Yes, most colleges let you change your catalog year, but almost always only to a newer one, only with approval, and only when it helps you. You usually can’t go back to a catalog from before you enrolled. The request typically runs through your academic advisor, and your college or registrar signs off. Before you ask, compare what you still need to finish under both catalogs, because a switch can add courses as easily as remove them.
This guide explains how the process generally works, what to compare first, and how to avoid an extra semester. Rules differ by school, so treat the examples below as patterns and confirm yours with your registrar.
TL;DR
- Your catalog year is the set of degree requirements you are held to, and it is normally the year you first enrolled.
- Many schools allow a move to a newer catalog if it benefits you and your college approves. Moving to a year before you enrolled is generally not allowed.
- Changing your major, minor or certificate can pull you into a newer catalog automatically at some schools.
- Compare your remaining courses under both catalogs before you submit anything, and check the effect on financial aid.
- Always verify with your official degree audit, the university catalog, the registrar and your advisor.
Table of Contents
- What a catalog year actually controls
- Can you change your catalog year?
- Why students change catalog years
- When a major change forces the move
- How to request a catalog year change
- What to compare before you switch
- Will it affect financial aid or cost?
- Common mistakes to avoid
- A note for UCLA, UCI, USC and CSULB students
- Our perspective
- Plan the comparison before you meet your advisor
- FAQ
- Sources
What a catalog year actually controls
Your catalog year is the academic year whose published requirements apply to your degree. At Utah State, for example, the catalog year is the academic year of initial undergraduate enrollment, and it designates the degree requirements and policies that apply. The University of Delaware describes it the same way: it is typically assigned when you first enroll and serves as the benchmark for your degree audit.
Why does that matter? Curricula change. A department may add a required course, drop a lab, or rewrite its general education rules. Your catalog year protects you from those moves midstream. If you want the full background, we cover it in our catalog year meaning guide.
It also explains why changing it is a real decision. You are not just updating a field in a portal. You are swapping one rulebook for another.
Can you change your catalog year?
Often, yes, with conditions. Here are the patterns that show up across schools.
Forward only. At Delaware, undergraduates may move to a more recent catalog year if it benefits them and their college approves, but cannot move to a year before they matriculated or were readmitted.
Within a time window. Boise State says students may follow a catalog that was in force while they were enrolled and no older than six academic years at graduation. Utah State requires baccalaureate requirements to be completed within seven years; students past that follow the oldest active catalog at graduation.
After a long break. At Utah State, students readmitted after three or more years away, or after an academic pause, follow the catalog in effect when they return. If you stopped out, expect a new catalog year to be assigned.
Mix and match at some schools. At UC Santa Cruz, students may follow different catalog years for their college, major and minor requirements at the same time instead of one catalog for everything. That is not a universal option, so ask whether your school allows it.
Why students change catalog years
Most requests come from a handful of situations:
- A newer catalog removed a requirement. A course you haven’t taken may no longer be required, or a prerequisite chain got shorter.
- Your major moved. You switched or added a program, and the old catalog no longer covers it.
- You want a newer general education model that accepts credits you already hold, such as AP or dual enrollment.
- A required course is no longer offered, so the old plan can’t be completed on schedule.
When a major change forces the move
You don’t always get a choice. At Utah State, changing a major, minor or certificate means adopting the catalog requirements in effect at the time of the change. Bethany College works similarly: adding a major, minor or certificate that wasn’t in your original catalog requires moving all of your programs to a newer catalog.
That means a major change can quietly reset your general education and minor requirements too. Before you file the paperwork, map the new plan. Our guide on planning a major change to protect your aid walks through that step by step.
How to request a catalog year change
The exact form varies, but the path is similar nearly everywhere.
- Pull your current degree audit. Note what is complete, in progress and remaining.
- Find the newer catalog. Most schools archive each year’s catalog on the registrar or academic affairs site.
- Compare requirements side by side. Major, minor, general education and any university-wide rules.
- Meet with your advisor. At Delaware, the form is advisor-initiated, submitted through the Advisor Center, and a newer catalog year requires college approval. Walsh University requires approval from both the academic advisor and the division chair or dean.
- Get confirmation. Some schools send the student and form originator a copy once it is processed. KU, for example, lists the catalog year process and asks students to meet with advisors about how a change may affect their plan and progress toward graduation. Save that confirmation.
- Re-run your degree audit. Confirm the new requirement term displays and that your completed courses landed where you expected.
Some schools use a registrar online form, others a paper Change of Major form. Search your school’s registrar site for “change of catalog year” to find yours.
What to compare before you switch
This is the step that saves semesters. Put the two catalogs next to each other and check:
| What to compare | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Major courses | New required courses, removed courses, changed prerequisites |
| General education | Different categories, credit totals or approved course lists |
| Minor or certificate | Whether your current one still exists in the same form |
| Credit totals | Total credits to graduate and upper-division minimums |
| Course availability | Whether required courses run every term, or only once a year |
| Special credit | How AP, dual enrollment and transfer credits apply |
Bethany advises students to review all major, minor and general requirements in the newer catalog before deciding. It also notes that when only a few things differ, a department substitution may work better than changing catalog years. Ask your advisor whether a substitution or exception is possible for the one course that bothers you.
