How to declare the Psychology major

Once all prerequisite coursework and grades are posted in CalCentral, students can submit a short google form and meet with an advisor at which time a decision will be made on your application. That's it; a quick and easy form!

Read below for more specifics on the process. 

Beginning in Fall 2022, if you apply outside the guarantee window and are not accepted into the major, you may complete an appeal process. There are strict deadlines for submitting an appeal.  Read below for more information.

• Steps to Declaring the Psychology Major

  Step 1: Complete your prerequisite coursework and wait for grades to post to CalCentral.  

  Step 2: Once all your prerequisite coursework grades are posted in CalCentral, complete the online form to declare your intent to major in Psychology. Note that whether your application falls within the window of guaranteed admission is based on the timestamp of your form submission.

  If you meet the guarantee criteria and this is your first (or only) major, you will be declared automatically within 1-2 weeks.

  If you meet the guarantee criteria and Psychology is your second major, follow all steps required to declare a double major or simultaneous degree. You can email the completed application to psychsso@berkeley.edu for review and signature (schedule an optional advising appointment if you wish to discuss your program plan).

  If you do not meet the guarantee criteria, we will let you know by email to either reapply or appeal, with instructions for the next step.

• Advice to Pre-major students

  Students who intend to declare the Psychology major are encouraged to check in with the Student Services Office periodically.  You are welcome to drop-in for peer advising, schedule an appointment with a major advisor, and get involved in departmental student activities and events, such as:

  • Attending workshops hosted by peer advisors.
  • Joining the Psychology Majors bCourses to receive email notifications about psychology related events and opportunities.  Request access by emailing psychsso@berkeley.edu. 
  • Enrolling in the Personal Development in Psychology DeCal course regularly offered by advanced Psychology majors. 
  • Taking a freshman or sophomore seminar with a faculty member from the Psychology Department.
  • Following us on social media!
    • Instagram:@ucbpsychadvising
    • Facebook: UCB Psych Peers 
• General Enrollment Guidance to Pre-major students

  Students who are in progress of finishing the prerequisites or are in the last prerequisite(s) course and plan to declare at the end of the semester, will need further guidance on how to plan for enrollment as an undeclared student.  

  For phase 1, upper division Psychology courses are reserved only for officially declared majors and do not have a wait list. If a student is in the progress of completing Psych 101 (and/ or other prerequisites) and thus undeclared, they won't be able to sign up for upper division major courses. Our enrollment manager will release additional seats, open up enrollment to everyone, and implement a small waitlist in Phase II, on a first-come, first-enrolled basis. This will be undeclared student's chance to enroll in the upper division major courses.

  For Phase I, we recommend that students prioritize upper division electives in other departments. These can be courses you will need for double majors, a minor, the American Cultures or other graduation requirements-- students can check their APR to see what still shows as "not satisfied--or just fun electives.

  Having the right enrollment strategies is important. We recommend that students:

  1. 1. Have multiple schedule planning scenarios ready at your finger tip for your Phase II appointment, so that you can be prepared to sign up for the classes you need/ want as quickly as possible;
  2. 2. Avoid time conflict at all cost, as it prevents enrollment;
  3. 3. Pick the section that has open seats or at least the shortest waitlist (you can't get into the class if you can't get into the section!);
  4. 4. Sign up for the waitlist if one is available (our waitlists are really short and a short waitlist is the way to go).

  Please review our enrollment policy webpage and follow the policies/ recommended practices closely.

• Appeal Process

  Effective Fall 2022 and going forward, students who apply to the Psychology major after they have begun their sixth semester and/or with a prerequisite GPA below 3.0 may not be admitted to the major. If you have applied to the major and were not accepted, you may submit an appeal. In order to consider your appeal, you must submit the following items through the online Psychology Major Application Appeal Form: 

  • One page (maximum) explanation of the circumstances for your major declaration and your plan for successful completion of the major. As a capped major with high demand courses, we cannot guarantee that any student can enroll in as many classes as they want in a given semester. We established the guarantee criteria for major declaration based upon what we feel is necessary for most students to successfully complete the major on time. For your appeal, we are particularly interested to understand why you are applying outside the guarantee window and why you feel you are a strong candidate for the major. 
  • A schedule plan for on-time graduation. Beginning with the current semester (we can see your previous enrollment history in CalCentral), list all the courses you plan to take between now and your expected graduation term (EGT). Be sure to account for all remaining major requirements as well as remaining UC, UC Berkeley, and College of L&S requirements in your plan. Feel free to use the College of L&S Program Planning Sheet or create your own document.

  The form can be accessed via this link at the beginning of each term.  

  All appeals will be considered as a batch after the appeal deadline passes.  We do not consider appeals on a rolling basis so that we can give each appeal the attention it deserves. 

  The appeal deadlines are as follow:

  Fall - October 1
  Spring - April 1
  Summer - July 1

  Appeals received after this date will be held until the next review cycle.