Frequently Asked Questions

You need at least 120 earned units to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

 A maximum of 70 units from a community college can count toward the 120-unit requirement.
At least 50 units must come from a 4-year college or university, or from AP, CLEP, or IB exam credit.

You must complete at least 40 upper-division units [pdf] total.

• Bachelor of Arts (BA): At least 12 upper-division units
• Bachelor of Science (BS): At least 18 upper-division units

You must complete at least 30 units at SJSU.

Within those 30 units:

• 24 units must be upper division
• 12 units must be in your major
• 9 units must be upper-division General Education (GE)
• Only upper-division GE (Areas B, C, D) taken at SJSU (or another CSU) can count toward the 9 upper-division GE units.

AP, CLEP, and IB credit do not count toward the residency requirement.

You must have a minimum 2.0 GPA in all of the following:

• SJSU cumulative GPA
• All college GPA
• Major GPA

Yes. You can use Grade Forgiveness for up to 16 units total. Any repeated courses beyond that will not replace your original grade.

Some requirements were temporarily suspended during Fall 2020 through Spring 2021 due to COVID-19. These exceptions do not apply outside of those terms.

You must complete at least 6 upper-division units for a minor at SJSU.

Grades are calculated on a 0.0 to 4.0 scale. No grade can be lower than 0.0 or higher than 4.0.

No. Upper-division GE credit must come from upper-division courses.

Course-to-course articulation does not always meet GE articulation. Course equivalencies apply to major course requirements only. Students will need to file a petition to request for GE equivalency.

Matriculated undergraduate students who have taken a non-articulated course that may satisfy requirements of a particular General Education or American Institutions area, will need file a petition with Undergraduate Education for review and acceptance of the course for a GE area.

Yes. Students may take courses outside of SJSU. After completing the courses, students must submit an official transcript to SJSU to have the credits transferred.

Yes, you may retake a failed course at a community college. However, the grade will not replace your SJSU grade. Grade forgiveness only applies to courses repeated at SJSU. 

Students who have been matriculated at SJSU for at least one semester, who have fewer than 60 units earned at the time of registration, and would like to register for SJSU Studies and 100W courses that require upper division standing, will need to file a petition. Students must complete the Enroll in SJSU Studies and 100W with Less than 60 Units Petition. If approved, students are eligible to enroll on the first day of instruction with an add code.

SJSU Studies are the upper division GE areas: UD 2/5 (R), UD 3 (V), and UD 4 (S).  Students must have earned at least 60 units in order to take the upper division GE courses.

The GWAR requirement may be satisfied (not waived) at another CSU campus or by approval of a Writing in the Discipline (100W) Petition. The 100W course can be waived if a student scored an 11 or 12 on their Writing Skills Test (WST) and if the student's major permits a waiver. 

Please note: WST exam is no longer offered at SJSU.

No, waivers or substitutions allowed for Area 6 (F) courses (per CSU General Education Breadth Requirements).  Courses need to be passed with a "C- or better" at SJSU. 

Students who took Area 6 (F) outside of SJSU and received a grade below a "C-" can petitioned to use the grade by emailing [email protected]. 

No. Courses must be officially certified for GE and match SJSU’s GE area requirements.
Courses from SJSU, another CSU, or a California Community College may not count if they are:

• Not GE-certified, or
• Certified in a different GE area than SJSU’s

No. Graduating senior status alone is not a valid reason to waive academic or graduation requirements.

Students can submit a petition to appeal such decisions under Presidential Directive 2009-05 [pdf]. Please see the Appeal a Presidential Directive 2009-05 Decision Petition for more information. 

Not necessarily. Participating in the ceremony does not mean you have completed all degree requirements. You officially graduate only when your degree is posted to your student record.

Please visit the Registrar's website for more information.

Students may check if their degree has been awarded by logging onto MySJSU to view their unofficial transcript. If your degree has been awarded, it will say "Requirements completed for Degree of BS/BA/BFA".

Official proof of graduation is the student's official transcript stating that the degree has been conferred, which can be requested as soon as the degree is posted on the unofficial transcript.  

Yes, but it is not recommended. Students may apply for graduation and finish degree requirements through Open University if they are in Good Standing or on Academic Notice. In some cases, students who have already completed all degree requirements may submit a graduation application as a matriculated student (check with the Registrar’s Office).

