Academic Advising FAQs

FSN Peer Advising Center staffed with well-trained, experienced students to help with schedule planning and related academic questions. Peer advising is located in building 74M-A100. Advising questions can be emailed to cafesadvising@calpoly.edu.

Peer Advising Hours

How do I declare a concentration? 

Please complete this form

The form will request the following information:

• Full Name
• Empl ID
• Major
• Catalog Year (i.e., 15-17, 17-19, 19-20, etc.)
• Concentration you wish to pursue* - Please include the official name for your chosen concentration.

• * Make sure your chosen concentration is available for the catalog you are following.

  Refer to catalog.calpoly.edu for the current catalog.

How do I register?

• Cal Poly has a variety of registration tools to assist you in registering for classes. Learn more about how these registration tools work together to assist you in building your class schedule and graduation planning 

How do I access my Degree Progress Report?

• The Degree Progress Report is an online report that shows a student’s progress towards degree. For information on how to use the tool and frequently asked questions.

Where can I find Study Abroad Information?

• Students are advised to meet with Study Abroad, Building 52, Room E32. For more information visit the Study Abroad web page.

What do I need to know for Graduation?

• Please review the different information that pertains to completing all your degree requirements and the commencement ceremonies. An overview of these two processes can be found on advising.calpoly.edu . If you need to extend your graduation term, please see your advisor as soon as possible.

What is the GWR (Graduation Writing Requirement)?

• The Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR) is a writing exam that every Cal Poly Student must complete in order to graduate. For more information visit the Cal Poly Writing Skills page.

What do I need to know about the Credit/No Credit option?

• Each student can take a total of 16 units as Credit/No Credit grading. This does not include courses that are only taught with the CR/NC option. Of the 16 units, 4 units can be from GE courses and the remaining units can be used for free electives.
• Please note: Food Science and Nutrition department does NOT allow Credit/No Credit option to be used for major, support or concentration courses.
• NOTE: If a "C-" or better is earned, the student will receive credit (CR) for the course. If a "D+" or lower is earned, the student will receive no credit (NC) for the course.

How do I find out if a class I've taken at another school will substitute for a Cal Poly course?

• Go to assist.org on the Web. It lists articulation (course equivalency) agreements with other schools in California. Articulation agreements are formal contracts between schools that determine the equivalency of courses at the two schools. If you took classes at a school outside of California, bring course descriptions to your department or advising center to determine appropriate credit.

How can I take online courses and receive Cal Poly credit?

• Use California Virtual Campus to find lower division online courses. The following handout will explain how to use this website to find courses. Be sure to go to ASSIST to ensure it will transfer to Cal Poly for course credit. Upon completion of the course, be sure to have a transcript sent to Cal Poly State University, Office of the Registrar -Evaluations Unit. Building 1 -Room 218. San Luis Obispo, CA 93407.

Which catalog should I follow?

• You may elect to follow the catalog in effect at the time that you enter the university or any catalog in effect from the time you arrive until the time you graduate, provided you have been in continuous attendance each quarter. Transfer students may use any catalog from the time they entered the higher education system until graduation, as long as they have not broken enrollment- meaning you have been enrolled in at least 1 semester or 2 quarters each year continuously. Talk with an advisor to determine if there is some advantage for you to be on one catalog versus another.
• Important: If you are following an older catalog, talk with an advisor to make sure you understand what you are required to take. Some course numbers may have changed or other curricular changes may have occurred between the time the catalog first appeared and the present time.