Change of Home Major

There are two application rounds in each academic year, and the application periods are as follows:

Note: Requests must be submitted online via AIMS by the deadlines (at 23:00) specified above, and late requests will not be accepted. Students can view the results of their requests in AIMS and no separate email will be issued to students.

• Eligible students can submit their change of home major application via the online system. The steps are as follows:
  AIMS → Study Plan → Major and Minor Applications → Change of Home Major.
• Details on majors offered by academic units are available on the Programmes and Courses website and the respective academic unit's website. Students are advised to check the information and consult the Major Leader, especially on course requirements for the requested major, before submitting an application.
• For students who are awarded a scholarship for their current programme of study (such as CityU International Student Scholarship, CityU Mainland Student Scholarship, Sports Entrance Scholarship etc.), transferring to another major may affect their eligibility for receiving the scholarship. Hence, before submitting an application, students should ensure that they have obtained approval from the relevant authority (e.g. Student Development Services) to transfer their scholarship to the requested major if the application is successful. Should students need to extend their year of study beyond the normal study period owing to the change of home major, students are obliged to settle the tuition fee and/or other fees for the concerned semester(s)/year(s) on their own.
• Applications for change of home major are considered on a case-by-case basis, and approval from the Head (or his/her delegated authority) of the receiving academic unit offering the major is required.
• For students who are eligible for indicating two choices of major, their application will be considered by both major-offering academic units simultaneously. If only one academic unit has approved the application, the student will be allocated to that major. If both major-offering academic units have approved the application, the student will be allocated to the first choice major.
• The student’s home academic unit can retrieve the information of the student's application for change of home major from AIMS at the application stage, and of the application result when it is available.

• For approved change of home major requests, all courses and grades from the previous major will be included in the GPA calculation for the student’s requested degree and major.
• Students who are undertaking a minor should review if the minor and the requested major are exclusive. If so, they will need to drop the minor in accordance with the procedures stipulated by the University.
• For students who have been approved to change their major AND add a second major/minor in the same application round effective from the same semester, the request for adding a second major/minor should be further approved by the new receiving major-offering academic unit (i.e., current home academic unit >> second major/minor-offering academic unit >> new receiving major-offering academic unit). If the change of major (and adding a minor) will result in exceeding the maximum credit limit, the approval for adding a minor will be rescinded and the students concerned will not be allowed to add the minor. Or, if a student pursuing the changed major together with a second major results in exceeding the maximum credit limit, he/she will be required to pay the extra credit units exceeding the maximum limit on a self-financing basis. For details, please refer to Second Major.
• After the change of major, students are still required to abide by the following maximum period of study (inclusive of any change of majors, periods of leave of absence and suspension of studies) stipulated in the Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees:

  - Normative 4-year or Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine Degree: 8 years
  - Advanced Standing I: 6 years
  - Advanced Standing II: 5 years

• To ensure that they can complete the requested major within the maximum period of study as mentioned above, students are strongly advised to run the ‘What-If’ audit in DegreeWorks, which allows them to hypothetically change the home major, showing them what courses are required for the requested major, what previously taken courses can satisfy the new requirements, and what courses they still need to take to fulfill the award requirements of the requested major. Please remember to choose the appropriate ‘Catalog Term’ (i.e., the semester for which the requested major will take effect).
• If the completion of the requested major requires students to study additional credit units exceeding the stipulated maximum credit limit (e.g.,144 for normative 4-year degree, 114 for Advanced Standing I, 84  for Advanced Standing II, 273 for Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree) permitted by the University, the major-offering academic unit will consider and recommend the number of extra credit units for completing the requirement of the requested major as applicable. Final approval rests with the Associate Provost (Academic Affairs). If such approval from the Associate Provost (Academic Affairs) is not granted, the receiving major-offering academic unit's consent for the change of home major will be rescinded and students will not be allowed to change their home major.
• If the recommendation for extra credit units mentioned above is approved, the students will continue to pay the prevailing tuition fees (or non-local rate for non-local students) until completion of the extra credit units permitted for the requested major. Notwithstanding the above, if the students subsequently pursue a double major/double degree, any extra credit units exceeding the original maximum credit limit permitted by the University should be paid on a self-financing basis. For details, please refer to "Payment of Self-financed Tuition Fee".
• For non-local students, endorsement from the Hong Kong Immigration Department is necessary before the change of major comes into effect. Also, any "No Objection Letter" (NOL) issued for the previous major will cease to be valid. Students' eligibility for study/curriculum-related internship, part-time on-campus employment and summer employment will be assessed afresh. Students should apply for a new NOL, if necessary, with the Immigration Department. For enquiries, please contact the Global Engagement Office.