Change of Major Policy

Policy Statement

Because of the impaction of the campus and its programs, Cal Poly students must declare their major at the time of application. After making this decision, some students may find that their interests and abilities lead them in a different direction. The university must then offer a transparent and timely process for students to change majors and successfully complete a degree program.

General Information

Entering students are encouraged to make careful and informed decisions about their major. All majors at Cal Poly are impacted, and it may be difficult to change majors despite students' best efforts. If students decide to change majors, doing so early in their academic career will help students make degree progress in a timely manner. This is likely to be a greater challenge for upper-division students (more than 90 quarter units completed), including transfer students, who have fewer remaining degree requirements. Furthermore, students need to be aware that not all departments can accommodate an upper-division change of major.

Policy Standards — Policy Process
 

Minimum Time at Cal Poly

Students must complete at least one quarter at Cal Poly before requesting a change of major. The major exploration process can begin in their first quarter, but no official change of major may be initiated at that time.

Basic Criteria

In determining standards for major changes, a department representative may consider the following criteria when considering students' requests:

1. Eligibility for the intended (or "target") major at the time of admission.
2. Academic record (e.g., GPA, coursework, etc.).
3. Ability to complete degree requirements in the new major in a timely manner.

If students meet the basic criteria for the intended major, an Individualized Change of Major (ICMA) may be initiated by a department representative of the intended major.

One Request Per Major

Students who enter into a change of major agreement and do not complete the agreement's requirements, either by failing to complete the terms or by opting out due to a change of plan or interest, will not be eligible to request that same major again later in their career at Cal Poly.

Academic Standing

A change of major agreement can be initiated while students are on Academic Probation (AP), if the department offering the intended major believes that the AP status is due to students being in a less suitable major and that the new major represents a viable path toward good academic standing. A change of major agreement will be void if the students are academically disqualified prior to the completion of the agreement.

Requesting a Change of Major

To begin the formal change of major process, students must log into the Change of Major portlet located on their Academics tab at my.calpoly.edu. More information is available on the Academic Advising "Change of Major" page.

Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA)

• The change of major may be approved immediately, completed within one quarter, or completed within a maximum of two quarters.
• The ICMA includes the following conditions:

1. Students cannot be required to take courses before the ICMA begins;  
2. Students cannot be required to take courses that are outside of the ICMA;
3. Students cannot be required to enroll in more than three specified courses or 12 quarter units in the new major curriculum during the ICMA process;
4. Students should balance their schedule with General Education (GE) or other courses that may apply to both majors;
5. Students' GPA requirements may include minimum GPA in courses specified in the ICMA, Term GPA, Cal Poly SLO GPA, or Higher Ed GPA.
6. Students' GPA expectation(s) established by the department representative must be attainable.

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Source:

Academic Senate Resolution: AS-817-16 "Resolution to Revise Change of Major Policy" (PDF). Approved 18 July 2016.

References:

Cal Poly Catalog: "Change of Major". 

Cal Poly Catalog: "Academic Standards". 

 

Change of Major Policy, Effective Fall 2026

 

Policy Statement

Cal Poly students must declare a major at the time of application. After making this decision, a student might later discover that their interests and skills align better with a different major. The university must make options and processes transparent for changing majors and successfully completing a degree program.

 

General Information

Entering students are encouraged to make careful and informed decisions about their majors. All majors at Cal Poly are impacted, and it may be difficult to change majors despite a student’s best efforts. If a student decides to change majors, doing so early in their academic career will facilitate timely degree progress. For upper-division students and transfer students, this process may be more difficult due to fewer remaining degree requirements. In addition, students should be aware that not all departments can accommodate an upper-division major change.

 

Policy Standards

I. Minimum Time at Cal Poly

Students will be required to complete at least one semester before determining eligibility to begin the change of major process.

 

II. Requesting a Change of Major

To begin the formal change of major process, students must submit an inquiry form to the intended major in their portal. First-time/first-year students and new transfer students may begin exploring potential majors during their first semester at Cal Poly, however, they cannot officially initiate a change of major during this period.

 

III. Basic Criteria for Eligibility for an Individualized Change of Major Agreement

Departments/programs can consider any or all the following criteria when determining students’ eligibility for a change of major:

1. Academic record including Term GPA, Cal Poly GPA, or Higher Ed GPA.
2. Ability to complete degree requirements in the new major within 150% of the program’s published length, determined from the start of the student’s undergraduate enrollment. *
3. Admissions eligibility for the proposed major.
4. Ability of the department to accommodate change of major students into a program.

Academic departments/programs must publish and clearly communicate current information about minimum eligibility criteria for a student to be considered for an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA) to change major. This includes any unique procedures or timelines set by individual department/programs.