However, students are not eligible to apply for graduation through Open University if they:

1. Need to take supervised courses (OU students cannot enroll in these)
2. Have a major, SJSU, or overall GPA below 2.0
3. Are in Disqualified academic standing (reinstatement is required first)
4. Have never been matriculated at SJSU (must be formally admitted and attend at least one semester as a matriculated student)
5. Are not ready to graduate (reapplying for admission is recommended)

If you’re unsure whether Open University is right for your situation, it’s best to check with the Registrar’s Office or an academic advisor.

CSU rules allow a maximum of 24 OU units to count toward the minimum 120 units needed for a baccalaureate degree without the need for a petition. 

Students will need to submit the Open University Coursework to Satisfy Graduation Requirements Petition to have excess units (over 24) be counted towards a baccalaureate degree. There is no limit on the number of OU units that can be approved via the petition. If all other requirements for graduation have been met, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education or the University Registrar can approve excess units needed to satisfy residency, baccalaureate requirements, or upper division credits. 

No, Grade Forgiveness only applies to courses for which both attempts were taken at SJSU. For more information, please visit the Grade Forgiveness page in the SJSU catalog. 

Yes, if the course is articulated with (equivalent to) our SJSU course, it will be given grade forgiveness; otherwise, the grades will be averaged. For more information, please see CSU Fully Online.

California Promise is a program to help freshmen graduate in four years and transfers graduate in two years. For more information, please visit the California Promise webpage. 

Yes, if core GE requirements were completed before breaking continuous enrollment, you can petition to return to the earlier GE pattern. It's best to do this when you apply for graduation.

• GE Pattern Fall 2021-Spring 2025,
• Fall 2020 term is use for GE pattern Fall 2019-Spring 2021,
• GE Pattern Fall 2018-Spring 2019 - catalog term of when GE was completed will be used,
• for GE Pattern Spring 2018 & Earlier - catalog term of when GE was completed will be used.

If you have been continuously enrolled from a community college, you can also ask your advisor to update your University Requirements catalog rights via "Advisor Request.

No. Departments cannot require a grade higher than a “C” for university or graduation requirements.

The Interdisciplinary Studies BA/BS is designed for situations in which an existing SJSU undergraduate degree major does not adequately accommodate academic professional aims.

In consultation with the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, a student may create an individually designed, interdisciplinary course of study leading to a BA or BS Interdisciplinary Studies degree. The Interdisciplinary Studies allows a student to fulfill specific educational objectives when existing majors do not exist for the accomplishment of those goals. 

The Interdisciplinary Studies Guidelines provide specific information about how to apply for the program. 

The diploma and transcript will contain the title, "Interdisciplinary Studies", followed by the exact title of the major listed on the Change of Major Form.

The answer depends on your circumstances:

A) If you are planning to return to SJSU as a regularly enrolled student, the answer is yes. Students will need to submit an application for admission through Cal State Apply after their disqualification has been cleared. Detailed information and links to the relevant petition can be found on the Registrar's Reinstatement web page. 

B) If all requirements for graduation have been completed, it's not necessary to reapply for admissions to SJSU. However, if you have been disqualified, you must be reinstated in Good Standing prior to submitting your application for graduation.

C) If you are not planning to complete a degree at SJSU, students are not required to reapply for admissions.

Students who "stopped-out/stopped attending for more than two consecutive semester" (on academic notice or good standing) at SJSU and wishing to be matriculated back to SJSU, and are otherwise eligible for admissions as an upper division student, need to apply for admissions through Cal State Apply.

Reinstatement petitions are only for those students that were disqualified from SJSU.

Students who are eligible for reinstatement should petition for their intended major, which may or may not be the major when they were disqualified from SJSU. Students do not have to be reinstated back to their original major unless it remains their intended major. Reinstatement petitions require signatures and recommendations from the major department, and the College Associate Dean of the intended major. The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education signature is only required when then the student's GPA is below a 2.0 or the student selected one of the categories that require their signature.

Departments and/or colleges may have their own criteria for Academic Notice and Disqualification for their majors (though many do not). Many departments will give a student a "To-Do List" to complete, with specific steps that a student needs to take in order to be (re)accepted into the original major or a new intended major. 

We encourage these students to contact us at [email protected]

No other form is required to be completed. 

Students need to reapply for admissions to SJSU if they stopped attending SJSU for two or more consecutive semesters or following an approved reinstatement (after disqualification).

Please note that SJSU is currently not accepting lower division transfer students and upper-division students as Undeclared. Reinstated students need to complete a minimum of 60 semester units (90 quarter units) before they can re-apply for admissions. Please visit the SJSU Admissions website for more information.

