Registration Instructions for Sacramento MBA

Winter 2021

START THE REGISTRATION PROCESS IN RaPS

The GSM has its own registration system. GSM students do not use SISWEB/Schedule Builder to register for classes. You will access two different systems for registration and payment.

  1. RaPS (Registration and Processing System) for registration (add/drops)
  2. MyBill for payment

On this page, you will find information regarding registration, cross registration, important dates and deadlines, core course details, grades, independent study courses, curriculum concentrations and more.

Below are the instructions for navigating the GSM registration process. Please contact your program manager directly with questions.

Important Tips for Using RaPS (Read before proceeding)

  • Registration and all GSM adds/drops/course changes are processed in RaPS (and are forwarded electronically to SISWEB). DO NOT access SISWEB directly for registration actions.
  • In RaPS Manage Schedule, required courses are pre-loaded to your schedule.  You must click Register to process the registration action in the system.  A course appearing on the schedule does not mean a student is enrolled.
  • MOBILE DEVICES: Students should not use mobile devices to process their RaPS registration or MyBill payments.
  • DROPPING CLASSES: Students cannot drop their last class. If you need to drop your last class, contact your Program Manager directly.
  • STUDENT DIRECTORY: Students will receive an automated prompt which allows them to update their directory one week prior to their registration group being open. Students must confirm the information in the directory before proceeding to registration. It is imperative that this information is up-to-date as it is used for course scheduling and planning student programming.

Registration and Processing System (RaPS) Actions

Registration Dates and Deadlines

Registration Groups:

November 16: Reg 1 (42+ units) opens

November 19: Reg 2 (18-41 completed units) opens

November 24:  Reg 3 (0-17 completed units) opens

Registration in RaPS transmits to the campus system on an hourly basis during these times:

  • Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Any registration submitted outside of these times are date/time stamped and submitted as soon as the campus system re-opens.

November 30 at 11:59 p.m.: Initial registration closes

Students not enrolling by the initial registration deadline are subject to a $125 (up to $250) registration penalty fee.

If you do not plan to enroll this quarter, you must submit your petition for the Planned Educational Leave Program by this deadline.


December 1 by 12:00 p.m.: Unit totals increase to 16 units

Unit totals are limited to 12 units through the initial registration deadline.


December 1: Cross registration requests confirmed

Students select cross registration courses at the same time they select courses at their home campus. Processing cross registration enrollment begins after initial registration closes and confirmation of enrollment emailed to student by the date above.  See detailed Cross Registration Instructions in the Cross Registration section below.

November 22: Student Bills Available on MyBill
December 16: Independent study final deadline for completed and approved course proposal

See detailed instructions in the Independent/Group Study section below.


December 10 10: SHIP Waiver Deadline

If you have your own health insurance and did not submit a SHIP waiver, you may submit a SHIP waiver by this date. More information here.


December 15: Student fee payment deadline

Students who miss the payment deadline are subject to a $125 (up to $250) registration penalty fee. Students with an outstanding balance the first week of the quarter will be dropped from courses.

Students are responsible for managing their university account and meeting the payment deadline to avoid being assessed the registration penalty fee.  Students can access their bill and pay through MyBill.

Students adding courses after the Student Fee Payment Deadline:  Any additional units added after the Fee Payment Deadline result in additional charges on a student bill.  Students are expected to pay this balance immediately.  Any student with a balance due at the start of the quarter risks being dropped from all courses.  If a student is dropped from a fully enrolled class with a wait list for non-payment, they lose their place in the course.

Financial Aid Funding for course fees: Financial aid funds will be reflected in MyBill prior to fees being due (see this link for actual date). If financial aid does not disburse as anticipated and the payment deadline is not met, the student will be assessed the $125 (up to $250) registration penalty fee.  If you have specific questions about your financial aid, please contact Graduate Financial Aid at 530-752-9246.

Deferred Payment Plan: Only students who have enrolled in the Deferred Payment Plan (DPP) through MyBill may pay on the 15th of each month in installments.  All other students are expected to pay in full by the Fee Payment Deadline or immediately upon enrolling in additional courses after the Fee Payment Deadline.

Letter of Credit (Employer Sponsorship): If your employer pays your course fees directly to UC Davis, we can accept a Letter of Credit (LOC) as interim credit for your course fees. Contact the University Student Accounting Office at 530-752-3646 to set up an account for your employer.


December 15 - 18: Registration freeze

No registration actions (add/drop) are processed during the freeze. The registration freeze goes into effect on the Student Fee Payment  deadline (see above) allowing payments to be properly applied to the student account balance.


