Scheduling Policies

Creating the academic course schedule is a shared responsibility that requires cooperation among the campus academic units and the Office of the University Registrar to ensure proper and efficient use of classroom space. The academic scheduling policies are designed to allocate general assignment classroom space equitably among departments, maximize classroom utilization, facilitate the scheduling process, and balance the many and varied needs of students and instructors.

The full text of the academic scheduling policies is available here. Please see below for additional information on the academic scheduling policies.

A. General Assignment Classrooms

Policy

The Office of the University Registrar is responsible for the assignment of GA classroom space for all regularly scheduled instruction.

The Office of the University Registrar manages 149 General Assignment Classrooms that are used to schedule regular classes, class-related activities, and other events.

B. Scheduling outside of Prime Time

Policy

Departments must schedule a minimum of their courses utilizing GA classrooms outside of Prime Time. This percentage will be published on the OUR’s website and reviewed annually for change, if necessary.

This policy addresses limited classroom availability during prime-time hours and helps reduce the manual effort and time needed to place unassigned classes. Departments must schedule a minimum percentage of their classes utilizing GA rooms outside Prime Time each term. The required percentage for scheduling each regular term in the next academic year is shown below. This figure reflects the campus current GA classroom capacity. For example, at present, approximately 35% of all sections in GA classrooms are scheduled outside of Prime Time every term due to a lack of sufficient classroom space. This percentage will be reviewed every year considering the prior Fall, Winter, and Spring terms, and, if needed, adjusted for the following academic year.

Academic Year	Percentage Scheduled outside of Prime Time
2026-2027	35%

Prime Time

Prime Time refers to the periods of highest demand for classroom space. At UC Davis, Prime Time has been approved by the Academic Senate as:

Monday—Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

A class is considered to be in Prime Time if it begins during these hours. Classes that start outside of Prime Time but end during it are not counted as in Prime Time.

Prime Time Percentage Calculation

The prime-time percentage is calculated by dividing the number of sections requested to be placed in GA classrooms in Prime Time by the total number of GA classroom sections requested by a department and multiplying by 100:

This percentage is calculated by subject code. Departments offering multiple subject codes must meet the 35% out-of-prime-time requirement for each subject code individually.

The calculation is performed on the initial schedule submission during the Maintenance phase of the scheduling process. Schedules that do not comply with the policy are returned to departments for revision and resubmission.

Important Considerations

Only sections requiring a General Assignment classroom are included in the prime-time calculation.
Subject codes with fewer than 10 sections scheduled in a term are exempt from this requirement.
Sections held in departmental spaces, off-campus locations, online formats (e.g. online lectures/discussions), or those not requiring a physical room are excluded.
For courses with multiple learning activities (e.g. combined lectures and discussions), each activity counts as a separate section. Example: A course with 1 combined lecture and 4 discussion sections counts as 5 sections.
For hybrid courses (with a "Y" suffix), only the in-person component is included in the calculation.
If two hybrid courses can be scheduled as a pair (e.g., one on Tuesday and one on Thursday at the same time), they count as one section. Example: A Tuesday 10:00—11:30 a.m. hybrid course paired with a Thursday course at the same time counts as one section.

The prime-time percentage calculation only applies to regular terms (Fall, Winter, Spring)

Example

Below is a simplified example that shows how sections are counted and how the prime-time percentage is calculated for the example subject code SUB

Course/Section	Requested Schedule	Location	Prime Time sections	Explanation
SUB 001-001	MW 8:00 – 10:00	GA room	0	Starts outside of Prime Time. Not included.
SUB 003-001	MWF 9:00 – 9:50	GA room	1	In Prime Time. Included.
SUB 001Y-001	In-Person Lecture: T 1:00 – 2:30 Online Discussion: F 10:00-11:00	GA room and Online	1	In-person lecture in Prime Time. Included.
SUB 001Y-002	In-person Lecture: R 1:00 – 2:30 Online: F 11:00-12:00	GA room and Online	0	In-person lecture paired with SUB 001Y-001 section. Not included.
SUB 031-A%	Lecture: MWF 10:00- 10:50 Discussion A01: T 5:00 -5:50 Discussion A02: M 9:00-9:50 Discussion A03: F: 2:00-2:50 Discussion A04: W: 3:00-3:50	GA room for lecture and discussion	3	5 sections total: (1 lecture + 4 discussions): Lecture: In Prime Time. Included A01 Disc: Outside of Prime Time. Not Included A02 Disc: In Prime Time. Included A03: Outside of Prime Time. Not Included A04: In Prime Time. Included
SUB 101 001	Lecture TR 10:00-11:30 Lab A01 W 13:00-14:00 Lab A02 W 14:00-15:00	GA room for lecture and Department space for lab	1	3 sections total (1 lecture + 2 labs) Lecture in Prime Time. Included A01 Lab: In Dept space. Not included A02 Lab: In Dept space. Not included
SUB 198 003	M 3:00-5:00	Instructor’s Office	0	Department space. Not included
SUB 043V 010	Online Lecture: F 9:00- 11:00 Online Discussion: M 3:00-3:50	Online	0	Online. Not included
Total # of sections requesting GA room			10
Total # of GA sections in prime time			6
Total % of sections in prime time (6/10 x 100)			60%	% in Prime Time is less than 65%
Schedule Accepted!

