Grad Policies: Filing Fee
Filing Fee is a reduced fee (one-half of the University Registration fee) for graduate students who have completed all requirements for the degree except for filing the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation and are advanced to candidacy. The Filing Fee is not a form of registration or equivalent to registration. If students wish to use University services that are supported by registration fees, such as health insurance fees, they must pay those fees. Students that may need insurance coverage while on filing fee should make alternate plans for their coverage. A common option is the SHIP for Non-Registered Students. Students purchasing other insurance must do so before the end of the SHIP insurance period (July 31 or December 31) to avoid any lapse in coverage.
Duration of the Filing Fee:
The Filing Fee will apply for the length of the semester for which Filing Fee status has been approved, up to the last working day of the term, which is the deadline for filing a thesis or dissertation. These dates vary from year to year, but are approximately December 20 and May 15 of each year.
Eligibility requirements for the Filing Fee:
To use the Filing Fee in a fall semester, the student must have been registered in the previous spring or summer. To use the Filing Fee in spring, the student must have been registered in the previous fall. Filing Fee status is not available for Summer Sessions. However, students are permitted to file a thesis or dissertation while registered for Summer Sessions.
How to apply for the Filing Fee:
Students should submit the Filing Fee Application before the start of the semester they wish to file and graduate. The application must be submitted through Calcentral under “My Dashboard”. On the right hand side for “Student Resources”, students will see an option to “Submit a Form”. Please choose “Special Enrollment Petition” and then “Filing Fee Status”. The Filing Fee charge will appear in Calcentral.
Limitations on Filing Fee status:
The Filing Fee may be used only once during a student’s career. If a student does not complete the final degree requirements (filing the dissertation or thesis, or passing the final comprehensive exam) during the semester for which the Filing Fee is approved, the student must pay regular registration fees during the semester in which the requirements are completed.
Filing Fee status and academic student appointments:
Students with academic appointments are not eligible for Filing Fee status and must be fully registered and enrolled in at least 12 units to hold an appointment.
Filing Fee status and international students:
To avoid visa problems with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, international students must contact the Berkeley International Office well before the beginning of the semester during which they will use the Filing Fee. Filing fee status can satisfy the registration requirement for international students only if the student has obtained approval from a BIO student adviser.
Health insurance for students on Filing Fee or Withdrawal status:
U.S. resident students on approved Filing Fee or Withdrawal status may purchase the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) coverage. Coverage is from January 1 to July 31 for the spring semester, and August 1 to December 31 for the fall semester. More information is available on the University Health Services site, SHIP for Non-Registered Students.
For more information, please refer to the Graduate Division website.