The following principles have been adopted by the Council on Educational Policy (CEP).
- Students making normal progress according to campuswide criteria (defined by Irvine Academic Senate Regulation A385 and 390) should be able to pursue a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree.
- Change of major criteria should be such that students can satisfy them within one calendar year.
- Unless otherwise indicated, the change of major criteria cited here apply to students with 120 units or less. The 120 unit limit excludes AP credits and other units earned prior to high school graduation.
- Students with more than 120 units and double or triple majors should expect to be held to different criteria and may be denied entry into a major program whose completion would require either the accumulation of excessive units or enrollment for an excessive number of quarters.
- Students who have completed fewer than 72 course units may change majors regardless of cumulative GPA, provided they meet all other change-of-major criteria for the major. This waiver does not apply to majors that have set cumulative GPA requirements higher than 2.0.
- In admission to the major, instances of academic dishonesty may be taken into consideration.
- The criteria approved by CEP are those that allow for automatic acceptance into the major. Academic units may also accept appeals for students not meeting full qualification.
- It is appropriate for a student to be held to a specific course of study directed towards timely completion of the degree as a condition for acceptance into a new major.
- Any student who completes the coursework required for a major should be admitted to the major and given the degree.
- If a major is not listed in these tables, students may assume that no special criteria for a change of major into it are in effect.
- Academic units should respond promptly to students’ requests for changing major at any time during the year.
- Academic units have two opportunities a year to request that CEP modify the change of major criteria: 1) the first day of instruction of fall quarter, and 2) the first day of instruction of spring quarter.
- Academic units should send their requests for change of major criteria directly to CEP. Before responding to the request, CEP will invite comments from the Enrollment Council, other academic units, and the Dean of the Division of Undergraduate Education. CEP will notify the academic units and update the Change of Major website when the new criteria have been approved.
- In order to ensure that currently enrolled students who are working toward a change of major can plan appropriately, such students may not be held to approved change of major criteria for a period of one calendar year after the new criteria have gone into effect. Continuing students may, however, choose to have their change of major determined by currently approved criteria if they prefer.
- If a GPA higher than 2.00 is established for specifically designated courses, at least three courses must be in the set.
- Courses restricted to majors cannot be used to qualify non-majors for admission to the major.
- Change of major criteria for matriculated students may not be more restrictive than criteria used for admitting transfer students to the major.
- CEP will not accept arguments by academic units to restrict the numbers of majors by setting higher standards for acceptance based on insufficient counseling staff. Associate Deans are urged to request the needed funding from their Deans.
For more information on how to change your major, see the Registrar’s web site at http://www.reg.uci.edu.