Also check what is already locked in. Utah State says verified general education requirements remain fulfilled even after later changes to general education, program of study or catalog expiration. Policies like this differ, so ask whether completed requirements carry over.
A worked example
Say you entered in fall 2023 and are now a junior. Your catalog requires a 4-credit lab course and a statistics class. The newer catalog drops the lab but adds a 3-credit data course, and it changes your general education from six categories to five.
On paper, the newer catalog looks lighter. But if you already finished the lab and four of the six general education categories, the switch saves you little and might reclassify credits you already earned. If you haven’t taken the lab, the switch may save a term of scheduling pressure. The only way to know is to count remaining courses under each version. A planner with a what-if view makes that comparison quick, because you can lay out both paths term by term.
Will it affect financial aid or cost?
It can. Bethany tells students to consider whether extra coursework could extend graduation or push them above the credit hours attempted that count for financial aid. If a newer catalog adds even one required course you can’t fit in your plan, you may need another term.
Two practical habits help:
- Ask your financial aid office whether the change affects your remaining eligible credits or your satisfactory academic progress.
- Count your remaining credits under each catalog and divide by a realistic load. Our pieces on full-time credits for on-time graduation and the semester credit limit help you check whether a plan fits.
If you are comparing options because of timing, see how time to degree usually plays out and where students lose terms.
Common mistakes to avoid
Assuming a newer catalog is easier. It may be, but not by default. Count the courses.
Switching without checking prerequisites. A new required course may have a prerequisite you haven’t taken, which can add a term.
Ignoring the time limit. If you’ve been enrolled a long time, your catalog may expire. Ask your advisor how many years you have and which catalog applies if you pass the limit.
Forgetting transfer, AP and dual enrollment credit. Different catalogs may apply those credits differently. Our guide on maximum transfer credits explains the limits that often matter, and the general education piece covers how gen eds fit into your plan.
Skipping the confirmation. Verify the update shows in your audit, not just in a conversation.
A note for UCLA, UCI, USC and CSULB students
Catalog policies at large campuses can have extra layers, such as separate college, school and major requirements. If you attend UCLA, UCI, USC or CSULB, verify requirements with your official degree audit, the university catalog, the registrar and your advisor before acting on any plan, including one you build in a planning tool.
Our perspective
Most students don’t think about their catalog year until something goes wrong: a course disappears, a major changes, or an audit shows a requirement they didn’t expect. At that point the question is usually urgent and the paperwork feels like a maze.
We built Univyze around a simple idea: you should see your requirements and the real courses that satisfy them in one place. When a catalog change is on the table, that makes the comparison concrete. You can plan term by term, test a what-if scenario for a different major or requirement set, and see where AP credit, dual enrollment, transfer credit and summer sessions might fit.
Univyze is a planning tool, not your official degree audit and not a replacement for your advisor. We think the best advising meetings start with a draft plan in hand, so your advisor spends time on decisions rather than on building the spreadsheet.
Ryan
Plan the comparison before you meet your advisor
A catalog change comes down to arithmetic you can do ahead of time: what’s left under the old rules, what’s left under the new ones, and which path fits your terms. Univyze links degree requirements to real course offerings and builds a term-by-term plan automatically, with what-if planning to test a different major or requirement set. There is a free Starter tier at $0, and paid plans start with Core at $359.40 per year or a one-time $1,095. See current plans and pricing.
We don’t promise course availability, credit acceptance or any outcome, since your school makes those calls. What we offer is clarity so your conversation with your advisor is faster and better prepared. Parents can also get shared visibility into progress. To see how a plan comes together, read our degree audit to planner steps or our guide to building a multi-year degree plan. Ready to try it? Join the Univyze waitlist at univyze.com.
FAQ
Can I change my catalog year to an older one?
Generally no. Delaware, for instance, does not allow a move to a catalog year before you matriculated or were readmitted. Some schools let you follow any catalog in force while you were enrolled, within a time limit, so ask your registrar which applies to you.
Who approves a catalog year change?
Usually your academic advisor starts it and your college, department chair, dean or registrar approves it. Walsh University, for example, requires both the advisor and the division chair or dean. Start with your advisor’s office.
Does changing my major change my catalog year?
At some schools, yes. Utah State applies the catalog in effect when you change a major, minor or certificate, and Bethany may require all programs to move to the newer catalog. Ask before you file a major change, and map your new plan first.
Could a catalog year change delay graduation?
It can if the newer catalog adds courses you still need or affects your credit hours for aid. Compare remaining courses under both catalogs and talk with your advisor and financial aid office. A draft plan makes that easier, and you can join the Univyze waitlist to build one term by term.
Sources
- catalog year | Utah State University Catalog
- Change of Catalog Year Web Form | University of Delaware Registrar
- I Didn’t Know That: Catalog Years | Boise State University
- Catalogue Year | Bethany College
- Catalog Rights | University of California Santa Cruz
- Catalog of Entry and Changing Catalog Year | Walsh University
- Catalog Year | University of Kansas Office of the University Registrar
Recommended
- Catalog Year Meaning: What It Is and Why It Locks In Your Requirements
- Midyear Graduation Planning for U.S. Students: Map Courses by December
- 52 Months, Not Four: Time to Degree Explained for Students & Advisors
- How to Choose Classes That Actually Count Toward Graduation (And Avoid Wasting Time and Money)
