CSE Admission to the Major
To Apply for a Major (Upper Division) on-line, click this On-Line Advising Services Login, which is also in the menu to the left.
For more information see CSE College Advising.
Application for a Major (Upper Division) Instructions
You are invited to apply to a major in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE). To be eligible to apply this semester, you must have all required coursework successfully completed by the end of the semester, and you must have at least a 2.0 Technical Grade Point Average (GPA)*. If you are eligible, please apply immediately following these steps:
Step 1: Log on
Please click here: On-Line Advising Services Login to log in to the Admission to the Major database using your U of M Internet ID and password.
Step 2: Verify course work
When you enter the database, you will see the required courses needed for each major offered through CSE and your progress in taking those courses. Check out the four year plan for your major for more information on eligibility for the major. The courses required for admission to the major are double-boxed or have a dashed outline on the four-year plan. Courses that are outlined in dashes indicate that you only need to have one of the two courses to apply.
To determine eligibility for a major, the Admission to the Major database only recognizes courses taken at the University of Minnesota. If you have taken one or more of the necessary requirements for admission to your major at a previous institution or received credit from AP/IB, the course(s) will show up as missing on the application. You may apply with missing courses; however, they must appear on your APAS. If they currently do not, and you are counting on those outside courses/credits fulfilling major admission requirements, please contact College Board or the institution that granted you that credit to arrange for an official transcript to be sent to the U of M Office of Admissions.
Step 3: Apply to a major
Select one major. If you have met (or have in progress) all of the courses required for that major, the system will permit you to apply. If you submit your application with missing courses, the Admission to the Major database will refer your application to your advisor, who will review your APAS to see if you meet the requirements. In these cases, you will be notified via email once that check has taken place.
You can only apply for one major at this time. After you have been admitted into your first major, you may use the database in a future semester to apply to an additional major or change your current major. If your major requires that you select an emphasis area, you will do so once you are admitted to the major.
Deadlines
| Admission Term | Applications Begin | Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Spring semester | October 1 | December 30 |
| Fall semester | March 1 | May 25 |
Please apply as soon as possible. Early application to the major will allow us to better understand how the demand for each major may impact the technical GPA cut off points and advise students accordingly.
Step 4: Admission to the major
Admission to a major in the College of Science and Engineering is a competitive process based on the successful completion of specific technical courses and a grade point average (GPA) based on technical courses (the Technical GPA*).
Once all grades for the semester have been posted, applications will be processed. All required courses must be successfully completed at this time. All applicants will be notified of their admission decision within three weeks of the application deadline.
Students who have completed the necessary technical course work for their intended major (as identified by each department) and have a 3.2 Technical GPA* at the end of fall semester will be guaranteed admission. All other students who have completed the required courses will be considered for admission on a space-available basis. Admission following spring semester is based on space-availability. While a 2.0 is the minimum Technical GPA* to be considered for a major in the College of Science and Engineering, many of our majors do have a cutoff at a higher technical GPA due to limited space.
If you have any questions or concerns in regard to this process, please contact your college academic adviser.
*The Technical GPA is comprised only of courses taken at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. The Technical GPA is unbracketed meaning that all attempts at a course (which resulted in a letter grade of A-F) are factored into it.
Technical GPA
A list of all courses used to calculate the Technical GPA is available here.
Your Technical GPA is available on-line by using the View Your Technical GPA and other records link on the Main Menu page of the CSE On-Line Advising System (login is above).
Admission to the Major Course Requirements
The course requirements for each major are listed here.
Admission to the Major Statistics
Statistics on the admission to the Major process are available for the last three years for each Admission Term.