Your First Year at Cal Poly - Office of the Registrar - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Google Tag Manager Cal Poly Global Site Tag * Skip to Content * ? * Current Students * Prospective Students * Parents * Alumni my CalPoly login * Contact * * Office of the Registrar Cal Poly and Cal Poly Maritime Academy * Home Registrar Home CLOSE MENU * Plan Your Degree Tools and Resources * Upcoming Training Opportunities * Degree Flowcharts and Curriculum Sheets * Degree Planner * Degree Progress Report * Minors * Change your major * First Year at Cal Poly * Returning Former Students * Double Major * College Advising Centers * Courses-Term Typically Offered Academic Requirements * Catalog * Course Descriptions * GE 2026 Guide * US Cultural Pluralism (USCP) * Graduation Writing Requirement * The American Experience (D1) * Minimum GPA * Academic Residence Other Types of Credit * AP/IB/CLEP Credit * Transfer Credit * Study Abroad * Military Credit (DD214) * Credit By Examination Graduation * Graduation * Commencement * Diplomas CLOSE MENU * Register For Classes Registration Information * Enrollment Appointments * Newly Admitted First-Year Students * Newly Admitted Transfer Students * CSU Fully Online * Academic Progress Gauge * Tuition and Fees * Graduate Students * Leave of Absence * Withdrawal * Degree Planner How to Register * Registration Overview * How to Register with Schedule Builder * Student Center * Class Search * Degree Progress Report (DPR) Resources and Tools * AP/IB/CLEP Credit * Grades * Credit / No Credit Grading Information (CR/NC) * Transfer Credits * Repeating a Course * Special Topic Courses * Summer at Cal Poly * College Advising Centers CLOSE MENU * Student Records Student Records Overview * Transcripts * Grades * Transfer Credits * Dean’s List and Honors * Diplomas Enrollment * Enrollment Verification * Returning Students * Leave of Absence * Withdrawal * Academic Probation and Disqualification Records Resources * Student Privacy (FERPA) * Cheating and Plagiarism Veterans * Veteran Services CLOSE MENU * Forms Forms * Student Forms * Faculty Forms CLOSE MENU * Calendars Calendars * Current Academic Year * All Calendars Academic Year * 2024-2025 Summer through Spring * 2025-2026 Summer through Spring * 2026-2027 Summer through Summer * Calendar Guidelines Important Schedules * Enrollment Schedules * Planning Calendars * Final Exam Schedules CLOSE MENU * Faculty and Staff Curriculum * Courses-Term Typically Offered * Courses Approved for Online Delivery * Topic Courses * Curriculum Handbook * Updates to the Current Catalog * Articulation Academic Scheduling * CourseLeaf CLSS FAQ * Virtual Instruction * Academic Scheduling Overview * Approved Scheduling Time Patterns * Final Exam Schedule * University Lecture Rooms * Resources for Department Schedulers Event Scheduling * University Events: Master Calendar * Facilities and Event Request Form Resources * Upcoming Training Opportunities * Enrollment Monitoring * Summits and Open Forums * Training Guides * Academic Forms * FERPA * Academic Policies * Using Adobe Sign * Student Communications Calendar * Faculty and Staff Communications Calendar CLOSE MENU * Contact Contact Listing CLOSE MENU Your First Year at Cal Poly Newly Admitted Transfer Students Newly admitted transfer students to the San Luis Obispo and Solano campus will not receive a schedule of classes from the Office of the Registrar. Please refer to the Newly Admitted Transfer Students page for information regarding transfer credit and how to enroll in courses. The information below applies only to newly admitted first-year students. Newly Admitted First-Year Students What is a Block Schedule? Cal Poly's Office of the Registrar will enroll first-time first-year students at the San Luiso Obispo and Solano campuses in a full-time  (12 units) schedule in fall term and a partial schedule in the spring term. Your schedule is created with the following in mind: * Your academic history (e.g., AP exam credit, transfer credit) * Your official scores and official transcripts need to be received by July 1 . Any work received after this deadline may not be considered for your block schedule. * Degree Flowchart and Curriculum Sheet of your major (in collaboration with your major) * Extracurricular obligations and future academic goals * General Education (GE) area preferences from the New Student Survey (was sent to you after your admission) Block Schedule Information Step 1: Find your block schedule Once your block schedule is finalized, log into your My Cal Poly Portal. Click on your " Student Center " under the "My Apps" section: In your Student Center, click on "My Schedule" to view the courses you are enrolled in. Be sure to select the correct term from the drop-down menu. Step 2: Determine how your classes will count towards your degree The Degree Progress Report (DPR) will show how your units count toward your degree (Directions on the degree progress report) . Use the DPR to check off the courses you have completed (green check mark) on both your curriculum sheet and your flowchart. Pick the Academics tab Pick Curriculum sheet Print   Open your curriculum sheet and flowchart. If possible, print both . * On your curriculum sheet, circle the classes that you see on your block schedule. Reference your DPR (directions above) or find the specific course on your curriculum sheet from catalog.calpoly.edu and search for the course under, “Courses A-Z.” * It is okay if your fall block schedule does not perfectly match the first term of your flowchart. There are limited seats in some classes, and the block scheduling team chooses available classes from your first year on the flowchart to ensure you have a full-time schedule in the fall. Step 3: Understand timeline of dates and deadlines Use the Enrollment Appointments and Planning Calendar found on the Office of the Registrar