Frequently asked questions

I’ve been accepted! What happens now?

 The department will recommend to the Graduate School that you be admitted to the program. The Graduate School and Office of Admissions will review your application for completeness. If all documents are in order, then an official acceptance letter is issued by the Admissions Office, including the I-20. This process can take 4-6 weeks. However, should a document be missing, this admission process can take additional weeks. Your letter from the Office of Admissions will have instructions on what you need to do to prepare for your trip to the University.

Where can I live? 

Apartments, graduate dorms and houses are located near campus.  Check the UO Housing website http://housing.uoregon.edu/ for information. Information about off-campus housing information can be found here: offcampushousing.uoregon.edu  The local newspaper, the Eugene Register-Guard has rental listings: marketplace.registerguard.com/homes

Am I required to attend the orientations?

We ask that all new students plan their arrival date so they can attend orientations. These events are a great way to meet other graduate students  and gather some valuable information. This includes information on health insurance, visa requirements, networking and your student bill.

The International  Student Orientation is mandatory for new international students. You can find information on the Office of International Affairs website at isss.uoregon.edu/iso.

Each Fall, the Graduate School hosts several orientation events to supplement the department’s orientation.  You can find more information on the orientations at gradschool.uoregon.edu/orientation.

How do I register for classes once I’m admitted?

Students should meet with their advisor before registering for classes. Students register for classes via DuckWeb.  They may either enter the CRNs of the courses directly, or may use the “Search for Open Classes” feature in DuckWeb to browse for and add classes.

How do I change the number of credits or the grade option for a course?

When students register for a course that is offered for variable credit, DuckWeb automatically selects the lowest credit. Students should have instructor and/or departmental approval before changing variable credits. Change variable credits in DuckWeb (from “Student Menu,” go to “Registration Menu” -> “Change Variable Credit/Grading Option”). A link to this option also appears at the bottom of many of the DuckWeb registration screens. When variable credits are reduced, tuition refunds meet the same criteria as dropped courses. Students may owe partial tuition if credits are reduced after the 100% tuition refund period ends.

Courses are offered as Graded only, Pass/No Pass only, or Optional Grading. DuckWeb automatically selects the graded option on courses with Optional Grading. Students who want to take a course Pass/No Pass need to change the course once they are registered in the course. They should meet with their advisor before registering. Some courses require that majors take the course for a grade while allowing non-majors a choice of grading options. It is the responsibility of the student to register for the appropriate major grading option requirement.

I tried to register for the course but the class is full.  What do I do?

If no seats are available, students may add themselves to a waitlist if one is available (see How to Use Wait-listing on DuckWeb). If the course does not have a waitlist, the student needs to contact the instructor or department for permission to add the class. The instructor needs to give the department authorization for the student to register. This can be done by an email from the instructor to the department or by the instructor signing an authorization form. Students are not officially registered in the class until they have processed their registration. Instructors and departmental staff cannot register students in classes.  If the class is closed, students need to add the class by entering the CRN at the bottom of the Add/Drop screen in DuckWeb.

It’s past the deadline to register, what do I do?

Students who do not register prior to the deadline are required to petition the Academic Requirements Committee for an exception to policy. Petitions may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar, 220 Oregon Hall. A late registration fee will apply.