Updated: September 9th, 2020

Thank you for your interest in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at UC San Diego. Students who were not admitted directly to UC San Diego as a CSE major can contact the UC San Diego Undergraduate Admissions Office with any questions regarding their assigned major or the appeal process. The CSE Department does not play a role in any portion of the undergraduate admissions review of applicants. Once a student matriculates at UC San Diego, the only way to change into one of the majors in the CSE Department from another major outside of our department is to go through our CSE Capped Admissions Program. Please be advised that switching into the CSE major is a highly competitive process and there are no guarantees you would be able to major in CS even after going through the CSE Capped Admissions Program.

What to do if you are not accepted into one of the CSE majors? See our Exploring Path to CS Career webpage

Currently declared CSE Majors:

All currently enrolled students already in a CSE major must submit their request to change into another CSE major through the Major/Minor Tool (requests are processed monthly except during summer)

Newly admitted UCSD CSE majors will need to wait until they are enrolled in courses in order to submit a change of major request using the Major/Minor Tool

CS-Bioinformatics (CS27) became impacted in FA14. CS27 majors who entered the program before FA14 who wish to change from CS with Specialization in Bioinformatics (CS27) to Computer Science (CS26) or Computer Engineering (CS25) must apply competitively for a spot through the CSE Capped Admissions Application

CSE Majors who intend to double major may NOT drop their CSE major to accept their offer into their secondary major. Come in and meet with an advisor before dropping your CSE Major. Once a student leaves the CSE Major, they will not be able to re-add the major unless they go through the CSE Capped Major Application Process which does not guarantee a student will be able to re-add.

CSE Capped Admissions Program Video:

Non-CSE majors who are continuing enrolled undergraduate UCSD students:

All non-CSE majors must apply to change into a CSE major through the MyJSOE Major Change Application

See MyJSOE Major Change Application for the timeline and all application deadlines.

In the 2020-2021 academic year , requests to change into a CSE major will be open for Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 (55 students will be accepted each application cycle, with an anticipated yield of 50 students)

Be sure to read this webpage and the MyJSOE Major Change Application webpage material thoroughly (once an application is submitted, it may not be withdrawn for any reason)

Non-Major Advising

COVID-19 Update: We want to let you know that our CSE advisors are still here for you when you need us. However, to ensure we are doing our part to "flatten the curve" and keep you and our staff safe during this global pandemic, we are moving to remote advising until further notice. Prospective CSE majors may contact us via the Virtual Advising Center (vac.ucsd.edu) or csestudent@eng.ucsd.edu. We are offering advising appointments for prospective students which can be conducted via Zoom videoconference or phone. To schedule an appointment, please email csestudent@eng.ucsd.edu. If there are openings the day before the appointment, we will allow non-CSE Majors to book those time slots. We will not have staff in the office to monitor our phone lines starting Wednesday, March 18th, so please be sure to reach out to us via email only for an appointment.

Eligibility Requirements to Submit an Application

All of the following eligibility courses (or their accepted equivalent) must have been completed prior to application: CSE 8B or 11, CSE 12, CSE 15L, and CSE 20 (MATH 15A or MATH 109 may be substituted for CSE 20 if taken first). Courses must be completed with a letter grade. Eligibility courses taken outside of UCSD must be posted on a student's academic history by the time the application closes for students to meet eligibility requirements. Tentative grades, unofficial transcripts, or official transcripts submitted to directly the department will not be accepted in lieu of course credit on a student's academic history.

If some or all of the eligibility courses listed above were completed with transfer credit from a different institution, students must still complete a minimum of eight units at UC San Diego for a letter grade, drawn from the following screening courses (or their approved petitioned equivalent) before submitting an application: CSE 8B or CSE 11, CSE 12, CSE 15L, CSE 20 (MATH 15A or MATH 109 will be substituted for CSE 20 if taken first), CSE 21, CSE 30, and CSE 100.

Must have a minimum of a 3.3 UCSD GPA in the screening courses completed at UCSD (or their approved petitioned equivalents). All screening courses taken at UCSD will be used towards the CSE Screening GPA calculation.

May not have a D or F in any of the screening courses (unless the course has been retaken for a passing grade).

May not exceed the 2-time CSE Capped Admissions Program application limit (each student may apply a maximum of two times for the opportunity to major in the CSE department through the CSE Capped Major Admissions Application). Students who apply without meeting all eligibility requirements will be disqualified (application will be flagged as ineligible) and the application will count as one of the 2-time CSE Capped Admissions Program application limit.

Any course substitutions requiring a petition must be submitted to the CSE department no later than noon the Friday before the MyJSOE Major Change App opens

Students with 150+ units at the time of the application review will need to have submitted a quarter by quarter (QXQ) plan for their remaining requirements to be reviewed by the CSE department and their college. QXQ plan must be emailed to csestudent@eng.ucsd.edu no later than the capped major application deadline. Students may submit their application but will not be offered a seat until a college advisor has reviewed and approved the student's QXQ plan. Approval from the college will be needed before the department's decision deadline. Students who cannot complete the CSE major requirements within the university term limits (6 terms for transfer students, 12 terms for students who start here as freshmen) may be considered ineligible for the CSE Capped Admissions Program and may not be approved to switch into the major. 150 unit cap includes all credit, including AP and IP credit

Students will be notified via Virtual Advising Center with the decision

Application Process

Eligible students may apply using the MyJSOE Major Change Application.

Eligible students who have not exceeded the two-time application limit and meet the 3.3 GPA cutoff for screening courses, UCSD 8 unit residency requirement in CSE courses, and approved quarter by quarter plan (QXQ plan needed for students with 150+ units) will be populated onto an Excel sheet. Each student is then randomly assigned a number using Excel's random number generator. Students are then sorted by their assigned number from highest to lowest number. The students with the 55 highest assigned numbers are offered a seat in the CSE department (55 seats offered with an anticipated yield of 50 students).

In the message you receive informing you of the department's decision, we will explain what the next steps are if you were or were not approved to declare the major.

If you are interested in the computational and data sciences, but do not receive admission to the CSE department, there are several excellent alternate choices available at UC San Diego.

This CSE webpage only describes how to apply for a CSE major. To discuss any of the below major requirements, we recommend contacting the appropriate department OR visit computingpaths.ucsd.edu for information on the array of all the Computational Sciences offered at UCSD.

We also recommend you visit the Career Services Center and your College Adviser to discuss your academic and career goals. Use their resources to identify majors that may be a good fit for you and explore them.

CSE MAJOR APPLICATION INFORMATION - Q & A