Request to Change Second Semester IPS in Preparation for Shifting (For First Year Students only) (LS ADAA Memo)

Section I.10.1 of the Loyola Schools Academic Regulations state that First Year students may shift to another degree program only after they complete their first year of studies at the Loyola Schools. A year’s exposure to one’s program can help students assess if they are suited to their current program. Moreover, the grades earned in their first year serve as input that departments/programs may use in evaluating requests to shift.

However, while First Year students are only allowed to formally shift to another degree program at the end of the school year, they may submit a request to change their Individual Program of Study for the Second Semester of their First Year.  

In implementing this process, kindly note the following:

1. The request to change one’s IPS is available only for the Second Semester of the First Year.
2. First Year students should consult their home department chair/program director about the retention requirements of their current program and the concerned  department/ program for the shifting requirements of the program to which they are preparing to shift.
3. First Year students who have already decided to shift may request for an adjustment to  their second semester Individual Program of Study by accomplishing the Request to Change Second Semester IPS in Preparation for Shifting form from Saturday, 1 October 2022 to 12:00 noon on Saturday, 15 October 2022 only. Students are asked to upload a pdf copy of their current IPS to the form.
4. Requests to change one’s IPS in preparation for shifting require the endorsement or approval of the following offices/departments/programs:
   - The student’s home department chair/program director
   - The department/program of the program to which the student is preparing to shift
   - The Office of Admission and Aid (if the requesting student is a scholar)
   - The Office of the Associate Dean for the Core Curriculum
   - The Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
   Endorsements/Approvals of requests will be done on the appropriate columns in the Google sheet of form responses which will be shared with the concerned Department/ Program/Office.
5. For approved requests, only the major subjects of the student’s current program will be replaced. Core curriculum courses must be taken as scheduled. A First Year student’s major subjects may be replaced with:
   1. Other core courses
   2. Major subjects of the program that student is preparing to shift to if:
      1. completion of these subjects is a stated shifting requirement of the intended degree program; and/or
      2. The student’s current program allows for free electives.
6. The load resulting from changes to the IPS must not exceed the maximum semestral load of a student’s current  degree program. Overloading will only be allowed following LS guidelines and processes.
7. Once approved, changes to a student’s program  of study for the Second Semester, SY 2022-2023 will be made by the Office of the Registrar.
8. Changes to one’s IPS may result in a delay in the completion of one’s degree program.
9. Enrollment in courses outside one’s current program of study is subject to the availability of slots and may result in changes to one’s blocked schedule.
10. Approval of the revision to a First Year student’s second semester program of study does not guarantee acceptance to his/her intended degree program. First Year students who wish to shift should accomplish the Application for Change of Undergraduate Major Degree Program form after the release of  their Second Semester advisory marks. Please take note of the deadlines announced by the Office of the Registrar.

Departments/programs are asked to complete their review and input their decisions on the worksheet by Saturday, 22 October 2022. May we appeal for departments/programs to strictly comply with the stated deadlines in order to  provide the Office of the Registrar with sufficient time to promptly adjust the block schedules of  the concerned students.

The processing of these requests will impact on the number of students advised to take  major and core curriculum courses. Hence, departments/programs are advised to regularly review their advisement summaries for possible changes to the number of slots that they will  need to offer.