I still wish to pursue business or engineering at CU Boulder. How do I do so?
Students wishing to switch into another college, school or program must meet the Intra-University Transfer (IUT) criteria for their desired college, school or program. Each college, school or program at CU Boulder sets their own IUT admission criteria and the requirements can be challenging, particularly for the College of Engineering & Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business. The IUT prerequisite courses are the same introductory courses that directly admitted students take in the first year, but students pursuing an IUT must earn higher grades to meet IUT requirements than students already in those programs must earn in order to remain in those programs.
How likely is a successful transfer to the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS)?
On average over the last few years, about 17% of students who initially applied to but were not directly admitted to engineering end up in CEAS. It’s important to note that engineering has a two-part set of requirements - a minimum grade of C (2.00) in prerequisite courses and also a technical GPA of at least 2.70 across those courses. Students with higher high school GPAs have had a higher success rate of transferring to engineering. For example, 57% of students with a 4.0 or higher high school GPA have transferred to engineering compared to 7% of students with a high school GPA below 3.0.
How likely is a successful transfer to Leeds School of Business?
On average over the last few years, about 25% of students who initially applied to but were not directly admitted to business end up in Leeds. It’s important to note that completion of the prerequisites does not guarantee admission. Leeds admission decisions are made on a space-available basis. Students with higher high school GPAs have had a higher success rate transferring to business. For example, 57% of students with a 4.0 or higher high school GPA have transferred to Leeds compared to 7% of students with a high school GPA below 3.0.
What might my academic path look like if I’m not in engineering or business?
Not everyone who initially thinks about these fields decides to pursue them. High school seniors often perceive a major in engineering or business as one of only a few pathways to a well-paying career and they can be surprised to learn about them as academic disciplines. Because college graduates of today will have pathways to multiple careers after graduation, students often discover that it is a combination of majors, minors and other credentials that will help them secure a professional role in the field they seek. Should they choose to enroll at CU Boulder, most of our students who initially applied to business end up in the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Media, Communication and Information. And most of our students who initially applied to engineering end up in the College of Arts and Sciences, Leeds School of Business or College of Media, Communication and Information.
Can I change my major now to something in the College of Arts and Sciences?
Yes. If one of the STEM majors or something in the social sciences like Economics or International Affairs sounds like a good fit, you can go ahead and start in Arts and Sciences rather than exploring. New students wishing to change majors can log into their application status page. There, you will see an option to submit a major change request form. If you have already changed your major once, please contact your admissions counselor for assistance. You are welcome to connect with our office at ExploratoryStudies@colorado.edu for questions before you change your major.
