New Student Information
Your first few weeks will likely be exciting and stressful, and while Cornell is a big place, CALS makes it easy to connect. The CALS Student Services team is here to help you through the process starting in June.
We understand that you may be feeling both excited and nervous to start your college experience. You are not alone. Our team in CALS Student Services, in partnership with your academic major, will guide you in questions around course selection, advanced placement credits, understanding the academic and personal resources available, and assist you in career development.
I got in! What's next?
June
- Keep working on your New Student To Do List
- Start reviewing information on CALS GO! Get Oriented 2025 on Canvas. Information From Your Major – please review this section to learn about your major, class recommendations for your first semester, information sessions, and general contact information from key individuals in your major
- Log in to Chatter and ask any questions you may have
- Monitor your Cornell email, as the orientation team will be sending important reminders via email to let you know about July pre-enroll and August orientation
- Understand the process for bringing in AP/IB credit as a new CALS student:
- After your official scores have been published, follow instructions to have your scores sent to Cornell and see which are accepted. To find out which may impact your major-required courses, see your major's module on CALS GO! Get Oriented 2025
- Incoming first-year/transfer students should not contact CALS Student Services to notify us when scores are ordered; scores can take two to three weeks to arrive and will be automatically processed
- If you have more than 15 qualifying credits, please wait until September 9 and later (after the Fall 2025 Add Deadline) to let us know which you would like applied to your record
- Follow CALS Instagram page to stay connected
July
- Attend Zoom pre-enroll session to learn more about how to register for your classes and use online tools to register (more information to come via email)
- Reach out to your major advising coordinators for major-specific questions and major class recommendations
- Reach out or schedule an appointment with a CALS Student Services advisor on Chatter for general questions or questions on distribution requirements
Thinking about changing your major?
It's natural to question your major as your interests evolve. Be assured that the academic experience students have at CALS -- including our majors, distribution requirements, and access to elective courses has been developed to support interdisciplinary learning. You will have ample opportunity to explore all fields of study that interest you!
New First-Year Students
Because CALS students apply to a particular major and applications are reviewed in the context of fit and academic preparation for that major, most students start in the major they were admitted into. The first thing to consider if you are interested in a possible change of major is whether you would have met the first-year requirements for that major (which are listed under each CALS Degree Program). Prior to arriving on campus, for all change of major questions (if you have met the requirements), please contact cals_admissions [at] cornell.edu (CALS Admissions). If you have not met the requirements, you need to start in the major that you were admitted into and once on campus, explore changing your major as a current student. Note that major changes to the Information Science and Global and Public Health Sciences majors are not possible.
New Transfer Students
You need to start in the major that you were admitted into and once on campus, explore changing your major as a current student.
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