 

IV. One ICMA per Major

A student who enters into a change of major agreement (ICMA) and does not complete the ICMA requirements, either by failing to complete the terms, or by opting out due to a change of plan/interest may not request an ICMA in that same major later in their academic career at Cal Poly.

 

V. Individualized Change of Major Agreement

At the discretion of the department/program, an ICMA may be initiated in one of the following ways:

1. A change of major can be approved immediately without further coursework.

2. A change of major can be completed at the end of a semester by creating an ICMA using courses that a student is currently enrolled in.

3. The ICMA can be created to be completed in the subsequent semester by enrolling in the courses specified on the ICMA.

Departments/programs will adhere to the following parameters when creating the Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA):

a. ICMAs will be limited to one semester in length.

b. If an ICMA is initiated and the terms are successfully completed, the student will be permitted to change their major.

c. If a department/program has determined that a student is eligible and has placed the student on an ICMA, additional eligibility criteria, that are more restrictive, cannot be applied retroactively after the ICMA has been created.

d. A student cannot be required to take courses before the ICMA is created, with the following exceptions:

    i. Courses required for academic placement in GE written communication and/or mathematics/quantitative reasoning in the proposed major.

    ii. Appropriate MATH placement eligibility necessary for major/support coursework in the proposed major (e.g. Engineering students must be eligible for MATH 1261 – Calculus 1 {formerly MATH 141}).

e. Once the ICMA has been created, a student cannot be required to take additional courses that are not listed on the ICMA.

f. An ICMA cannot require a student to enroll in more than two specified major or support courses in the proposed major. Three courses may be required in the ICMA, only if at least one course fulfills a requirement for both the current and proposed major.

g. Consideration of GPA requirements for the terms of the ICMA may include any or all the following: minimum grades in courses specified in the ICMA, Semester GPA, and/or Cal Poly SLO GPA.

h. An ICMA that has been approved and accepted by the student, can be edited, at the discretion of the department/program in response to circumstances that would constrain the ICMA from being completed in one semester. Some examples include but are not limited to, if the student cannot enroll in a course because it is at capacity, the class is not offered that semester, the class is cancelled, a scheduling conflict cannot be resolved, or a grade threshold needs to be renegotiated. Edited ICMAs will go through the approval process and accepted by the student.

 

VI. Request for Extension of an ICMA

After an ICMA is created and accepted by the student, a student can formally request an extension of their ICMA for an appropriate reason. An ICMA can be extended by one full semester to allow completion of the required courses. Approvals are at the discretion of the department/program. Denials may be appealed to the Office of Academic Innovations and Programs. Extension of the ICMA can be considered for the following:

i. Unforeseen circumstance(s) outside the student’s control.

ii. If the student needs to withdraw from a class, the semester, or request a grade of incomplete due to reasons that are serious and compelling.

iii. If the student submits a request for Informal Time Off or is approved for Leave of Absence, the ICMA will be extended for the length of the absence.

    a. Courses taken at another institution while on an ICMA extension will not be considered in the completion of the ICMA, unless approved by the ICMA approver prior to the leave.

    b. Students must resume or cancel the ICMA immediately upon re- enrolling at Cal Poly.

 

VII. Academic Standing

Academic departments have the discretion to initiate change of major agreements while a student is on Academic Probation (AP), or in Academic Disqualification (DISQ) status, if the new major represents a viable path toward good academic standing. If a student in DISQ status is dismissed from Cal Poly prior to the completion of the agreement, the ICMA will be void/cancelled and may be reinitiated upon the students return to campus. Further, if a student on an ICMA has a finding of misconduct that results in severe sanction, such as suspension or expulsion from Cal Poly, the ICMA will be void/cancelled and may be reinitiated if the student returns to campus. **

 

VIII. Appeals Process

Under certain circumstances denials of an ICMA can be appealed. Students should first address their concerns with the department and/or college of the intended major to assure that all options have been exhausted before escalating to the Office of Academic Innovations and Programs to begin an Academic Petition Appeal (acadprog@calpoly.edu). Students who have additional questions about the process can contact the Mustang Success Center, or College Advising/Student Services Center, or the University Ombuds (ombuds@calpoly.edu). The right to an appeal is not guaranteed. More information about the Academic Petition Appeals process can be found here: https://academicprograms.calpoly.edu/content/academic-petition-appeals

 

Footnotes:

* 150% of programs published length (i.e., 6 total years at Cal Poly for first-time freshmen, or 3 total years at Cal Poly for transfer students).

** A student with an ICMA that has been voided/cancelled due to dismissal is eligible to re-apply to the same major after returning to campus in good standing.

 

Source:

Academic Senate Resolution: AS-985-25 "Resolution on Adoption of Revisions on the Change of Major Policy in Preparation for Semester Conversion" (PDF). Approved 29 April 2025.

 

Updated: 6/30/2025