website to find out more about registration timelines. Key Dates and Deadlines in the Student Planning Calendar * Block Schedules finalized * Incoming first-year student registration ( Round 1 ) ( Find student enrollment appointment calendar here ) * Open Enrollment for all Cal Poly students (begin and end dates) * First day of classes * Last day to enroll without a permission number * Last day to enroll with a permission number * Add/Drop Deadlines ( Add/Drop Period ) Step 4: Run your Degree Progress Report (DPR) and contact an advisor with your questions Prior to the start of the fall term, it is highly recommended that you run your Degree Progress Report (DPR) to determine which degree requirements you have already met (via AP credit, transfer credit, etc.) and which degree requirements you will be completing via your block schedule. For instructions and examples, refer to the Degree Progress Report Guide . Ideally, you should run your DPR prior to and immediately after registration each term. Familiarizing yourself with your DPR will help keep you on track during your time at Cal Poly. Once you have reviewed both your block schedule and your DPR, please contact the Mustang Success Center with any additional questions regarding your block schedule.* * *If you have already made significant progress toward your degree completion prior to your admittance to Cal Poly (via AP credits, transfer credits, etc.), you may receive a schedule with less than full time (12 units) coursework during fall term. To enroll in a full-time course load, contact the Mustang Success Center for additional feedback on what recommended courses you should enroll in during the fall term. Fall Block Schedule Information Full-time schedule During your fall term, you will be enrolled in a full time schedule (minimum 12 units), decided by your Major Department and the Office of the Registrar. This will make you a full-time student enrolled in a full-time course load of degree-applicable classes (major, support, and GE).* * *If you have already made significant progress toward your degree completion prior to your admittance to Cal Poly (via AP credits, transfer credits, etc.), you may receive a fall schedule with less than full time (12 units) coursework. To enroll in a full-time course load, contact the Mustang Success Center for additional feedback on what recommended courses you should enroll in during the fall term. Math placement Cal Poly data shows students are coming to Cal Poly with the necessary knowledge to be successful in the course they are placed in based off of their Advanced Placement/Transfer Credit. Course descriptions on what content is covered in Math courses can be found at catalog.calpoly.edu . Search under "Courses A-Z" and by MATH or MTH. Read more about selecting your math course on the Math Department Website . If you are still wary of the Math course you are placed in, contact the Mustang Success Center to discuss how it will affect your degree progress. Students can make changes to their class schedule during the add/drop period. This means you should wait to attend the class the first week and then make a better assessment on taking the course. Medical school or another health profession information If you indicated you are considering a health profession graduate program in the New Student Survey, your plans were taken into account when your block schedule was created. Consider visiting the pre-health advising page. Flowchart vs schedule you received Some students may be alarmed if the classes they received for fall term do not match their flowchart. For most majors, the flowchart is just one way students can complete their degree, so if you are not enrolled in any or all of the classes, please read all the way through before feeling alarmed. Classes are chosen based on many factors, including AP/IB credit, transfer credit, course availability, GE area preference (from survey), extra-curricular obligations, and future academic goals. The flowchart is a tool for students to see how they can complete their degree requirements. It takes into considerations the prerequisites of courses and provides an order in which courses can be taken. The prerequisites can be found underneath each course. When looking at your flowchart, make sure you are enrolled in the necessary prerequisites to progress in your major courses. If you are not enrolled for a prerequisite course for a major course that you will be taking next term, then you can contact the Mustang Success Center to see if this is of concern. Otherwise, you were block enrolled into degree applicable classes and can enroll for courses that are listed during the first year later in your Cal Poly career. Changing your block schedule Your academic department carefully selected the courses in your block schedule. All of the courses are recommended to be taken during your first year. Most students do not need to make changes to their block schedule. We discourage first-year students from adjusting their schedules unless they experience one of the approved reasons listed below: Approved reasons to make a change to your block schedule: * You are not enrolled in enough units and want to enroll in additional courses * Your department recommends you add an additional course * You were placed in a class that you already received credit for (AP/IB or community college credit) Reasons NOT to make a change to your block schedule * You don't like the time the course is offered * You don't want to take that many units * You don't want to be in your major We understand that there can be a variety of personal reasons a student may desire to change their schedule. If you want to discuss the possibility of making changes to your block schedule, please do the following: * Check your Student Center for your registration appointment. Each new student will have a scheduled time when