How to Complete and Submit the USF Change of Major Form

To change your major at USF, you submit a request through the college that houses the major you want to move into, and each college handles it differently — some use an online Qualtrics form, others require an advising appointment first. There is no single university-wide USF change of major form. The deadline each term matches the drop/add deadline: August 28 for Fall 2026 and January 15 for Spring 2027.¹

Start With the College That Houses Your New Major

Identify the college that owns the program you want to enter, not the one you are currently in, and follow that college’s procedure.² On the Tampa campus, the process breaks down by college as follows.

College of Arts and Sciences: submit the online Declaration/Change of Major form through Qualtrics. The college reviews your record and may refer you to an advisor.³
Bellini College of AI, Cybersecurity, and Computing: complete the Bellini-specific Qualtrics form.⁴
College of Behavioral and Community Sciences: submit the online form through Qualtrics (Tampa only). An advising meeting may be required.⁵
Muma College of Business: schedule an advising appointment. There is no self-service form.²
College of Education: schedule an advising appointment.²
College of Engineering: schedule an advising appointment.²
College of Nursing: attend an information session. The Upper Division program is limited access and requires a separate NursingCAS application.²
College of Public Health: complete the online declaration form.²
College of Design, Art, and Performance: schedule an advising appointment.²
Undergraduate Studies: schedule an advising appointment.²

Appointments are booked through the Archivum Student Dashboard.⁶ Students on the St. Petersburg campus should contact their academic advisor directly.⁷

Who Is Eligible

You need a minimum 2.0 USF GPA to declare or change into any major. If you are in your first semester at USF, you have to wait until that semester ends and a USF GPA is on record before submitting a request.⁵

Your request can also be denied if it conflicts with USF’s Degree Progression and Completion Deadlines policy (Policy 10-505) or the excess hours surcharge rules. Multiple colleges warn that the change will not be permitted if it falls outside the criteria of those policies.⁵³ The further along you are in credits, the harder it becomes to switch into a program that would add significant coursework.

Limited access programs set higher bars. Nursing requires a 3.6 overall undergraduate GPA (3.0 for veterans or active-duty service members), a 3.0 nursing prerequisite GPA, completion of eight state-mandated prerequisite courses with a C or better, and a verified NursingCAS application by February 15.⁸ Competitive programs in business, engineering, and education carry their own GPA floors and prerequisites, which advisors will walk through.

Deadlines and Timing

The last day to change your major for a given term is the last day of drop/add. For Fall 2026 that is August 28; for Spring 2027 it is January 15.¹ Summer session dates shift with each session’s start; check the Registrar’s academic calendar.

Miss the deadline and the change takes effect the following term instead of the current one. The College of Behavioral and Community Sciences states this plainly: approved changes become effective the next term.⁵ A delayed effective date can affect registration priority and financial aid, so submit early rather than on the deadline itself.

Filling Out the Form

If your college uses the Qualtrics form, have your eight-digit USF ID number ready (it appears on your USF ID card and was included in your acceptance letter).⁹ The form asks for your current major, the new major, any concentration or campus preference, and contact information.

Look up the exact program title in the USF Undergraduate Catalog before submitting. Using the correct name reduces back-and-forth during review. If you are also changing campus among Tampa, St. Petersburg, or Sarasota-Manatee, CBCS advises seeing an advisor first, and CAS notes that campus-specific scholarships may be affected, including adjusted awards or lost eligibility.³

Some majors involve field placements or internships that require criminal background checks. CBCS flags Behavioral Healthcare, Criminology, and Social Work as programs where you should discuss any concerns with an advisor before declaring.⁵

Watch the Excess Hours Surcharge

Florida law imposes a surcharge equal to 100 percent of the tuition rate on every credit hour above 120 percent of what your degree program requires.¹⁰ For a standard 120-hour degree, that threshold is 144 hours. No institution can waive it.¹¹

Switching majors late, especially into a program with few overlapping courses, can push you past that line quickly. CBCS suggests checking your excess hour counter before submitting a request.⁵ If you are close, ask an advisor how many additional hours the new program actually adds and how much of your completed coursework counts toward it.

After the Change Is Processed

Once the receiving college approves your request, the Registrar updates your record. Log into Student Self-Service after you get confirmation to verify your listed major and college.¹²

Degree Works should also show your new program’s requirements and the courses you still need under that degree path.¹³ If your audit looks wrong — courses not counting that should, old requirements still displayed — contact an academic advisor before assuming it is a system error. Each college has a lead Degree Works contact who can request corrections.¹⁴

If Your Request Is Denied

Denials typically come down to GPA below the target program’s minimum, missing prerequisites, or conflict with the degree progression policy. For limited access programs like Nursing, denial can also mean the cohort was full or you did not clear the competitive admission threshold.

USF’s formal appeals route under Policy 10-505 is narrow. The Policy/Regulation Exceptions and Appeals form covers appeals of a college’s decision on degree progression deadlines, academic disruption, and ARC petition decisions, and it must be initiated by a college staff member on your behalf, not filed by you directly.¹⁵ Start with the advisor in the college you are trying to enter. They can tell you whether your situation qualifies and, if so, open the appeal.

1
University of South Florida. Important Dates and Deadlines
2
University of South Florida. Major Declaration
3
University of South Florida. Declare a CAS Major
4
University of South Florida. Advising and Support – Bellini College
5
University of South Florida. Major Minor Declaration/Change
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University of South Florida. What Can Archivum Do for You?
7
University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Academic Forms
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University of South Florida. Upper Division Admission Details
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University of South Florida. USFID vs. NETID
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 1009.286
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University of South Florida. Excess Hour Surcharge
12
University of South Florida. Student Self-Service
13
University of South Florida. Degree Works
14
University of South Florida. Student Success Technology
15
University of South Florida. Academic Processes