Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Incoming Seventh College students receive advising over the summer via New Triton Advising in the Virtual Advising Center and via Remote Drop-In Advising starting in August.

During the academic year, students have access to all Seventh College Advising Services.

Students may meet with any available Seventh College academic advisor.

Consult department and program advisors for assistance with major requirements and courses.

Contact Seventh College Academic Advising for help with college and university requirements or any other academic matters.

After successful completion of at least one quarter:

• Review plans.ucsd.edu and your degree audit (MyTritonLink).
• Use the Academic Planning Worksheet to create a personalized quarter by quarter plan.
• Meet with your department/program advisor to add required major coursework.
• Schedule an appointment with Seventh College Academic Advising to add remaining courses.

Please note: transfer students are able to schedule a long term planning session during their first quarter in order to ensure timely degree completion within two years.

Seventh College’s general education curriculum consists of 14 required courses, some of which are likely to overlap with major coursework. Specifically, students are required to select two courses from each of five different areas:

• Arts
• Humanities
• Natural Sciences and Engineering
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Social Sciences

Additional requirements include Synthesis 1, Synthesis 2, and Synthesis 100, all offered exclusively to Seventh College students. Synthesis 1 and 2 are writing-intensive, while Synthesis 100 is project-based.

The High-Impact requirement is satisfied by completing one course (2-4 units) selected from a variety of engaging experiential learning options (e.g. internship, mentored research, study abroad). 

General education requirements vary depending on a transfer student's particular academic background.

Refer to the Degree Requirements for Transfer Students page for details and contact Seventh College Academic Advising with any questions or concerns.

It is possible for major requirements to overlap with the Alternatives and High-Impact requirements. 

Synthesis courses are specific to Seventh College and cannot overlap with other requirements.

Research shows that students benefit more from their general education coursework when they take these courses throughout their college career. For this reason, we encourage students to spread out their general education coursework.

However, students at Seventh College are free to take their general education courses whenever they want, with the exception of Synthesis 100, which requires junior or senior standing.

The UC San Diego college system combines the academic advantages of a large research university with the finest features of a small liberal arts college. Each undergraduate college has its own residential neighborhood, general education curriculum, support services, and distinctive traditions. 

Seventh College GE requirements encourage students to approach large-scale, global issues from an interdisciplinary perspective and to enhance their academic and real-world skills through research, internships, and study abroad.

AP/IB credit may satisfy degree requirements. Please refer to Seventh College’s AP and IB charts for details. There is no limit to the amount of credit you can receive from AP/IB scores. 

Be aware of the following important deadlines:

• Thursday of Week 2 - automatic waitlists close
• Friday of Week 2 - deadline to add classes 
• Friday of Week 4 -  deadline to drop classes without “W” grade  
• Friday of Week 6 - deadline to drop with “W” grade and deadline to change grading option

The process for changing your major depends on your current student status and the type of major.

• If you are a continuing student, you can change your major any time via the Major/Minor tool
• If you are an incoming student, you will be able to change your major via the Major/Minor tool once you have enrolled in Fall Quarter courses
• If you are interested in a selective major outside of your current department/program, you will be redirected to the Selective Majors Application 

Some majors at UC San Diego are selective, which means enrollment in the major is restricted due to high demand. If you were not accepted to the major upon admission to UC San Diego, you will need to apply sometime after you arrive on campus.

Every selective major has its own admissions requirements, so it is important to contact the major department or program directly to ask about the application process. We recommend exploring alternative majors since admission into a selective major is not guaranteed.