December 18: RaPS opens for course changes

January 4: Instruction begins

January 13: Final add/drop deadline

Any registration request made after the final add/drop deadline is an exception, regardless of when the first course meeting is. If the exception is approved, you are assessed the $125 (up to $250) registration penalty fee.

NOTE: Due to the design of the courses, some instructors will not allow students to add after the first class meeting. Please contact the instructor for permission prior to adding the course.


March 15 - 20: Finals

You are expected to attend courses through the end of finals, including all final exams at their posted times.


April 2: Grades available

Course graduation requirements are available in RaPS, select the Course Advisor tab.

Registration Process

Registration in RaPS transmits to the campus system on an hourly basis (see day/time information above). Any registration requests submitted outside these times are date/time stamped and submitted as soon as the campus system re-opens.

Students are enrolled in courses based on the date/time stamp of their registration (when student clicks the Register button in RaPS). Within 24 hours of registration, students receive an automated enrollment confirmation email.  If a confirmation email is not received within 24 hours, return to RaPS, Manage Schedule and check your status in the Enrollment Status column. Click on the word in that column for additional information on your current status.

As reminder, all GSM registration activity (add/drop) must be done directly in RaPS, not SISWEB.  By entering registration changes directly into SISWEB, students will automatically trigger a registration freeze on their account. Be advised that it may take up to 72 hours to resolve the conflict created by this freeze in both systems.

1. Login

Use your UC Davis Login ID and Kerberos passphrase.

2. Student Directory

Before you can enter the registration system, you are asked to update your Student Directory information. Do not use a mobile device when accessing RaPS as it is not mobile-optimized.

If you experience difficulty in continuing to the next registration step (the directory prompt reappears), log out of RaPS and clear your browser history. Login to RaPS again and proceed to Manage Schedule.

3. Manage Schedule

Some core courses are pre-loaded in Manage Schedule. Click Register for Courses. (If Register for Courses is not clicked, registration does not process and you are not enrolled.)

Required Course for Winter 2019 Entering Students
201B Organizational Strategy and Structure

Required Courses for Fall 2020 Entering Students
200A Financial Accounting
204 Marketing Management

Acceleration Options
Fall 2020 Entering Students
Students interested in enrolling in 201B Organizational Strategy and Structure can enroll starting December 1. More info on acceleration here.  

4. UC Davis MyBill Student Bill Overview
November 22: Student bills available in MyBill
December 15: Student fee payment deadline

UC Davis assesses fees generally one month prior to the term’s payment deadline and then on a nightly basis. Fees are not assessed immediately upon enrollment.

After enrolling in courses and fees have been assessed, students can view their outstanding account balance using MyBill. MyBill account balances and activity are updated in real-time throughout the day and any payments from the Cashier’s Office are posted to the student account at 6 p.m. nightly.

Please note that the MyBill statement is a monthly statement; it is only updated on the 22nd day of each month. Students must be enrolled in courses by the GSM Initial Registration deadline to have a MyBill statement generated BEFORE the Student Fee Payment Deadline. UC Davis does not issue payment reminders.

This bill is a statement of funds owed to the university, not your student account, which will include financial aid disbursements.

Refunds are processed by the Student Accounting Office. Questions should be directed to Student Accounting.

You may also check the UC Davis Payment Information.

Adding/Dropping

Adding a Course

In RaPS, add an additional course in Manage Schedule and proceed to Add to My Schedule, then Register.

Dropping a Course

In RaPS, remove the course from Manage Schedule by clicking the red X. Within 24 hours of submitting the drop, students receive an automated confirmation email. As with registration, this drop is not instantaneous. If a confirmation email is not received, return to RaPS, Manage Schedule and check your status in the Enrollment Status column. Click on the link in that column to define your current enrollment status. The drop date is available in the Registration Dates and Deadlines section. It is your responsibility to be aware of these deadlines.

Adding/Dropping AFTER the Add/Drop Deadline

RaPS does not process add/drop requests after the add/drop deadline has passed. Any class change request after the deadline needs to be sent directly to the GSM Registrar. Any request following the add/drop deadline is considered an exception and will have to be reviewed. The $125 (up to $250) registration penalty fee applies to all requests made after the add/drop deadline.

Registration Groups

Registration groups are designated to allow students with higher unit totals (and closer to completing their degree) to enroll in courses first. Additional registration groups will follow in descending order of unit totals. All students are notified by email before registration starts the date they are opened for registration. All registration group dates are listed in the registration instructions of each program, respectively.

