Non-Rausser College students transferring into the College

Current UC Berkeley students interested in transferring to the Rausser College of Natural Resources from another college (Letters & Science, Engineering, Environmental Design, or Chemistry) may petition to do so if the change of college requirements are met. Rausser does not permit students to transfer into the college as "undeclared". Students must be eligible to declare a Rausser major to change colleges.

The Rausser College of Natural Resources does not allow second-baccalaureate degree applicants. These applicants are encouraged to consider other opportunities in the UC system.

In addition, students must:

  • Have a minimum 3.0 overall UC GPA.
    • Students with a GPA between 2.90-2.99 may receive exceptional approval for declaration. For exceptional approval, the following criteria must be met:
      • Students must be in good academic standing (not on “term probation” from the previous term).
      • Cumulative GPA shows an increase over the most recent two semesters with particular success in major requirements with grades of C- or better in those classes.
      • No outstanding Incomplete grades.
      • Must be enrolled full-time or have an approved reduced course load from their home college and/or Disabled Students Program.
    • All major required courses must be completed with a C-or better to be accepted for the major, including breadth requirements
  • Have completed at least one semester at UC Berkeley.
  • Have satisfied the Reading & Composition (R1A and R1B) requirement.
  • Be able to complete the major within the semester limit. Students who entered as freshmen are expected to graduate in a total of 8 semesters (summers excluded). Participation in the Fall Program for First Semester (FPF) is considered a Berkeley semester under College policy. Transfer students are expected to graduate in a total of 4 semesters (summers excluded). Exceptions to this policy are rarely granted.

Students pursuing a change of college should:

  • Review the requirements for their intended major. Requirements needed to declare will vary by major.
  • Meet with the advisor for the major they wish to declare. Each advisor's drop-in advising (first-come, first-serve) hours can be found here. Please note that Rausser College advisors are primarily meeting with declared students for registration advising during the months of April and October, and are typically unavailable to meet with students seeking to declare during this time.
  • Consider meeting with a peer advisor for a student's perspective on their intended major.

Once all requirements needed to declare have been satisfied, students must complete the Change of College, Major, or Curriculum petition and meet with their intended major advisor.

We've also developed a set of self-guided questions to help you navigate the Change of College process. Use your UC Berkeley Account to access the form. 

Students may not submit a change of college petition during their last semester before graduation.  For example, a student graduating in Spring 2022 must submit their petition to change colleges no later than Fall 2021. Other declaration restrictions may apply by major.

Simultaneous Degrees 

Obtaining simultaneous degrees is when you pursue two majors that are in different Colleges/Schools here at UC Berkeley. Students pursuing a simultaneous degree are granted one additional semester to complete all degree requirements.

Students pursuing a Simulaneous Degree should:

  • Review the requirements for their intended major. Requirements needed to declare will vary by major.
  • Meet with the advisor for the RCNR major they wish to declare. Each advisor's drop-in advising (first-come, first-serve) hours can be found here. Please note that Rausser College advisors are primarily meeting with declared students for registration advising during the months of April and October, and are typically unavailable to meet with students seeking to declare during this time.
  • Consider meeting with a Rausser College Peer Advisor for a student's perspective on their intended major.

To declare simultaneous degrees, you must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Completion of at least one semester at UC Berkeley.
  • Students whose home college is not Rausser must meet all criteria for a Change of College (please note: students pursuing a simultaneous degree are allotted nine total semesters as incoming freshmen and five total semesters as incoming transfers).
  • Students must obtain all necessary signatures from undergraduate advisors for each major on the Program Planning form. In planning simultaneous degrees, you will need to adhere to all unit and residence requirements for each college or school.
  • No more than two upper-division courses count toward the requirements of both majors. If a student is pursuing three or more majors, with at least one major in the College of Letters & Science, the student is allowed to overlap two upper-division courses in total within their degree programs.
  • Students may not submit a Simultaneous Degree petition during their last semester before graduation (i.e., if a student plans to graduate in Spring 2025, they must submit and have approved a Change of College petition no later than Fall 2024). Students who take a reduced study list might need to submit paperwork sooner in order to meet the Senior Residency requirement.
  • A simultaneous degree request will be approved only if the proposed program demonstrates that all degree requirements can be finished within nine semesters if the student entered as a freshman, or five semesters if a transfer student.
  • To confirm the processing of simultaneous degrees, students can check CalCentral periodically after submitting their application. If there is a problem with the application, a notification will be made by email.

If you no longer wish to complete your Rausser College major, you must meet with the college of the major that you wish to retain to initiate dropping your Rausser College major.  They will submit the request to cancel your Rausser major.  Students who cancel their simultaneous degree and drop their major in Rausser College will not be eligible to re-declare the major at a later point in their academic career.  Therefore, students should seriously consider whether they wish to cancel their Rausser major before submitting a cancellation request. Students who have previously dropped one Rausser College major are, however, eligible to add a different major in RCNR later in their academic career and would work with the new major advisor to determine eligibility to declare.