Changing Your Major to Computer Science
Computer science applicants will encounter universities with greatly differing program-specific admissions policies. Certain schools such as Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern, and UCLA allow high school students to be directly admitted into their CS program, while other schools require freshmen to first complete a number of entry-level courses with a minimum GPA prior to being admitted into the major. Given how incredibly competitive entry into CS programs is today, teens should be aware of the initial barriers to entry and—for those eying a backdoor route into a given program—the level of ease with which one can later internally transfer into a computer science major.
The table below provides this important information for a number of top-ranked computer science programs. Column headers are defined below:
Direct Admit – Indicates whether prospective undergraduates can be admitted directly into a computer science major.
Prerequisites – Links to the institutional webpage that details requirements for transferring into a computer science major.
Minimum Progress – Indicates the minimum number of credits, semesters, or quarters needed to transfer into a computer science major.
Minimum GPAÂ – Indicates the minimum GPA one must possess to be considered for admission into a computer science major. At most institutions, earning the minimum GPA does not guarantee admission.
Difficulty – An ordinal rating (from “Less” to “Very”) indicating how difficult it is to transfer into a computer science major.
More Info – Links to an institutional webpage providing more detail about how current students can transfer into a computer science major. If there is no additional info beyond what is provided in the institutions “Prerequisites” page, links for “Prerequisites” and “More Info” are identical.
*At institutions where there is no direct admission, requirements for declaring/moving into a computer science major are indicated.Â
Table updated December 2023
To view additional data columns, click the + icon to the left of the institution’s name
| Institution | Prerequisites | Direct Admit | Minimum Progress | Minimum GPA | Difficulty | More Info | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104151 | ASU | Arizona State University - Tempe | Click Here | https://engineering.asu.edu/admission-requirements/ | Yes | 24 credits | 3.0 | Moderate | https://scai.engineering.asu.edu/computer-science-bs/ | |
| 164988 | BU | Boston University | Click Here | https://www.bu.edu/cas/admissions/undergraduate-transfer/intra-university-transfer-guidelines/ | Yes | 12 credits | 2.0 | Less | https://www.bu.edu/cs/undergraduate/academic-programs/computer-science-major/ | |
| 217156 | Brown University | None | https://cs.brown.edu/degrees/undergrad/concentrating-in-cs/concentration-requirements-2020/new-scb-requirements/ | No | None | None | Less | https://cs.brown.edu/degrees/undergrad/concentrating-in-cs/concentration-requirements-2020/declaring-the-concentration/ | ||
| 110404 | California Institute of Technology | None | https://catalog.caltech.edu/current/information-for-undergraduate-students/graduation-requirements-all-options/computer-science-option-and-minor-cs/ | No | None | None | Less | https://www.cms.caltech.edu/academics/ugrad/ugrad_cs | ||
| 110422 | California Polytechnic State University | Click Here | https://eadvise.calpoly.edu/changing-majors/within-the-college-of-engineering | Yes | 1 quarter | 2.0 to 3.7 | Very | https://advising.calpoly.edu/change-major | Closed to all students not originally admitted to Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or General Engineering | |
| 211440 | Carnegie Mellon University | Click Here | https://csd.cmu.edu/academics/bachelors/guidelines-transfer-or-dual-degree | Yes | 6 courses | 3.0 | Very | https://csd.cmu.edu/academics/undegraduate/guidelines-transfer-dual-degree-minor-and-additional-major-cs | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) | |
| 201645 | Case Western Reserve University | None | https://engineering.case.edu/computer-and-data-sciences/academics/computer-science/bachelor-science | No | None | None | Less | https://bulletin.case.edu/undergraduate-academics/majors-minors/ | ||
| 190150 | Columbia University in the City of New York | None | https://www.cs.columbia.edu/undergrad-faq/ | No | None | None | Less | https://www.cs.columbia.edu/undergrad-faq/ | CS major offered in both Columbia College, General Studies, and School of Engineering and Applied Science | |
| 190415 | Cornell University | Click Here | https://www.cs.cornell.edu/undergrad/csmajor/becoming-cs-major | No | 2 semesters | 2.5 | Moderate | https://www.cs.cornell.edu/undergrad/csmajor/becoming-cs-major | CS major offered in both College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences | |
| 182670 | Dartmouth College | Click Here | https://web.cs.dartmouth.edu/undergraduate/declaring-your-cs-majorminor | No | 8 courses | None | Less | https://www.dartmouth.edu/reg/guides/dartworks/drop_major_minor.html | ||
