Apply to University Honors

If you received an email invitation already to join the Honors program, the priority deadline is May 5 but applications may still be considered until June 2. Visit honors.ucr.edu/admissions for program details and reference your email invitation for full details on applying!

 International Students - Apply for your I-20 or DS-2019

Apply for your I-20 (F-1 students) - You will find the I-20 application in an email from Undergraduate Admissions. An I-20 will be issued after you have submitted your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) and have submitted your completed I-20 application form. The form may be prefilled with some of your personal information. Please check this form carefully and complete all required fields. If you are a transferring your SEVIS record from another school, your I-20 cannot be issued until the record has been successfully transferred to UCR.

Apply for your DS-2019 (J-1 students) - Please review their website for more information.

 International Students – Pay for SEVIS Fee

Pay the required SEVIS I-901 after you have received your I-20 or DS-2019. The SEVIS I-901 fee is a separate fee to be paid from the visa application and the receipt of payment is needed prior to applying for the F-1 and J-1 student visa/scheduling a visa appointment. The fee is $350 for anyone on a F-1 Visa and $220 for anyone on a J-Visa.

Who needs to pay this fee?

• If you are a new incoming student with an initial attendance I-20 or DS-2019 form you are required to pay the SEVIS fee before you apply for your visa or before you enter the United States (if a visa is not required).
• If you are a SEVIS transfer student with a transfer pending I-20 form, you do not have to pay the SEVIS fee.
• If you are changing status to F1 or J1, you will be required to pay the SEVIS fee.
• If you are out-of status and re-entering the United States with an initial attendance I-20 form, you will be required to pay the fee.
• Anyone on a F-2 or J-2 Visa does not need to pay this fee.

When do new students need to pay the SEVIS fee? They must pay at least 3 days prior to going to a U.S. embassy or consulate for a visa interview, before appearing at the Port of Entry (if you do not need a visa because you are a citizen of an exempt country), or before filing a change of status form application while in the United States.

For more information, including the processes on how to pay, visit the International Students and Scholars website. After you pay, keep a receipt of your payment confirmation that you can bring with you to any visa interviews.

 International Students – Schedule Your Visa Interview

Around April is when you’ll want to schedule your visa interview with a nearby United States Embassy or consulate. Every location has a different way to schedule appointments, so find the one nearest you and reach out to them about scheduling your interview. Your visa can be issued 120 days prior to when your academic program begins, so you may be able to do this step in later months.

 Find Your Place

Now is the time to start making connections and meeting new friends before classes begin. Lucky for you, most student organizations allow new students to attend events and meetings, even before they begin classes!

Browse HighlanderLink to learn about our 350+ student organizations and find the best way to contact them. Many of them still do virtual meetings as well, so make sure to ask about opportunities to join them!

 Military-Connected Students: Apply for the CalVet Fee Waiver!

If you’re receiving any sort of benefits or tuition assistance because you’re a dependent of a military veteran, you don’t want to forget to apply for the CalVet Fee Waiver. To learn about the requirements, forms to complete, and other details, you can visit the CalVet Website or reference their full resource guide. If you need assistance, our Veterans Resource Center assists dependents navigating these forms.

 Gather Your Immunization and Tuberculosis (TB) Requirement Records

All students are required to complete their immunization dates and submit proof of their immunization records for the UC required vaccines in their patient portal. You must answer the TB Screening questions and complete any additional TB clearance requests, if needed. Failure to comply will result in a registration health hold in R'Web on 10/21/2024. If you need assistance with immunization/TB compliance, please send a secure message in your patient portal by clicking on messages, new message, choose immunization team, create your message, send and the team will reply in your patient portal messages.  

 Upload your R’Card Photo

The UCR ID Card (R’Card) is your multi-functional campus identification card that connects you to dining plans, library resources, printing services, building access (door key), free campus events, and more. Newly SIR’d students may request their R’Card online starting June 1, 2024. This action should be completed by September 8, 2024, if living on campus, to ensure Housing’s ability to program residents’ R’Cards with meal plan and door access prior to Move-In Day.

Learn how to request your R’Card and review photo submission deadlines to ensure your R’Card is ready at Orientation. A New Card fee of $36 will appear on student accounts automatically, even if no request has been made. R’Cards not collected at Orientation may be picked up in person from the Highlander Service Station.