C. Standard Meeting Time Patterns

Policy

Courses offered during Prime Time in GA classrooms must follow the schedules listed on the Office of the University Registrar website.
Courses must be distributed throughout the day and the week.
Courses requiring non-standard times must be scheduled outside of Prime Time or in departmental rooms

Classes requesting General Assignment Classrooms must be scheduled in standard meeting time blocks to minimize unused time and optimize classroom utilization. Classes in non-standard time blocks should be scheduled in departmental spaces. If a departmental room is not available, a General Assignment room may be requested outside of Prime Time.

At UC Davis, morning classes must begin on the hour or half-hour and end ten minutes before the hour or half-hour. Noon, afternoon, and evening classes must begin ten minutes after the hour or half-hour and end on the hour or half-hour. This allows students and instructors to travel from one class to the next and instructors to set up for the next class to begin on time.

See standard meeting times here.

See standard times for Summer here.

D. Scheduling Priorities

Policy

GA Classrooms are scheduled for instruction and prioritized in the following order:

Classes taught by instructors with an accommodation approved by Disability Management Services (DMS). See PPSM 81, Reasonable Accommodation.
Large courses and courses with priority scheduling.
Courses that follow standard time patterns.

Instructors requiring an accommodation should work directly with DMS. To request accommodations, aids, or auxiliary services, please contact Disability Management Services (DMS) at 530-752-6019, or by email.

E. Schedule Submission, Changes, and Cancellations

Policy

Departments must submit a complete schedule by the Maintenance deadline.
The last day for schedule changes is the final day of Pass 2 Open Registration.
After this date, changes are only allowed for extenuating circumstances, subject to classroom availability, and are not guaranteed.
Undergraduate schedule changes or cancellations after registration require appropriate college or school approval.
The Associate Dean (or designee) approves requests to cancel class sections with enrollment.

Schedules submitted after the Maintenance deadline are assigned a classroom after all other sections are placed. Partial or incomplete schedule submissions will be returned and will be assigned classrooms after all other sections are placed.

After classroom placements have been completed, the OUR informs departments via email so they may review their placements. Departments may request a different classroom on a space-available basis through the Course Scheduling Form (CLSS) or through email at [email protected] up until the end of the third week of instruction.

If another classroom is not available, the department may swap an assigned room with a different class within the same department or college. Only the exact combination of room, day, and time can be swapped. Any changes to the day, time, or enrollment cap requires that a new room request be submitted to the OUR.

The OUR notifies students via email when a class schedule or room is changed or when a class is cancelled. The department must inform instructors and work with impacted students.

The OUR notifies the instructors of record (primary instructor) scheduled in general assignment classrooms of their classroom assignment by email six weeks prior to the start of the term.

F. Classroom Capacity and Enrollment

Policy

Occupancy must never exceed the published classroom capacity as specified on the Office of the University Registrar’s website.
Courses must have projected or actual enrollment that fills at least 80% of the assigned GA classroom’s capacity. Class sections with small enrollments (12 or fewer students) are exempt from this policy.

Departments are responsible for ensuring compliance with the UC Policy on Minimum Class Size. The OUR will provide departments with a report of courses falling below the minimum enrollment threshold by the first day of instruction. Any exceptions must be approved by the department and/or the appropriate college or school authority.

Classrooms are assigned to best align room capacity with actual enrollment. A classroom may be reassigned if enrollment falls below 80% of room capacity. When evaluating room needs, enrollment data from up to three comparable past terms will be reviewed (if available). Any significant increases in projected enrollment must be justified during the Maintenance phase to be considered for a larger room.

GA classrooms assigned to classes with zero enrollment will be returned to the OUR for reassignment one week before the start of instruction.

Departments must not overenroll sections with the expectation that some students will drop or that a larger room will become available. One week before instruction begins, the OUR will provide a list of overenrolled courses so departments can adjust enrollments. If necessary, the OUR may drop students to ensure class sizes do not exceed room capacity.

G. Enrollment Restrictions

Policy

Must be listed in the general catalog
Additional restrictions for undergraduate courses require Council of Associate Deans approval.

Enrollment restrictions will be coded before registration for a term begins and will include a text in each section describing the enrollment restriction, which will appear in the Class Search Tool/Schedule Builder.