| 198419 | Duke University | Click Here | https://cs.duke.edu/undergraduate/degrees/BS | No | 3 courses | None | Less | https://registrar.duke.edu/student-resources/student-forms/ | ||
| 139755 | Georgia Tech | Georgia Institute of Technology | None | https://registrar.gatech.edu/info/change-major-form-undergraduate-students | Yes | - | - | - | https://registrar.gatech.edu/info/change-major-form-undergraduate-students | First-year students admitted Summer 24 and beyond will not have the option to change their major to the BS in Computer Science |
| 166027 | Harvard University | None | https://csadvising.seas.harvard.edu/concentration/declare/ | No | None | None | Less | https://college.harvard.edu/life-harvard/student-stories/how-do-i-choose-major-harvard#:~:text=Harvard%20does%20not%20require%20that,fall%20of%20their%20sophomore%20year. | ||
| 115409 | HMC | Harvey Mudd College | None | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/program/cs-major | No | None | None | Less | https://www.hmc.edu/registrar/planning-your-major/declaring-major/ | |
| 151351 | IU Bloomington | Indiana University - Bloomington | Click Here | https://luddy.indiana.edu/admissions/apply/change-declare-major.html | Yes | 30 hours | 2.0 | Less-to-Moderate | https://luddy.indiana.edu/admissions/apply/change-declare-major.html | |
| 162928 | JHU | Johns Hopkins University | None | https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/engineering/full-time-residential-programs/degree-programs/computer-science/computer-science-bs/#text | No | None | None | Less | https://e-catalogue.jhu.edu/arts-sciences/full-time-residential-programs/undergraduate-policies/academic-policies/requirements-for-a-bachelors-degree/#majorsminorstext | |
| 166683 | MIT | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | None | https://www.eecs.mit.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/curriculum/ | No | None | None | Less | https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/academic-requirements/majors-minors/changing-major | |
| 193900 | NYU | New York University | Click Here | https://cs.nyu.edu/home/undergrad/major_programs.html | Yes | 1 course | 2.0 | Less | https://cs.nyu.edu/home/undergrad/declaring.html | |
| 199193 | NC State | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Click Here | https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/academics/undergrad/coda/ | No | 9 courses | 2.0 | Very | https://studentservices.ncsu.edu/your-degree/coda-home/coda/ | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 167358 | Northeastern University | Click Here | https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/information-for-overview/current-undergrad/undergraduate-advising-academic-support/academic-procedures/ | Yes | 2 courses | 2.0 | Less-to-Moderate | https://www.khoury.northeastern.edu/information-for-overview/current-undergrad/undergraduate-advising-academic-support/academic-procedures/ | ||
| 147767 | Northwestern University | None | https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/transfer-and-test-credit/interschool-transfer.html | No | None | None | Less | https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/computer-science/academics/undergraduate/bachelors/ | First-year students admitted into Weinberg or McCormick can declare a CS major after enrolling | |
| 204796 | OSU | Ohio State University - Main Campus | None | https://advising.engineering.osu.edu/change-pre-major | Yes | - | - | - | https://advising.engineering.osu.edu/change-pre-major | Only students enrolled within an engineering or computer science program are permitted to participate in admission to major process. |
| 214777 | Penn State | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | Click Here | https://advising.engr.psu.edu/advising/entrance-to-major/new-reenrolling-summer-2020-or-later.aspx | No | 29 credits | 3.2 | Moderate | https://www.registrar.psu.edu/degree-planning/change-major.cfm | |
| 186131 | Princeton University | Click Here | https://www.cs.princeton.edu/ugrad/becoming-cs-major | No | 3 to 6 courses | None | Less | https://odoc.princeton.edu/advising/how-do-i | ||
| 243780 | Purdue University - Main Campus | Click Here | https://catalog.purdue.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=16&poid=26190 | Yes | 12 credits | 2.75 | Very | https://www.purdue.edu/science/Current_Students/codo/index.html | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) | |
| 194824 | RPI | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Click Here | https://science.rpi.edu/computer-science/programs/undergrad/bs-computerscience | Yes | 2 courses | 3.0 | Moderate | https://info.rpi.edu/registrar/academic-planning | |
| 227757 | Rice University | None | https://csweb.rice.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/degrees-offered | Yes | None | None | Less | https://oaa.rice.edu/academic-planning/majors-and-minors/deciding-your-major | ||