they can begin making changes to their schedule. * Talk to an advisor at the Mustang Success Center * Review information on how the registration system works Spring Block Schedule Partial block schedule During the spring term of your first year at Cal Poly, you will be blocked into a partial schedule, based on your current academic progress and critical first-year classes that are required. The block schedules for spring will contain critical first year major/support classes as well as certain General Education courses (GE Area 1 and GE Area 6). Many students will not receive a full block schedule and will be required to supplement their schedule to be full time. Changing your block schedule Adding to your block schedule Please refer to your degree flowchart to determine which additional classes to add to your schedule for the spring term. Before choosing your classes for spring, you are encouraged to view your Degree Progress Report to verify which degree requirements you have completed and which ones are still remaining. If you have credit for or have taken all of the recommended classes in your first year before the year ends, you are encouraged to choose from classes recommended for your second year. Review information on how the registration system works . Approved reasons to make a change to your block schedule * You are not enrolled in enough units * You were placed in a class that you already received credit for Reasons NOT to make a change to your block schedule * You don't like the time the course is offered * You don't want to take that many units * You don't want to be in your major Did not receive a block schedule If you do not see a block schedule for spring in your Student Center, this most likely means that your major has not prescribed any specific classes for you for the spring term. In this case, please use your Degree Flowchart and your Degree Progress Report to pick the classes in which you wish to enroll. You can also reach out to an advisor to help you with this process. If you have a hold on your account, you will not receive a block schedule. Likewise, if you do receive a schedule and then the hold is placed, you will not be able to make edits until the hold is cleared. You are responsible for clearing the hold(s) on your account by the deadline listed in the Planning Calendar . Typically, students might have holds on their accounts for the following reasons: * Outstanding tuition/fees * Missing required immunizations Medical school or another health profession Plan to meet with a Pre-Health peer advisor during your first term at Cal Poly to plan the appropriate future course prerequisites for your spring term. If you want look at what classes you might take in future terms for certain careers, check out the Pre-Health advising website . More questions can be emailed to: [email protected] . Topics to Consider with Block Scheduling Advanced Placement (AP) | International Baccalaureate (IB) Scores Process * Submit your Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam scores by July 1 to have the transfer credit considered for your fall block schedule. Scores can still be submitted after July 1 for credit; however, they may not be taken into account in your fall block schedule. * Official AP scores must be requested from College Board, using the Cal Poly AP school code of 4038. * IB transcripts may be requested from IB North America by email: [email protected], or by phone: (212) 696-4464. * Confirm that your exam scores were received in your Poly Profile * Go to your My Cal Poly Portal ( my.calpoly.edu ) and click the “Poly Profile” tab at the top of the portal landing page * Once you have reached your Poly Profile, scroll down to the Test Credit box. * Learn what you got credit for. Use your Degree Progress Report (DPR) to review how your transfer credit is applied to your course requirements (indicated by the green arrow symbol) * Review the DPR Guide to learn how to access and interpret your DPR * Review the How To Use Your Degree Progress Report video Supportive videos/websites * Review what each AP and IB exam gets credit for at Cal Poly. Be sure to check based on the year that the exam was taken  * Review Transfer Credit Basics video * More information about sending AP and IB scores to Cal Poly * Sending AP scores from College Board Community College | Other University Credit  Process * Submit your college or dual enrollment transcripts by July 1 to have transfer credit considered for your fall schedule. Transcripts can be submitted after July 1 for credit; however, they may not be taken into account on your fall block schedule. All college credit needs to be sent from the college where the class was hosted (including dual enrollment credit). * Confirm that your transcripts were received and processed on your Poly Profile. * Go to your My Cal Poly Portal ( my.calpoly.edu ) and click the “Poly Profile” tab at the top of the portal landing page * Once you have reached your Poly Profile, scroll down to the Higher Ed Credits box. * Learn what you got credit for by checking your Degree Progress Report (DPR) to review how your transfer credit has been applied to your course requirements (indicated by a green arrow symbol) * Review the DPR Guide to learn how to access and interpret your DPR * Review the How to Use Your Degree Progress Report Video Supportive videos/documents * Review Transfer Credit website * More information about the evaluation of transfer credit Change of major All students are required to complete one term at Cal Poly before they can start the process to change majors. Visit the change of major website to understand how the process works. There might be some classes you can take that will double count for your current major and the prospective major you would like to complete. Contact the Mustang Success Center to discuss the best plan for course s