Group Definitions – Part-Time MBA (Sacramento and Bay Area)

Reg1 Students who have completed 42 units or more
Reg2 Students who have completed 17 –  41 units
Reg3 Students who have completed 0 – 17 units

Note: Currently enrolled units are not counted as “completed” units.

If a student in Reg1 fails to register before Reg2 starts registration, they do not receive any “priority” status. All enrollments are based on the date stamp of registration in RaPS.

As always, if a student requires a particular class or section, we encourage you to register on the first day your registration group is open for the best chance at getting their choice.  Be aware this strategy does not work in every instance based on demand.

Registration Penalty Fee

A registration penalty fee of $125 (up to $250) applies if:

  • You request to add and/or drop a course after the final add/drop deadline (regardless of the date the class starts or ends).

The registration penalty fee can be waived if medical documentation (including dates) is submitted indicating a student’s inability to meet the deadline(s).

Enrollment Adjustments, Including Waitlists

Wait Lists

When a class is fully enrolled, RaPS immediately starts a wait list.

A student will be automatically enrolled in the course  if (when) space becomes available.   Your place on the wait list is based on the date/time stamp of your registration. If a place in the class is not available as of the first class meeting, you can drop the course. The wait list ends officially on the last day to add/drop for the quarter (regardless of when the first class meeting is).

Class Attendance if Wait Listed

A wait listed student may attend the first class meeting and inform the instructor of their wait listed status.  If there is a seat in the classroom, it would be at the instructor’s discretion to allow the student to remain for the first class meeting.  A wait listed student should not take a seat from a fully enrolled student if seating is limited.

The instructor cannot change your place on the wait list.

Please note that no enrollment changes are made during the initial registration period. Once initial registration closes, course enrollments and waitlists are reviewed by the GSM Associate Dean, GSM Academic Operations Staff, and the GSM Registrar.

That review is guided by set GSM course enrollment guidelines. For elective courses, the maximum enrollments are based on the number of seats in the assigned classroom or a maximum of 60, whichever is lower of the two. Faculty members may also set a lower enrollment cap for their class based on pedagogical reasons. Within a week of initial registration closing, any adjustments that can be made (e.g. changing room assignments) will be done in an effort to move as many students into their preferred courses as possible. Enrollment adjustments are made once. No other adjustments are made after this review unless there is an unforeseen circumstance.

Because of a variety of factors, it is not always possible to accommodate all students on the wait list. However, our goal is to provide the best educational experience for all students and every decision is made with this in mind.

NON-GSM UNITS: Adding units to RaPS schedule and the Registration Process

If a student intends to enroll in a non-GSM course, they are not listed in RaPS. To assure that RaPS and SISWEB synchronize, a student may select the non-GSM course listed in Manage Schedule for the purpose of updating the number of units needed to enroll in this non-GSM course. This is NOT a list of non-GSM courses available to MBA students, but a place holder in RaPS for enrollment to process accurately. Enter the number of units for the non-GSM course and proceed with finalizing registration.

Non-GSM units (courses taken outside the GSM at UC Davis) do not appear in the RaPS Student Advisortab listing your coursework.  The information in RaPS is limited to GSM course offerings/units/grades only.  If you have taken a non-GSM course, you will need to review information on units/grades in SISWEB.

For information on counting non-GSM units towards degree requirements, see section 7.5 of the GSM Academic Policies and Procedures.

ADDITIONAL STEP REQUIRED: As with other RaPS registration, it may take up to 24 hours for your registration to process. You will not receive an automated enrollment confirmation from RaPS for a non-GSM course. After 24 hours, your total unit count for the quarter is reflected in SISWEB, login to SISWEB and use the CRN for the non-GSM course and enroll yourself. If you attempt to enroll in SISWEB prior to RaPS submitting your unit total to SISWEB, you will receive an error message: Maximum Units Exceeded, which will prevent you from adding the non-GSM course.

By-passing RaPS entirely and enrolling in SISWEB directly will prevent a student from enrolling in any MBA courses for the quarter. See Registration Process for additional information.

Student Directory

A review/update is required each quarter prior to registration. A few students have experienced difficulty with the Directory feature. If you have updated the Directory for the quarter and the system asks that you update it again rather than allowing to enter RaPS, delete your browser history and login to RaPS again. This allows you to proceed with registration.

Cross Registration

Cross Registration Overview 

Students may select cross registration courses during the initial registration period.