| 195003 | RIT | Rochester Institute of Technology | Click Here | https://www.rit.edu/computing/department-computer-science#prospective-students | Yes | 1 semester | 3.0 | Moderate-to-Very | https://www.rit.edu/computing/department-computer-science#prospective-students | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 186380 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | Click Here | https://www.cs.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/admission-to-the-major | No | 5 courses | 2.0 | Less-to-Moderate | https://www.cs.rutgers.edu/academics/undergraduate/admission-to-the-major | ||
| 243744 | Stanford University | None | https://cs.stanford.edu/degrees/undergrad/Declare.shtml | No | None | None | Less | https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/declaring-major | ||
| 196097 | Stony Brook University | Click Here | https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/ceas-undergrad/current_students/major_entry_requirements/ | Yes | 3 courses | 3.0 | Very | https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/ceas-undergrad/current_students/major_entry_requirements/ | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) | |
| 228723 | TAMU | Texas A&M University - College Station | Click Here | https://tap.tamu.edu/Change-of-Major2/Engineering | Yes | 26 hours | 3.5 | Very | https://us.tamu.edu/Change-of-Major | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 228778 | UT Austin | The University of Texas at Austin | Click Here | https://cns.utexas.edu/students/future/internal-transfer | Yes | 24 hours | 2.0 | Moderate-to-Very | https://cns.utexas.edu/students/future/internal-transfer | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 110635 | UC Berkeley | University of California - Berkeley - College of Computing, Data Science, and Society | Click Here | https://admissions.berkeley.edu/academics/ls-high-demand-policy/ | No | TBD | TBD | Very | https://eecs.berkeley.edu/resources/undergrads/cs/degree-reqs-lowerdiv#declare | For students who did not select CS as a major on their initial application, a comprehensive review will be required. Details are forthcoming. |
| 110635 | UC Berkeley | University of California - Berkeley - College of Engineering | None | https://guide.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/degree-programs/electrical-engineering-computer-sciences/ | No | - | - | - | https://guide.berkeley.edu/undergraduate/degree-programs/electrical-engineering-computer-sciences/ | Students accepted into colleges other than the College of Engineering will not be allowed to change to the College of Engineering to declare the EECS major |
| 110644 | UC Davis | University of California - Davis | Click Here | https://cs.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/non-majors/changing-majors-double-majors | Yes | 12 credits | 3.0 | Moderate-to-Very | https://cs.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/non-majors/changing-majors-double-majors | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 110653 | UCI | University of California - Irvine | Click Here | https://changeofmajor.uci.edu/engineering/#computer_science | Yes | 8 courses | 2.7 | Moderate-to-Very | https://changeofmajor.uci.edu/engineering/#computer_science | |
| 110662 | UCLA | University of California - Los Angeles | Click Here | https://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/com-faq/ | Yes | 2 quarters | 3.5 | Very | https://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/change-of-major/ | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 445188 | UC Merced | University of California - Merced | Click Here | https://engr-advising.ucmerced.edu/policies/declaration-major | No | 2 courses | 2.0 | Less-to-Moderate | https://bobcat-advising-center.ucmerced.edu/first-year-students/changing-major-or-declaring-minor | |
| 110671 | UC Riverside | University of California - Riverside | Click Here | https://student.engr.ucr.edu/policies/major-changes | Yes | 4 courses | 2.0 | Moderate | https://student.engr.ucr.edu/policies/major-changes | |
| 110680 | UC San Diego | University of California - San Diego | Click Here | https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/cse-capped-admissions-program | Yes | 8 units | 3.0 | Very | https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/cse-capped-admissions-program | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 110705 | UC Santa Barbara | University of California - Santa Barbara | Click Here | https://engineering.ucsb.edu/undergraduate/academic-advising/change-major-college-engineering | Yes | 30 units | 3.0 | Very | https://engineering.ucsb.edu/undergraduate/academic-advising/change-major-college-engineering | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 110714 | UCSC | University of California - Santa Cruz | None | https://catalog.ucsc.edu/en/current/general-catalog/academic-units/baskin-engineering/computer-science-and-engineering/computer-science-bs/ | No | - | - | - | https://catalog.ucsc.edu/en/current/general-catalog/academic-units/baskin-engineering/computer-science-and-engineering/computer-science-bs/ | Students are only able to declare a computer science major if they were admitted to UCSC as proposed computer science majors |
