Sophomore Advising

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

To reference all the important registration deadlines, please visit the Registrar’s Fall 2025 Important Dates.

Tuesday, September 16, 2025

To reference all the important registration deadlines, please visit the Registrar’s Fall 2025 Important Dates.

Step 1: Identify which minor you would like to declare. You can check a list of available minors in the SJSU's Catalog.

Step 2: Make sure to meet with your Student Academic Success Specialist to identify if the units will affect your degree progress. 

Step 3: Meet with an advisor within the department that offers the minor to discuss the requirements and any additional steps you need to take to formally declare.

Freshmen - 1-29 earned units 

Sophomore - 30-59 earned units 

Junior - 60-89 earned units 

Senior - 90+ earned units 

An undergraduate student who enrolls in 12 or more units is classified as full-time for the purposes of financial aid.

An average unit load of at least 30 units per academic year (15 units per semester without summer or winter coursework) is required to complete an undergraduate degree in four years.

Lower-division courses: #1-99. (example: AFAM 22, ECON 1B)

Upper-division courses: #100-199. (example: AFAM 152, ECON 100W)

In order to enroll in SJSU Studies (upper-division GE, SJSU R, S, V and Z) you will need to:

1. Complete all core GEs
2. Complete the Upper-Division Writing Directed Self Placement (UDW DSP)
3. Be in Upper-division standing (have earned at least 60 units)

Schedule an appointment with a Student Academic Success Specialist to determine what options would be best considering their specific circumstances. Some things to consider:

1. Determine what minimum grade is needed to pass the course. Some courses can be passed with a "D-" or better, while other courses need a "C" or better to receive credit for the degree requirement.
2. Determine how the course will affect your GPA. In order to be in Good Academic Standing, you need to earn at least an SJSU cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Use a GPA Calculator.  
3. If a student has experienced serious and compelling circumstances that impacted their ability to pass a course, consider submitting a retroactive drop/withdrawal petition. For this option, you must meet with your Advisor first.
4. Students can consider repeating the course(s). If a student is repeating a course for the first time, enrollment will begin on the date listed on the Registrar's Calendar. Please review the repeat and grade forgiveness policy for more information.

You will be notified of your academic standing (either continued academic notice, or disqualification).

University electives are any units that students must complete if their General Education (GE), university, and major/minor requirements do not add up to the required 120 units needed to earn a bachelors degree. University electives can be any lower or upper-division course of your choice. As long as you meet the prerequisites for the class, you can count it as a university elective course.

There is no specific list of what counts as a university elective as they are different for each student. We recommend you meet with an CoSS SSC advisor and Major Advisor to determine your estimated university elective units.

(example): Communications, BA degree

47 units = GEs + University Graduation requirements

42 units = Major requirements

___________________

= 89 units Total

120 units minus 89 units = 31 university elective units needed

(example): Communications, BA degree with Public Relations minor

47 units = GEs + University Graduation requirements

42 units = Major requirements

18 units = Minor requirements

___________________

= 107 units Total

120 units minus 107 units = 13 university elective units needed