Guide: Preparing to Book Courses - Main Campus

A booking window is the specific period of time when you're scheduled to book your courses for the upcoming quarter. You won't be able to book before your window opens.

For undergraduate students, your booking window is determined by a combination of your total units passed and total quarters completed — so your window may open at a different time than other students'. 

🎓 Graduate Students: All graduate students share the same booking window, which opens on the first day of enrollment and runs through the Add Deadline.

How do Booking Windows work?

UCSD uses a two-pass system for undergraduate students. Most undergraduate students have two separate windows during which they can book courses:

• First Pass: Your initial booking period. This is typically when you can book your priority courses. You can add, drop, or change courses as needed during this period.
• Second Pass: A second window that opens later. This is when waitlists open. You can add, drop, change, or waitlist for courses during this period.

If you don’t book during First Pass, you’ll need to wait until your Second Pass appointment.

NOTE: Booking doesn't end after Second Pass. Rather, it continues through the Add Deadline.

If you need to add a course after the Add Deadline, you must submit a request through Triton Enrollment Authorization (TEA). TEA approval is not guaranteed.

Finding your Booking Window

Your booking window dates and times are available in TSS through the Appointment Times app. To find your booking window:

1. Log in to TSS and go to your student home page.
2. Select the My Appointment Times tile.
3. Select the desired Academic Year and Academic Session (term) from the dropdown menus.
4. Your booking windows will appear on screen, showing the First Pass, Second Pass, and Pre Pass appointment times.

Reading your Appointment Times

Each window shows:

• Opens/Closes—the exact dates and times your window is active.
• Unit Cap—the maximum units you can book/enroll in, including waitlisted courses, during that window.
• Waitlists—describes whether you can join waitlists during that window.
• Status— Active (green, open now), Upcoming (orange, not yet open), or Ended (red, no longer open).

If you see a red warning banner at the top of the page, you have an active hold that may affect your ability to book. See the Holds section below for how to check and resolve holds.

🎓 Graduate Students: Graduate students have a standard booking window (STD) that opens at 8 a.m. PT on the first day of the booking period and runs through the add deadline. There are no individual appointment times—all graduate students can begin booking at the same time. If you have questions about how to book, your graduate program coordinator can help.

A hold is a flag on your student record that can block you from booking or making changes in TSS. Check your holds before your booking window opens so you have time to resolve anything that could get in your way.

How do I check my holds?

You can view any active holds on your student record through the My Holds app in TSS. To check your holds:

1. Log in to TSS and go to your student home page.
2. Select the My Holds tile.
3. Your active holds will appear in a list. Each hold shows:
   • Hold Type—the category of hold (e.g., Registrar, Student Services).
   • Effective Date—when the hold becomes active (including future-dated holds).
   • Hold Description—what you need to do and who to contact.
   • Hold Prevents—what the hold is blocking (e.g., Prevents Registration).

What should I do if I have a hold?

 Each hold includes a Hold Description explaining why it was placed and, in many cases, what you need to do to resolve it. If you need help, contact the responsible office listed on the hold.

IMPORTANT: Not all holds block booking. Check the Hold Prevents field to find out whether your hold affects your ability to book courses. For resolution steps, follow the instructions on the hold or contact the listed office directly.

There are limits on how many units you can be enrolled in at each stage of the booking period, including waitlisted courses. These limits expand as the quarter approaches.

Need more than 22 units?

Starting Monday of Week 1, you can request to book above 22 units through Triton Enrollment Authorization (TEA). Requests for Unit Limit Exceptions through TEA are by approval only and are not guaranteed. See the TEA Requests section below for details.

🎓 Graduate Students: Need more than 30 units? Starting one week before the first day of instruction, you can request to book above 30 units through TEA. These Unit Limit Exception requests are reviewed by your home graduate program and aren't guaranteed. See TEA Requests below for details.

Many courses have requirements that must be met before you can book. TSS checks these automatically when you try to book — if a requirement isn’t met, your booking will be blocked.

Prerequisites

A prerequisite is a course or requirement that must be completed before you can book in a class.

A few things to know:

• Current enrollment in a prerequisite course will satisfy the requirement — but only until the grading period for that course ends. Once grades are posted, the system checks whether you've officially completed it.
• If you completed a prerequisite at another college or university and have already submitted your transcript to transfer the work, transfer equivalencies may not yet be in the system.
• If your course requires departmental approval, submit a TEA request to request access.

🎓 Graduate students: In TSS, prerequisites and restrictions apply to all graduate students. If you're blocked from a course you believe you're eligible for, submit a TEA request.

Viewing Prerequisites

Prerequisites for a course are listed on the course page in Schedule of Classes, under the Enrollment Requirements tab. To view them:

1. Log in to TSS and go to your student home page.
2. Select the Schedule of Classes tile. You may also navigate to the Schedule of Classes from the bottom bar in the Appointment Times
3. Select the Academic Year and Term, then click Go.
4. Find your desired course in the search results and select it to open the course detail panel.
5. Select the Enrollment Requirements tab on the course detail panel.
6. Your prerequisites will appear here, organized into groups. You need to satisfy one course from each group—not every course is listed.

No Enrollment Requirements tab?

If the Enrollment Requirements tab doesn’t appear, the course has no prerequisites or restrictions and is open to any eligible student.

Other Restrictions

Some courses are restricted to specific groups of students — for example, by major, college, or class level.
Restrictions appear in the same Enrollment Requirements tab as prerequisites. You can check restriction codes in the Schedule of Classes before you attempt to book by following the steps below:

1. Navigate to your desired course and click on the Course Detail panel.
2. Select the Enrollment Requirements tab.
3. Any restrictions are listed here, showing which groups of students are eligible to book.

If the system blocks you from a class you believe you’re eligible for, contact the department through the https://vac.ucsd.edu/.

For questions, visit the Virtual Advising Center (VAC)

🎓 Graduate students: In TSS, prerequisites and restrictions apply to all graduate students. If you’re blocked from a course you believe you’re eligible for, contact the department through the VAC or reach out to your graduate program.