College · Family Resources · Changing majors

Switching majors
costs terms.
Count them first.

Type the credits you have and how many count toward each major. The calculator shows the terms left on each path, what the extra time costs and whether aid lasts.

Count my termsWhat you get

The major change impact calculator

The worked example switches from biology to nursing after 45 credits. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
Terms left on each path, the extra terms and their cost, credits that stop counting and the federal aid time limit check. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
College students weighing a change of major, their families, and high school seniors choosing a first major.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Run a what-if audit for the new major.
  2. Type credits attempted, and what counts on each path.
  3. Set the credits you take each term.
  4. Add a term’s price after grants.
  5. Bring the result to the new department’s office.

Count my terms

How the extra time is counted

Credits left become whole terms, and terms become dollars.

The worked example: biology to nursing after 45 creditsNow78 credits left120 − 42 that countSwitch106 credits left124 − 18 that countTerms6 → 8at 15 credits a termExtra$14,8002 terms × $7,400The worked example: biology to nursing after 45 creditsNow78 credits left120 − 42 that countSwitch106 credits left124 − 18 that countTerms6 → 8at 15 credits a termExtra$14,8002 terms × $7,400
Credits left on each path, turned into whole terms, then into dollars.

Credits left on each path

Each path needs its degree total less the credits that already count toward it. Credits that count for the old major but not the new one usually turn into electives, and a degree only has room for so many.

The aid time limit

Federal aid requires finishing within 150% of the program’s length. For a 124-credit degree that is 186 attempted credits. Every credit attempted counts, including the ones a switch leaves behind, so a late change can run out of aid before the degree is done.

Sources

  1. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 34 CFR 668.34, Satisfactory academic progress (ecfr.gov).
  2. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. Staying eligible: satisfactory academic progress (studentaid.gov).
  3. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. Pell Grant lifetime eligibility used (studentaid.gov).
  4. National Center for Education Statistics. Beginning college students who change their majors within 3 years of enrollment (nces.ed.gov).

The worked example’s credits and prices are examples. Your college’s audit and catalog decide what counts. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.