37-00 Entrance to a College or Major


37-30 Entrance to and Changes in Major Programs of Study

  1. A candidate seeking entrance to a major or desiring to change between colleges, the Division of Undergraduate Studies and majors, may do so provided the candidate satisfies the following minimum academic requirements:

a. Meets the admissions entrance requirements of the college the student wishes to enter.

b. Demonstrates at least a C (2.00) cumulative average for all courses taken at the University subject to the conditions of Policy 51-50.

c. Satisfies any additional academic requirements that have been proposed by the college or the major and approved by the dean of the college and the University Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education and/or the Central Enrollment Management Group. Requirements for entrance to a college shall be those in effect at the time of the student’s most recent admission to degree candidacy (see Policy 82-20). The candidate also must obtain certification from the dean of the college in which the candidate desires to enroll that all entrance to major and change of college requirements have been met.

d. The dean of the college, with the approval of the program faculty, may approve exceptions for individual students for entrance to a college or major that are deemed academically appropriate.

e. Apply no more than 91 credits of previous work toward a degree in the new college. Exceptions would be allowed under Policy 37-30 (1) (d).

  1. The dean of the college, in accordance with the policies and procedures of the college or major, may require that a student enrolled in the college gain entrance to a major in a timely manner, typically between the beginning of their third- and the end of their fifth-semester classifications. A student who fails to gain entrance to a major prior to the semester classification specified by the major/college may be required to dis-enroll from the college at the discretion of the dean (see Policy 54-56 (1)).
  2. A candidate desiring to change from a college or major to the Division of Undergraduate Studies must obtain the approval of the director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
  3. As soon as a change of major is approved at the dean’s level, the administrative responsibility for the student is transferred. A new adviser is either appointed immediately or when the student changes to the campus where the major can be completed.
  4. For a change of major to be effective for the current semester, it must be approved before the end of the Add Period. For each grade reporting period, the transcript will show the student’s major effective at that time.

D-1 Entrance to College and Lower Division Campus
D-2 Change of Major

Revised: 3/5/53 (as Rule D-1)
Revised: 9/9/75
Revised: 4/4/78
Revised: 2/5/80
Revised: 1/19/93
Revised: 10/21/97
Revised: 3/16/10
Revised: 10/27/15 – Effective Fall 2016 – Archive

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37-70 Academic Classification of Students by Semester

A degree candidate’s semester classification is based upon the following table of total credits earned:

Total Credits Earned* Semester Classification
14 or fewer 1
14.1 to 29 2
29.1 to 44 3
44.1 to 59 4
59.1 to 74 5
74.1 to 89 6
89.1 to 104 7
104.1 to 119 8
119.1 to 134 9
134.1 to 149 10
149.1 or more 11

* Total credits earned equal the accumulation of all Penn State credits successfully completed by letter grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, or symbols SA, R, SAT, or V; credits by examination as defined by Section 42-50; and credit granted by transfer from other colleges and universities as defined in Sections 42-80 and 42-90.

Revised: 10/6/81
Revised: 2/1/83
Revised: 12/6/11- Effective Fall 2016 – Archive
Revised: 1/26/21

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