In RaPS, select courses in Manage Schedule and Register for Courses. Cross registration does not process until after the initial registration period closes.

Cross Registration Dates and Deadlines

  • November 30: Initial registration closes
  • December 1: Cross registration processes

NOTE: Home location students receive priority and when initial registration closes, there must be a space available in the course.

Cross Registration Policies and Procedures

See GSM Policies and Procedures, Section 2.6.5:  All students can take up to a total of 15 units of cross registration course during their matriculation at the GSM. Not all courses are taught in all locations and students are advised to make cross registration requests judiciously with this in mind.

Cross Registration Procedures

MBA students can request cross-registration in courses at other GSM campuses under these guidelines:

Full-Time MBA Courses

If you would like to take a course in Davis, there is no additional fee.

Bay Area MBA Courses

If you would like to take a course in the Bay Area (San Ramon), there is an additional fee of $100/unit. (or $300 for 3 units). This course fee differential covers meals, refreshments, parking, and other higher fixed costs for each course in the Bay Area MBA program.

Order books using the online textbook form. Allow 5 to 7 business days to receive your books from the time you submit the form. If you have questions or concerns please contact Sergio Esquerre, Bay Area Instructional & Operations Manager.

The course fee differential will be applied to your student bill one week prior to the student fee payment deadline.

Administrative Process

Cross Registration is processed through RaPS after the close of initial registration. As with all registration, cross registration enrollments are prioritized based on the date/time stamp of a student's registration.

After initial registration closes, cross registration processing begins. Within 24 hours, once it has been verified that space is available in the course, you will receive an automated enrollment confirmation email.

What to Expect After You Are Enrolled

Full-Time MBA Program Course Information

Textbooks, parking, meals and other costs are your responsibility. Textbooks are available through the UC Davis Bookstore online ordering system here.

Allow 5-7 business days from the time you are enrolled for the GSM Office of Project and Instructional Resources to provide password access to textpaks.

Directions to UC Davis Gallagher Hall

Information returned from the instructor will be available at the Project and Instructional Resources Office GH-2209.  Students only have mail boxes at their home program.

Bay Area Program Information

Returned assignments will be available at the Bishop Ranch front desk. Students will only have a mailbox at their home campus.

Bishop Ranch Directions and Parking

There is no cost for parking at Bishop Ranch 15, and a permit is not required.

Bishop Ranch Access Cards

Bishop Ranch 15 (building 12647) requires an access card for entrance to the suite. Students, faculty and staff are allowed access via their access cards 24/7. Sacramento students can use their access card for Gallagher Hall, also called the Aggie Card. If you experience issues or need a replacement card, please contact Sergio Esquerre at the Bishop Ranch 15 reception area.

Additional Resources

GSM Academic Calendar (including Holidays)

The current calendar is available in RaPS. Go to RaPS, login & select Academic Calendar tab

Courses, Numbering and Concentrations

For a current listing of courses offered, use RaPS.

Curriculum Structure / Acceleration Options

2 year curriculum and 3 year curriculum course outlines

Contact your program manager if any questions.

Courses and Concentrations

If you have questions about an individual course, please check the course syllabus and/or contact the instructor directly.

If you have questions about the applicability of a certain course to your goals, please contact MBA Academic Advisor, Professor Joe Chen.

View course concentrations here.

Course Numbering
COURSES NUMBERED 29* AND 49*

In the 290 series (291, 292, etc.), courses appear as “Topics in….” with a subject listed (Marketing, Finance, etc.).

In the 490 series, courses appear as “Dir Grp Mgmt Prac” (Directed Group Management Practicum).

Independent/Group Study, Enrollment and Grade Info

INDEPENDENT or GROUP STUDY (298, 299, 498, 499 Courses)
Complete the Independent Study Form, have the sponsoring faculty member and the GSM Graduate Advisor sign it and submit it at least three weeks prior to the start of the quarter. We must request a CRN from the Office of the University Registrar which will take several days to receive.

Group study students need to submit all forms as one packet complete with all signatures for the entire group. Do not submit forms individually for a group study project. Reference the Registration Instructions for the deadline.

These course titles appear as “Directed Independent Study” or “Directed Group Study.”

  • Enrollment
    • Not Enrolling this Quarter - Filing Non-Registration Forms
    • Enrolling in Fewer than 6 Units - What you need to know
  • Grades
    • Availability
    • Grade and Registration Letter for Reimbursement
    • Grade Change and Incomplete Change Timeline

Refunds, SISWEB, Canvas, Tax Information