Credit Requirements:

1. Minimum total credits: 120 academic credits are required for graduation.

Important Exceptions:

• Repeated courses increase the number of credits required for graduation by the number of credits in the course.  These credits do count toward the minimum 12 credits required for full-time status.
• Review or supplemental courses (e.g., 1000- to 1099-level) increase the number of credits required for graduation by the number of credits in the course.  These credits do not count toward the minimum 12 credits required for full-time status.
• Physical Education courses do not count toward 120 credits for graduation.  They do not count toward the minimum 12 credits required for full-time status.
   

2. Minimum Credits at Cornell: 60 academic credits must be completed at Cornell (includes CALS Exchange, Cornell in Rome, Capital Semester and Urban Semester).
    
3. Maximum Non-Cornell Credits:  60 non-Cornell credits (AP, CASE, IB, GCE, French Baccalauréat, Cambridge Pre-University, transfer coursework, Cornell Abroad) can be applied toward degree requirements.  A first-year student can transfer in 30 credits before the first semester in CALS (AP, CASE, IB, GCE, French Baccalauréat, and transfer credits).
    
4. Minimum Credits from College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: 55 CALS credits are required for graduation.  CALS credits include all courses from departments within CALS and courses offered in the Biological Sciences, Biology & Society, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Information Science, Nutritional Science, Statistical Science, and Sea Semester Departments.
    
5. Minimum Letter-Graded Credits: 100 (Proration Chart for Non-Cornell credit).
    
6. Maximum Credits earned through Special Studies (Independent Study, Research, Teaching Assistantships, and/or Internships): 15 credits of “unstructured” coursework can be applied toward graduation requirements (Proration Chart for Non-Cornell credit).

Physical Education Requirement:

Exception: Students who externally transfer to Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences from another accredited college or university are exempt from the physical education requirement and swim test.

1. Physical Education Requirement: Successful completion of two 1-credit non-academic PE Cornell courses with a satisfactory grade (SX). Students are expected to complete the Physical Education Requirement in their first two semesters at Cornell.

*Note: Physical education credit does not count toward the 120 credits needed to graduate or toward the 12-credit minimum required for full-time status.

Swimming Requirement: Successful competition of the swim test http://pe.cornell.edu/requirements. Swim tests are typically taken as part of the orientation process.

Residency Requirements:

1. Eight semesters of full-time study are expected. Transfer students are credited with one semester in residence for each full-time semester (or equivalent) earned at another accredited institution.
2. Internal transfer students must be enrolled in CALS for at least two semesters. This includes the conditional semester sponsored by CALS in the Internal Transfer Division.
3. The final semester before graduation must be completed in a Cornell program as a full-time student. (The School of Continuing Education does not count towards a final semester in residency.)
4. Students in the ninth and final semester may apply for prorated tuition. The eligibility criteria are listed online at https://cals.cornell.edu/academics/registrar/policies#prorated-tuition

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements:

Minimum cumulative GPA: 2.00 or above must be maintained. The cumulative GPA includes all grades earned at Cornell.

Schedule Requirements:

1. A minimum of 12 academic credits per semester is required to be a full-time student in good academic standing.  NOTE: Students must enroll in an average of 15 credits per semester to be on track to graduate in 8 semesters.
2. Students must enroll in at least one CALS course each semester until 55 CALS credits have been earned.
3. Review or supplemental courses (1000- to 1099-level courses and Physical Education (PE) courses) will not count toward the 12 credit minimum required for full-time status.
4. First-year students may not enroll in more than 18 credits, not including PE or review/supplemental courses and are limited to one S-U optional course per semester.
5. If a student wishes to exceed *22 academic credits (to a maximum of 25 credits) in one semester, they must submit a request through Chatter to add the additional course.
   *Subject to eligibility

Distribution Requirements:

The purpose of the distribution requirement is to have all students achieve common learning outcomes. It is expected that through college and major course requirements graduates will be able to:

• Explain, evaluate, and effectively interpret factual claims, theories and assumptions in the student’s discipline(s) (especially in one or more of the college’s priority areas of Food & Energy Systems, Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences) and more broadly in the sciences and humanities.
• Find, access, critically evaluate, and ethically use information.
• Integrate quantitative and qualitative information to reach defensible and creative conclusions.
• Communicate effectively through writing, speech, and visual information.
• Articulate the views of people with diverse perspectives.
• Demonstrate the capability to work both independently and in cooperation with others.

   

Through the study of the physical and life sciences, students develop their understanding and appreciation of the physical sciences, enhance their quantitative reasoning skills, and gain an appreciation of the variability of living organisms. The social sciences and humanities give students perspective on the structure and values of the society in which we live, and prepare them to make decisions on ethical issues that will affect their work and role in society. Written and oral expression is designed to help students become competent and confident in the use of oral and written communication to express themselves and their ideas.

Important Notes:
Credits received for independent study, fieldwork, teaching, research, work experience, and internships cannot be used to fulfill the distribution requirement.  Review or supplemental courses, such as 1000- to 1099-level courses, will not be counted in the distribution areas.

First-Year Writing Seminars (FWS) cannot be used to satisfy the Physical and Life Sciences distribution area.