H. Special Requests

Policy

Special classroom and schedule requests must be submitted with the full schedule by the Maintenance deadline.
Requests are considered but are not guaranteed, except for DMS accommodations.

Special requests such as specific classrooms, classrooms with specific characteristics and equipment, specific schedules, back-to-back scheduling, space for non-student attendees, etc. must be submitted during the Maintenance phase through the Course Scheduling Form (CLSS). Special requests submitted after the Maintenance phase deadline will be accepted but are not guaranteed except when the request addresses documented accommodation with DMS.

Requests for additional classroom space for instructional activities related to a regularly scheduled class, such as review sessions, make-up classes, special lectures, midterm examinations requiring additional classrooms, optional quiz sections, and academic tutoring, should be submitted via the Classroom Reservations Form at least three working days in advance.

Non-academic events or academic events that are not part of a regularly scheduled class must be scheduled through Conference and Events Services.

I. Location

Policy

All in-person courses must have a designated location in the Student Information System.

Departments scheduling classes in departmental spaces must provide this information during the Maintenance Phase.

The OUR will provide departments with a report of classes with an in-person schedule and enrollment without a location designation in the Student Information System by the first day of instruction.

J. Class Meeting Hours

Policy

Scheduled class meetings must match the “In Classroom Hours/Week or Session” as approved by the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) in the course form in the Integrated Curriculum Management System (ICMS).

Departments and instructors are not allowed to schedule more hours or fewer hours, or different learning activities than those approved and specified in ICMS for the course. If a change needs to be made to the course form, please contact the ICMS team.

If additional classroom space is needed for additional optional class-related activities, such as review sessions, extra tutoring, and optional discussions, the space should be requested as a classroom reservation.

K. Specialized Needs

Policy

Undergraduate courses with recurring specialized classroom or scheduling needs require Office of the University Registrar approval for priority scheduling.

Requests for priority scheduling must be submitted via email before the start of the fall quarter. Each request should include the requested location(s) or preferred location options, a detailed justification for the priority supported by data (if available), and confirmation that the request follows standard meeting time patterns and meets the 80% classroom fill rate. If an exception is needed, it should be clearly stated in the request.

The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) and the Council of Associate Deans (CAD) review all existing priority agreements and new requests during the fall term. Approved requests take effect the following fall. Colleges and schools are responsible for communicating approved priority agreements to their departments.

L. Instructor Assignment

Policy

All course sections with enrollment must have a primary instructor assigned before the first day of instruction.

Departments are responsible for including in the schedule the name of the primary instructor before the start of the term to ensure that official reporting is accurate and that the instructor of record can enter final grades for the class. The OUR will send a report one week prior to the start of instruction to each college with the classes that do not have a primary instructor noted in the schedule.

UC Davis rolls the full schedule of classes from term to term. All sections are rolled to the new term even if they have not been used. To keep the schedule data accurate and make efficient use of sections, departments must remove sections whose instructors have retired or for which enrollment has not occurred over several terms. To assist with maintaining a less cluttered schedule, the OUR will delete course sections that have not had enrollment for three years. Schedulers can add back a course section to the schedule when enrollment is anticipated during the Maintenance phase.

M. Exams

Policy

Midterms and finals follow Davis Division Regulation 538.
Final exam day/times are based on the Primary Course Activity, except for Common Finals. The final exam schedule is published on the Office of the University Registrar website.

Final examinations are held in the same classroom in which the primary course activity is scheduled.

The days and times of final examinations for undergraduate courses are listed in the Class Search Tool/Schedule Builder by the first day of registration.

Classes may request additional classroom space for final examinations by the seventh week of instruction using the Classroom Reservations Form. Additional classrooms are assigned on a space-available basis. Should an instructor’s final exam classroom assignment differ from the one in which the instructor taught the course, the OUR notifies the department and instructors directly by the seventh week of instruction.

Classes may request additional classrooms for midterm examinations after the second week of instruction using the Classroom Reservations Form. Additional classrooms are assigned on a space-available basis.

N. Departmental Room Use

Policy

A room controlled by a department or unit with designated authority from its college, school or division.
With prior agreement from the department chair, unit head, or designee, the Office of the University Registrar may schedule classes in departmental rooms.

Departments are encouraged to offer unused or excess department classroom space to help with the shortage of general assignment classroom space. If a department is interested in allowing the campus to use a department space for campus classes, please contact us.

O. Scheduling Conflicts

Policy

When scheduling conflicts occur, priority is given to the course section with the highest seat utilization based on current projections and enrollment data for the last three terms the course was offered.
The Associate Vice-Provost—Student Success has final authority to resolve scheduling conflicts.

Scheduling conflicts not resolved by the OUR in consultation and the Associate Dean(s), are turned to the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success for final resolution.