Major Appeals Process

One of the most common questions we receive in our advising office relates to what happens if a student does not meet the 3.0 pre-major GPA requirement. Historically, we have not publicized much about our appeal process or requirements, but due to some recent changes, we want to make it very clear what makes a student eligible to appeal. 

Although we have made changes to appeal eligibility requirements, at this time we do still have an appeal process. For those of you who may fall into this situation, please read the following requirements very clearly. Please note that submitting an appeal is NOT a guarantee of admission into the major!!

1. Students with a pre-major GPA between a 2.85 and a 2.99 will qualify for an appeal. Students with a pre-major GPA lower than a 2.85 will NOT have the option to appeal and need to seek advising in the College of Letters and Science to select a new major. 

2. If a student has repeated any of our pre-major requirements, they will not be eligible to appeal, regardless of pre-major GPA. Please note that withdrawing from a course and then taking it again is not considered a repeat.

3. Pre-Comm transfer students who began at UCSB with only ONE pre-major course to complete will have the option to appeal ONLY if they earn a B- in that course (2.7 pre-major GPA). A grade of a C+ or lower does NOT grant them the same option. Transfer students who began at UCSB with 2 or more pre-comm courses to complete will be held to the standard 2.85 - 2.99 pre-major GPA appeal range.

4. In order for a student to be notified of their option to appeal, they MUST have a Change of Major Petition on file with the advising office. This is typically done in the quarter that you are enrolled in your last pre-major course. Please see instructions for completing your Change of Major Petition in our Pre-Comm FAQ https://www.comm.ucsb.edu/undergrad/faq/pre-comm  The entire appeals process banks on the fact that your petition is on file in the undergraduate advising office.

5. We will email specific instructions regarding the process students that we know are eligible to appeal (typically within one week of final grades coming out). It is the responsibility of each student to check their umail account regularly. After appeal notifications are sent out, students have one week to return their written appeal electronically. If a student does not appeal during the allotted time window, they will forfeit their opportunity altogether. We do not accept late appeals. 

Again, being granted the option to appeal is not a guarantee of admission into the major! Students that fall into the appeal category are advised to enroll in coursework toward another major in the event that their appeal is denied so that they do not delay their graduation. We do not advise students who have an appeal pending to enroll in any upper-division Comm courses, because in the event the appeal is denied, it is unlikely those courses will count toward your graduation requirements. Please note that positive performance in upper-division Comm courses does not weigh into the committee's appeal decision because it is advised against. We hope that publicizing our appeals process will help you plan for the future accordingly. 

Feel free to contact the Undergraduate Advising Office with any questions.

If you did not complete the change of major petition prior to the completion of your last pre-comm course, and you later discover that you are eligible for an appeal, it is at the discretion of the advising office to offer you the option to appeal. If you miss the appeal review window (one week after the end of the quarter), you may have to wait for the next quarter for your appeal to be reviewed.