 Waive Health Insurance (if needed)

All UCR students are required to have health insurance coverage and are automatically enrolled in our university health insurance plan UCSHIP. If you already have comparable health insurance coverage, you can waive out of UCSHIP. Visit studenthealth.ucr.edu/waiving-ship for details.

 Military-Connected Students - Apply for Your GI Bill Benefits!

If you’re a student veteran or dependent, you may have GI Bill benefits that would likely cover many of the financial expenses of attending UCR but that’s all reliant on the right forms and processes being done. If you haven’t already, read their basic overview and then feel free to reach out to the campus Veterans Affairs School Certifying Official (VASCO) at vasco@ucr.edu with any specific questions or if you want to meet with them.

 Submit Final Financial Aid Documents

In order to receive the maximum amount of aid that you might be eligible for, it’s vital that you turn in everything that Financial Aid requests. The priority deadline to submit any supplemental information or documents to UCR is July 1.

Visit financialaid.ucr.edu for important dates and deadlines.

 Submit Official Academic Documents

Official, final high school and college transcripts are due by July 1. Official test scores including any AP (Advanced Placement), IB (International Baccalaureate), and TOEFL or IELTS scores are all due by July 15. Make sure to turn everything in on-time or risk not meeting pre-requisites for courses or even putting your enrollment in jeopardy. For help on what documents you might need and how to submit them, see our page on transcripts and test scores.

 Register for the Transfer Success Program's Transition & Success Series (July 23-Aug 20)

This summer series will run Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-1:30 p.m. from July 23 to August 20. The series will include workshop sessions to help you make a smooth transition to UCR. Students can attend in-person or virtually! This is a free program and as a participant you will:

• Engage with the campus community and learn about resources for success

• Connect with fellow transfer students

• Develop the skills that will help you prepare for success at UCR!

Register here.

Questions? Contact Jahi Vaughns at jahi.vaughns@ucr.edu.

 Attend Highlander Orientation

Highlander Orientation dates run through August for incoming transfer students. Make sure you’ve signed up and make sure you show up. Orientation is a required step to enroll at UCR, so make sure you’re not missing it. Missing your date may delay your class registration and may even jeopardize your admission. Sign up for dates and see the FAQs about Orientation at orientation.ucr.edu.

 Deadline: Submit your Statement of Legal Residency!

If you’re a resident of California and don't want to be charged out-of-state tuition, you’ll need to submit proof of residency by August 1, 2024. Once you’ve submitted your SIR, you can access the Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) on MyUCR. To learn more, visit registrar.ucr.edu.

 Log Into Your Student Health Portal

Finish completing all mandatory non-compliant immunization and TB screening/clearance items. Class registration will be held if all medical clearance requirements are not compliant so make sure you’re responding quickly to any secure messaging from the immunization team in your patient portal at chconline.ucr.edu. If you need assistance with immunization/TB compliance, please send a secure message in your patient portal by clicking on messages, new message, choose immunization team, create your message, send and the team will reply in your patient portal messages.  

 Student Veterans and Beneficiaries – Attend an Onboarding Session

In addition to the mandatory Highlander Orientation, you’ll also have a specialized onboarding hosted by the Veterans Resource Center, typically right before classes begin. This session will cover financial benefits, disability benefits, career preparation opportunities, research tips, and other topics that incoming student veterans may want to know about. This onboarding is optional but may help you get some questions answered prior to classes beginning! Contact the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) with questions!

 Get Involved!

With classes beginning soon, take the remaining time in summer to think about what you want your college experience to be.

Search HighlanderLink to see clubs and organizations that you can join. Most of them are free to join and they’d love to have you. Most also allow prospective students to attend meetings and events, so you can even get involved now if you wanted to start getting to know them and make friends before classes even begin!

You can also start looking for events that you might want to attend on our campus event calendar. You may find a concert you want to attend, an open house for one of UCR’s many Ethnic and Gender Centers, or even academic events, like lectures and research symposiums. There’s always something going on!

 Purchase Your Parking Permit

Prior to classes beginning, you'll want to purchase your parking permit for the year. This may be a commuter parking permit, if you'll be driving to campus, or a residential parking permit, if you'll be living on-campus. These become available in late August, check the Transportation and Parking Services website for updates!