Selective Major Guidance for Continuing Students

What programs have selective majors on our campus?

• Data Science
• Public Health
• Jacobs School of Engineering – all majors in these departments:
  
  • Bioengineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Computer Science and Engineering
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Note: as of spring 2025, Biological Sciences majors are no longer selective.

Before Summer 2025

The process for applying to switch into a selective major before summer 2025 is given on each department’s website.

Switching into a Selective Major Starting Summer 2025

• When: Applications will be open once per year between Summer and Fall quarters.
  • Available: by August 1 2025 - will be posted on this
  • Deadline: September 1 each year.
  • NOTE: Public Health majors only will have an additional selection cycle for new transfer students only at the end of the fall quarter. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering majors only will have an additional selection cycle for new transfer students only at the end of winter quarter (subject to change for Winter 2026).

• When to Expect Final Decisions: Decisions will be made after UC San Diego Summer Session grades are finalized. 
  • Students will be notified of their selection status once all spaces in the major are filled. If offered a spot, students will need to accept the offer by a given deadline.

Academic Requirements:

• Students must have completed the required screening courses for the desired major with a C- or higher in each course.
  • Screening courses are set by individual departments to ensure students have foundational knowledge for success. See linked department pages above for a list of the screening course requirements for each major.
• Students must have a minimum 2.0 UC GPA.

 Student Status:

• Must be a continuing student at UC San Diego. 
  • New Freshman Admits (NFRS): Students who have been enrolled for 1-6 quarters at UC San Diego (not including summer) may apply, typically after their first or second year. 
  • Transfer Students (TRAN): Transfer students do not typically change their majors after matriculation because of the impact of their time to degree.  
    • For Summer 2025 only: Transfer students enrolled for 1-3 quarters at UC San Diego (not including summer) may apply after their first year.
    • For Fall 2025 and after: Transfer students admitted to UC San Diego Fall 2025 and after will no longer be allowed to apply to selective majors in the Summer application cycle after their first year. Selective majors may opt to admit transfer students after the Fall or Winter in their first year at UC San Diego but are not required to do so.
      • after Fall 2025: Public Health will select Transfer students who have been enrolled at UCSD for 1 quarter
      • after Winter 2026 (subject to change): Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will select Transfer students who have been enrolled at UCSD for 2 quarters
• Note about Enrollment Status:
  • Eligibility extends to students who are full-time or part-time during Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. Summer quarters are not counted.
  • Quarters with full withdrawal or non-enrollment do not count.

Selection Process:

Selection into the selective major will be based on a point system. Students with the highest number of points will be selected into the major until the number of slots available is reached.  Points are awarded based on the following:

• 3.0 GPA or Higher in major screening courses taken at UC San Diego: 1 point
• California Residency: 1 point
• Pell Grant Eligibility: 1 point
• First-Generation College Status: 1 point (Based on initial UC San Diego application information)

Tiebreaker: When students at the cutoff boundary have the same number of points, students will be selected from this group via a uniform random process.

See the FAQ page for questions about how points are determined.

If you are not selected into a selective major, please consider one of these alternative options.

Not sure yet which major to choose? Explore your options.

Review the full list of UCSD majors.

For questions about screening courses and the timeline to plan courses, students should contact the department advisors via the Virtual Advising Center.

For questions about the selective major application process and policies not answered on this page or the FAQ page, students should contact selective-majors@ucsd.edu.