counselor at the end of each quarter to review your DARS, ask questions, and prioritize courses for the upcoming quarter is highly recommended.

Navigating the MyUCLA Class Planner

The UCLA class schedule, also known as the UCLA class planner, is where UCLA students plan for and enroll in their UCLA classes. UCLA operates via quarter system, meaning students change classes three times in a school year, excluding summer sessions. Therefore, this page is very important for planning a UCLA class schedule, as it allows students to visualize their quarter, track how many open spots are left in classes prior to enrollment, plan for future quarter schedules and more.

Read also: Effective Class Scheduling

Accessing the Class Planner

To access the class planner on MyUCLA.edu, click the “CLASSES” tab at the top of the page, find the “Plan and Enroll” heading in the classes dropdown menu and select “Class Planner.” The class planner is organized by term at the top of the webpage, the weekly schedule below, a search tab for classes to add to the plan and the class plan itself. Once a student searches for a class, it will appear in the weekly schedule for that particular term.

Key Components of the Class Planner

Term Selection: Choose the quarter you're planning for (Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer).
Weekly Schedule: A visual representation of your planned classes, allowing you to see time conflicts and plan your day.
Search Tab: Use this to find courses by department, course number, instructor, or keywords.
Class Plan: A list of the courses you've added to your plan.

Using the Schedule of Classes

The Schedule of Classes is an online search tool to help students look for courses offered in a particular quarter by selecting a term and a specific search criterion. Search criteria include subject area, instructor, online classes and much more. Thereafter, a student uses the UCLA Class Planner to add a particular class and access enrollment options.

Enrollment Strategies

Students are responsible for keeping track of their enrollment passes and enrolling in courses in a timely manner during their assigned First and Second enrollment passes. Missing your enrollment time and needing to enroll later in the enrollment cycle can lower your chances or securing spots in required and desired courses.

Enrollment Passes

Pay close attention to your assigned enrollment passes. Enrolling during your assigned time is crucial for securing spots in desired courses.

Adjusting Your Schedule

While you may need to adjust your schedule at the beginning of quarter, the LATEST you should be making major changes to your Study List is Friday of Week 2. Joining a class after Week 2 can impact your success in the course and dropping a course after Week 2 may require a petition.

Read also: Navigating College History Class

Quarterly Unit Requirements

In order to maintain timely degree progress, School of Music students are required to enroll in a minimum of 14 units each academic quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring). Students who enroll in less than 14 units a quarter, and are not approved as a part-time or reduced course load student, could be at risk of Academic Difficulty due to not meeting minimum unit progress.

School of Music students are able to enroll in a maximum of 20 units during Fall, Winter, and Spring and a maximum of 16 units during Summer Sessions. In order to request to enroll in more than 20 or 16 units, respectively, please submit a Unit Increase Petition.

PTE Numbers and Course Restrictions

PTE numbers are a 5 digit code that allow students to enroll in courses, if they are unable to do so due to a course restriction. These restrictions could be based on major, year, and/or course prerequisites.

PTE numbers for School of Music courses are provided by instructors only. Requesting a PTE from an instructor does not guarantee enrollment, especially if the course is restricted by major and/or is closed. If a course is restricted by “Instructor Consent”, you must receive a PTE from the instructor to enroll. After the add class deadline, submitting an Enrollment Petition is necessary to request to late add a course, even if you previously secured a PTE.

Contract Courses: Internships and Independent Study

Internship courses and independent study courses (195, 197, 199) use a contract to set forth the type and topic of study. Once you choose your course and secure a faculty supervisor, you must generate a course contract on MyUCLA. After you finish the contract, you will receive a .pdf copy.

Read also: Accessing ClassDojo as a Student

To request enrollment, you must submit your contract to the department that offers the course. Contract courses added after the last day to add classes will incur a fee.

Adding Another Degree Program

With proper planning, undergraduates may be approved to add additional degree programs during their time at UCLA.

School of Music students must establish School of Music residency before they are eligible to request to add an additional degree program.

While you cannot request to add an additional degree program until you establish residency, you can start preparing to add your additional degree program as soon as your first quarter. Note: If you are interested in changing your primary major to a program outside of the School of Music, please refer to the steps to exit the School of Music.

When you are ready to request to add your additional degree program, please take the following steps:

Review your DARS to see what is needed to complete your current major
Run a What-If DARS to see the requirements for your proposed additional degree program
Make a sample degree planner for you current program plus your proposed program(s).

Tips for Effective Class Planning

Plan Ahead: Don't wait until the last minute to plan your classes. Start early to explore options and avoid enrollment stress.
Utilize Sample Degree Planners: Undergraduate Sample Degree Planners All sample degree plans are based on a 4-year time to degree timeline. Students who matriculate as third year transfers should refer to their individual 2-year sample degree planner and reach out to their advisor if they have any questions.
Consider Course Reviews: Use online resources like Bruin Notes to view reviews for specific courses or professors. Simply search the abbreviated department name with the associated number of the class (e.g. ECON 101 or ANTHRO 1) or the professor’s name in the search bar to view reviews for a specific course or professor.
Prepare Backup Options: Have alternative courses in mind in case your first choices are full or don't fit your schedule.
Check Final Exam Schedules: Ensure that your chosen courses don't have conflicting final exam dates.
Account for Travel Time: Schedule classes with at least 15 minutes in between to allow for travel time across campus.
Attend Orientation Prepared: Transfers will be enrolling in a total of 3 classes (plus an optional university studies intro for transfers course) during orientation. 1-2 of these should be in your chosen major and at least 1 must be a course outside of your major.

Resources for New Students

New Student Advisors (NSAs): Current or recently graduated students trained to advise you with academics and serve as peer mentors.
Orientation Staff: Contact them with any dietary restrictions or other concerns.
Bruin Learn: Review the modules for information on degree planning, using DARS, and how to add a second degree program.

BruinBot: AI-Powered Course Planning

BruinBot, an AI-powered course planner, personalizes schedules based on student preferences and degree requirements to streamline the process of course scheduling. Supported by UCLA Digital & Technology Solutions (DTS) through its OpenAI pilot initiative, and developed in partnership with UCLA DGIT and the UCLA Registrar, BruinBot is reimagining how students plan their academic journey.

How BruinBot Works

The solution combines advanced algorithms and generative AI to build personalized schedules. After completing a simple onboarding form, students receive tailored options that consider:

Degree requirements
Preferred times, locations and instructors
Desired workload and balance

Students can further customize schedules through an AI assistant, asking questions in natural language (e.g., “What robotics classes can I take next year?”) or editing schedules directly by request. Integration with Google Calendar ensures schedules fit seamlessly into daily life.

Additional Resources

Ashe Student Health Center: On-campus general hospital/clinic for health services.
Bruin Pharmacy: Located in Ackerman Union, accepts UCSHIP.
U-See-LA: On-campus optometry office in Ackerman Union.
UCLA Registrar’s Office: Contact for assistance with enrollment through the Message Center.

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