In order to be eligible for readmission after a two or more consecutive semester "stopped-out"  or being disqualified, students must:

1. have an all college GPA that is 2.0 or better; and
2. have earned 60 or more semester units (90 quarter units); and
3. satisfied the four basic skill courses with grades of "C-" or better in each.
   • Oral Communication I
   • Written Communication
   • Critical Thinking and Writing
   • Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

SJSU cumulative GPA (SJSU CUM GPA) determines Academic Standing (e.g., Good Standing, Academic Notice (formerly Probation), or Disqualification status). All College GPA determines admissions and/or (re)admissions to SJSU. 

Writing Skills Test (WST) is no longer required.

For first baccalaureate students at SJSU, successful completion of the GWAR means: passing a 100W course with a  grade of "C or better".

Students are encourage to take the Online WST Directed Self-Placement (WST-DSP) 

Writing Skills Test (WST) is no longer required.

Writing Skills Test (WST) is no longer required.

The Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement (UDW-DSP) is an online exercise designed to help you place yourself in the upper-division writing course that is appropriate for you. The UDW-DSP is NOT a test. In the exercise, you will learn about the two upper-division writing courses available to you – 100A and 100W – and will answer questions to help you determine which course is right for you. The exercise only takes about 10-15 minutes. More information can be found on the Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement page.

No, the UDW-DSP is only highly recommended to help students identify which upper-division writing course fits best with their writing level. More information can be found on the Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement page.

All the information about the online UDW-DSP, and the link to complete it, can be found on the UDW-DSP page. After completion, processing will take approximately 1-2 business days to appear on your MySJSU Portal.

No, the UDW-DSP is not an admissions requirement. It is simply a tool to help you identify which upper-division writing course fits best with your writing level. More information can be found on the Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement page.

Log into your MySJSU Portal. Select the "General Info" tab located next to the "Student Center" tab on the top bar. If you have completed the UDW-DSP, you should be able to see it under "Student Groups". If you still have questions, send an email to the Undergraduate Education Office at [email protected]. You must include your student ID number. 

Yes! Please contact the Undergraduate Education Office at [email protected] and we can help you make the best choice for you. 

A good place to start is the SJSU catalog. Look up the catalog page for your major or the roadmap for your major. Either of these should tell you which 100W course is appropriate. If you can’t find the information in the catalog, run your MyProgress, which should list the approved 100W courses for your major. If you still can’t find the information, an academic advisor in your college or department can tell you which 100W course you need for your major.

That said, if you are under a time-crunch to complete the UDW-DSP because your enrollment date is here or almost here, then you may select a 100W course from the drop-down list (at the end of the exercise) that most closely relates to your major. That way, you can complete the UDW-DSP and enroll in your courses for the next semester. If it turns out that you need a different 100W course than the one you selected in the exercise, that’s OK.  Your course selection in the UDW-DSP does not determine which 100W course you are eligible to enroll in. In other words, you are free to enroll in any 100W course you like, regardless of which course you selected in the UDW-DSP. 

No, if you decide to participate in the UDW-DSP, you only need to complete the exercise one time. 

The UDW-DSP is not a test and there is no score or result to receive. It is an exercise designed to help students place themselves in the appropriate writing course (100A or 100W). At the end of the UDW-DSP, you were asked to choose the writing course that you felt was right for you. That is the "result" and the course you enroll in. 

The paper you upload in the UDW-DSP does not have to be a research paper in genre; it can be any paper you wrote at any college that simply uses sources. It can be from any course, on any subject. If you do not have a single paper that meets these criteria, you will need to write a short one to upload in the UDW-DSP. 

You are free to enroll in any 100W course you like, or 100A, regardless of which course you selected in the UDW-DSP. In other words, your course selection at the end of the UDW-DSP does not determine your enrollment for the upcoming semester.

This could mean that you still have yet to complete 60 units to put you at Upper-Division Standing. You could submit an Enroll in SJSU Studies and 100W with less than 60 Units Petition if you're eligible. More information on this petition can be found on the Undergraduate Education Petitions page. If you still have questions, contact the Undergraduate Education Office at [email protected] (make sure to include your student ID #).

Concurrently, contact an academic advisor in your department or college. Chances are, if you’ve completed the UDW-DSP and you are getting a requisite error message, then you have not met one (or more) of the other prerequisites for the course. An academic advisor can help you determine what prerequisite/s you are missing.