| 126614 | University of Colorado Boulder | Click Here | https://www.colorado.edu/engineering-advising/intra-university-transfer-iut-college-engineering-applied-science-bachelors-degree-programs | Yes | 3 courses | 2.7 | Moderate | https://www.colorado.edu/engineering-advising/intra-university-transfer-iut-college-engineering-applied-science-bachelors-degree-programs | ||
| 144050 | University of Chicago | None | http://collegecatalog.uchicago.edu/thecollege/computerscience/ | Yes | None | None | Less | http://majors.cs.uchicago.edu/cmsc-major-faq.html#just-in-case | ||
| 134130 | UF | University of Florida | None | https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/colleges-schools/UGLAS/CSC_BS/#criticaltrackingtext | No | None | None | Less | https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/majors/#changingmajorstext | CS offered in both the College of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. |
| 145637 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Click Here | https://cs.illinois.edu/admissions/undergraduate/transfer-students | Yes | 2 CS Courses | 3.5 to 3.67 | Very | https://cs.illinois.edu/academics/undergraduate/degree-program-options | CS & Statistics, CS & Mathematics, and CS + "X" majors offered in Liberal Arts and Sciences; Cannot transfer into CS in College of Engineering | |
| 163286 | University of Maryland - College Park | Click Here | https://lep.umd.edu/computerscience-after2024.html | Yes | 3 courses | 3.0 | Very | https://undergrad.cs.umd.edu/internal-transfer-students | ||
| 166629 | U-M | University of Massachusetts - Amherst | Click Here | https://www.cics.umass.edu/content/major-change-cs-revised | Yes | 12 credits | 3.0 | Very | https://www.cics.umass.edu/content/major-change-cs-revised | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 170976 | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Click Here | https://cse.engin.umich.edu/academics/undergraduate/admissions/cs-for-current-u-m-students/ | No | 24 credits | 2.0 | Moderate-to-Very | https://cse.engin.umich.edu/academics/undergraduate/ | CS offered in the both the College of Engineering and the College of Literature, Science, and Arts; Must be selected for the CS major before declaring | |
| 174066 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Click Here | https://cse.umn.edu/college/transfer/transfer-within-umn-twin-cities | No | 6 courses | 2.0 to 3.5 | Moderate-to-Very | https://cse.umn.edu/college/transfer/transfer-within-umn-twin-cities | ||
| 215062 | Penn | University of Pennsylvania | Click Here | https://ugrad.seas.upenn.edu/student-handbook/undergraduate-policies/transfer-in-to-penn-engineering/ | Yes | 8 units | 3.0 | Moderate | https://www.cis.upenn.edu/undergraduate/program-options/second-major-in-cs/ | Students in Arts and Sciences can pursue a second major in CS |
| 215293 | Pitt | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Click Here | https://www.sci.pitt.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions | Yes | 24 credits | 2.75 | Moderate-to-Very | https://www.sci.pitt.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 123961 | USC | University of Southern California | Click Here | https://viterbiundergrad.usc.edu/pre-engineering/ | Yes | 1 semester | 3.0 | Moderate-to-Very | https://viterbiundergrad.usc.edu/pre-engineering/ | |
| 234076 | UVA | University of Virginia - Main Campus | Click Here | https://engineering.virginia.edu/current-students/current-undergraduate-students/transferring-uva-engineering | Yes | 7 courses | 2.0 | Moderate | https://engineering.virginia.edu/departments/computer-science/cs-undergraduate-programs#accordion396965 | CS offered in the both the School of Engineering & Applied Science and the College of Arts & Sciences |
| 236948 | UW | University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Click Here | https://www.cs.washington.edu/academics/ugrad/admissions/currentuw | Yes | 30 credits | None | Very | https://admit.washington.edu/apply/admission-to-majors/ | Application process is competitive (those meeting requirements are not guaranteed entry) |
| 240444 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Click Here | https://guide.wisc.edu/undergraduate/letters-science/computer-sciences/computer-sciences-bs/#howtogetintext | No | 2 courses | 2.25 | Less-to-Moderate | https://www.cs.wisc.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-faqs/ | ||
| 233921 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Click Here | https://eng.vt.edu/academics/undergraduate-students/resources-support/change-of-major/restricted.html | No | 5 courses | 2.0 to 3.5 | Moderate-to-Very | https://www.registrar.vt.edu/dates-deadlines/Change_of_Major_Dates.html | |
| 179867 | Washington University in St Louis | Click Here | https://wustl.app.box.com/s/7qswlj7uoio1akdh209yp9lez7qevm0x | Yes | 4 courses | 3.0 | Moderate | https://cse.wustl.edu/academics/undergraduate/BS-Computer-Science.html | Students in any other division/major can complete a second major in CS | |
| 130794 | Yale University | None | https://advising.yalecollege.yale.edu/declaring-major#Undeclare | Yes | None | None | Less | https://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/subjects-of-instruction/computer-science/ |
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