Deciding on your major as a first-year can be exciting and can lead you to ask many questions. We’ll provide you with the guidelines below. From there, it’s up to you and your curiosity to explore and make a decision.
Declaring a Major
You can declare a major, or apply as undeclared, on your UC application form. For first-years applying to a major in the College, your choice of major will neither help nor hurt your prospects for admission. In fact, a large number of first-year applicants apply as undeclared.
For students who chose a major outside the College in one of our professional schools, check with the school to see if a supplemental application or any other action is required.
The professional schools that require supplemental applications have specific deadlines for submission:
- Herb Alpert School of Music
- School of the Arts and Architecture
- School of Nursing
- School of Theater, Film and Television
These schools do not require supplemental applications:
- Fielding School of Public Health
- Luskin School of Public Affairs
- Samueli School of Engineering
Changing a Major
After applying
If you want to change your major after you’ve submitted your application, see the deadlines below and contact us with your request:
College of Letters and Science
- Changing majors WITHIN the College is not allowed*
- Changing majors INTO the College is allowed until January 1
Education, Engineering, Public Affairs, Public Health
- Changing majors WITHIN these schools is allowed until January 1
- Changing majors INTO these schools is allowed until January 1
Arts and Architecture, Music, Nursing, or Theater, Film and Television
- Changing majors WITHIN these schools is allowed until Dec 1
- Changing majors INTO these schools is allowed until Dec 1
*For the College of Letters and Science, the applicant’s major is not considered during the review process.
After being admitted
- If you’ve already been admitted and you want to change your major or declare, you can:
- Contact the department whose program you wish to attend.
- Change or declare a major at the New Student Session.
- Meet with a counselor to discuss your major selection.
Deciding on a Major
This is the fun part, where you get to turn your curiosity loose and explore subjects that match your interests, academic strengths and personal goals. But don’t stop there. Here at UCLA, you can explore all the new subject areas and learning experiences that only a research university in an innovative global city can offer.
Check out our fields of study to see what sparks your interest and matches your talents, and get a sense of the unbelievable opportunities that are available to undergraduates at UCLA. And remember, you can add to your academic experience by adding a minor, which can be declared after you enroll.
What if, after much exploration, you’re undecided? Know that you’re in good company. About 1,500 students are “undeclared” at any given time, and many more change majors. Undeclared majors are welcome in all divisions of the College along with the School of Engineering. See the list of majors for more information.