Key Takeaways

• At many colleges, applying undeclared does not hurt you. At some, it is not an option.
• The deciding factor is how the school admits students: to the university as a whole, or to a specific college or major.
• At schools with selective majors, undeclared and less selective majors are often not a back door into the one you really want.

A student reaches the “intended major” box on her application.

She likes biology. She likes history. She has no idea what she wants to do after college.

She types “Biology” because it seems like the safe answer.

What if I put history and they think I’m not serious? What if I pick undeclared and that hurts me?

The honest answer depends on the school. And most students never find out which kind of school they are applying to.

The question that decides this

Before thinking about what to pick, find out how each school admits students.

Some colleges admit you to the university as a whole. The major comes later.

Others admit you to a specific college, school, or major. At those schools, what you list is part of the decision.

That is why general advice on this topic is often wrong. It was written about one kind of school and is applied to the other.

Where undeclared is fine

At many schools, applying undeclared does not hurt you.

UC San Diego says directly that applying undeclared does not impact your chances of admission. Liberal arts colleges typically admit students without a declared major and ask them to declare in sophomore year. MIT does not require students to declare until the end of freshman year.

If you are genuinely torn, and the school works this way, this is the honest choice.

It is also a common one. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about one-third of students in bachelor’s degree programs changed their major within three years, and roughly 9 percent changed more than once.

So picking a major at seventeen is a guess for a lot of people. Schools know this.

Where it is not an option

At other schools, undeclared is a risk or is not allowed.

Large universities often ask applicants to apply to a particular school or college inside the university. The University of Michigan is one example, and that means choosing a field when you apply.

At some University of California campuses, certain colleges require you to declare, particularly in engineering and some sciences. UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering and College of Chemistry are examples, and some campuses say undeclared is not an option for engineering at all.

In these cases, picking undeclared can mean not being considered for the program you wanted.

Does this school admit me to the university, or to a specific college or major?

That is the first thing to find out.

The back door that usually isn’t

Some students hear that a less selective major is easier to get into and plan to switch later.

The University of California’s counselor materials say that applying undeclared is not a back door into a selective major, and that less selective majors are not back doors either. UC San Diego notes that students who are not admitted directly into selective majors are not guaranteed the chance to change into them later.

Counselors who write about this note that at some colleges it can be hard to move into a selective major, and that the process varies by school and by major.

If you already know you want a selective, high-demand major, applying to it directly is often the better plan.

What this looks like

Take two students.

The first wants to study computer science. She is applying to a large public university that admits by major. Applying undeclared would remove her from consideration for the program she wants. She should apply to computer science and make sure her coursework and activities support it.

The second is torn between history and biology. He is applying mostly to liberal arts colleges that admit undeclared students. He can say so honestly, explore for two years, and declare when he knows.

Both students made a reasonable choice. They made it based on how the school works.

What to do

1. Check each school’s policy. Look at the admissions page for how it handles majors and whether it admits by college or major.
2. Ask about changing majors. How hard is it, and are there majors with caps or extra requirements?
3. If you know your major, make sure the rest of your application supports it. That is where your activities and essays do the work.
4. If you don’t, choose schools that let you explore. Look for advising support for undecided students.
5. Don’t apply to a major you don’t want as a way in. It may not lead where you hope, and you may end up in a program that isn’t right for you.

The other half of the question is what to say in your essays and activities. We covered that in our posts on finding a pattern and on how your path to a major doesn’t have to be straight. Neither requires a plan. Both require honesty.

What this comes down to

There is no single answer to undeclared versus declared. There is only the answer for each school.

At some, it makes no difference. At others, it decides whether you are considered for the program you want.

Find out which kind of school you are applying to before you check the box. Then pick the answer that is true for you.