Graduating Before Fall 2026

Step # 1: Run your Degree Progress Report

Your Degree Progress Report (DPR) is the most important tool to understand. The DPR displays all degree requirements for graduation. It is used to award your degree, so it is important to make sure you enroll in courses that fulfill "not satisfied" requirements in your DPR.

Your DPR should be checked at least once per quarter to track your progress

How to access your Degree Progress Report

1. Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
2. Go to your Student Center under My Apps
3. Click on Academic Progress drop down
4. Click on Degree Progress Report

How to read your Degree Progress Report

Scrolling through the Degree Progress Report can be a little confusing. It can be helpful to review the Degree Progress Report Guide. The PDF version allows you to see all the requirements at once. The online version helps you break down your requirements into smaller sections. It is helpful to look at the Degree Progress Report along with your Curriculum Sheet.

Visit the CLA Advising zoom drop-ins if you have any more questions about reading your DPR.

Step # 2: Understand the Status of your Degree Requirements

Everything you need to complete for your degree is listed in your Degree Progress Report. It is important to review it often, especially after registration.

Understand Status of Your Degree Requirements

To earn your degree, every requirement in your Degree Progress Report must be satisfied. Satisfied Requirements are indicated with a Green "Satisfied" icon or green check mark, depending on how you are viewing your DPR.

The goal is to see the green icon below across your entire DPR by the time you graduate.

As your scroll through your DPR, make a list of all of the requirements that are In Progress and Not Satisfied. It is important to have a plan for the items that are marked as In Progress or Not Satisfied. These items are indicated by the following icons:

In Progress

In progress requirements are marked by one of the yellow icons below. This is a requirement that you are on track to fulfilling but have not fully completed. For example, you will see the In Progress icon if a class you’re currently enrolled in fulfills a degree requirement. Once the term concludes, if you pass the course, the yellow icons will be updated to a green Satisfied icon.

Not Satisfied

The red icons below highlight any requirement that is not yet fulfilled and you are not currently on track to fulfill. When reviewing your DPR, note which requirements are marked as Not Satisfied so that you know what requirements you have remaining. If you have a requirement marked Not Satisfied that you thought was complete, speak to a CLA Advisor.

Step # 3: Make a Plan for Your "Not Satisfied" Requirements

If your goal is to graduate by or before Spring 2026, you should have a graduation plan. You can use Degree Planner (or another tool of preference) that helps you list your remaining requirements and plan what terms they will be taken. Be sure to follow prerequisites and tentative course offerings.

Take advantaged of summer 2025 classes at Cal Poly! Check out the CLA tentative course offerings.

If you need help reading your DPR or making a graduation plan, we encourage you to meet with an advisor.

Know Your Catalog

Every student at Cal Poly is on a specific Catalog (2022-2026, 2021-2022, etc.). Your catalog outlines the official degree requirements and courses, academic policies, and information needed to earn a degree. Requirements for degree programs may change from one catalog to the next. A friend in the same major but a different catalog may have a different requirement.

To understand what you need to graduate, you must know what Catalog you are on. You can verify your Catalog by following the steps below:

1. Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
2. Go to your Academics tab
3. Under Degree Information view your Catalog Year
   • The example below shows that this student is on the 2022-2026 Catalog

Understand your Curriculum Sheet

Your Curriculum Sheet displays all of your course requirements in a one to two page snapshot. The curriculum sheet does not list everything, you must also check your DPR to confirm all course and graduation requirements.

How to access your Curriculum Sheet

1. Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
2. Go to your Academics tab
3. Under Degree Information and Major select the link to your Curriculum Sheet

The Curriculum Sheet is broken down into four main sections that are described below:

Major Courses

Major courses are the courses that make up your major curriculum. In some majors, this includes electives or concentrations.

Support Courses

Support courses are courses chosen by your department to provide foundational support for your major courses.

General Education (GE) Courses

General Education courses are broken down into several areas. You may notice some of these areas are completed through your major or support courses, as noted by "4 units in major" or "4 units in support".

Free Electives

Free Electives are additional required elective units in any subject which may be required to meet the minimum 180 quarter units to graduate. Some majors require zero free elective units, as noted on the curriculum sheet. The number of free electives needed can increase when courses are used to fulfill both a major/support course and GE area that was not already identified on the curriculum sheet. The DPR does not show free electives as satisfied or not satisfied. Check with an Advisor to be sure you will have enough free electives. 

Graduate Writing Requirement (GWR) & United States Cultural Pluralism Requirement (USCP)

There are two graduation requirements that are important for you to know about. You will want to review both requirements and plan ahead so you are not adding extra work while completing your degree. 

Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)

The Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR) is a CSU-mandated program designed to ensure that student can write proficiently before they enter the professional workforce. All Cal Poly students who are seeking a degree must fulfill the GWR before a diploma can be awarded.

• Undergraduate students with 90 or more completed units should attempt to fulfill the GWR before their senior year.

There are two ways to fulfill the GWR:

1. Pass a GWR-certified upper-division course with a C or better on a major writing assignment and a final course grade of C or better with at least 35% of the final grade based on the cumulative grade of all writing projects; OR,
2. Earn a passing score on a GWR Portfolio by enrolling in UNIV 401.

GWR Information for Transfer Students

For more More information about the GWR, please visit the GWR website. 

United States Cultural Pluralism (USCP) Requirement

Students are required to complete one USCP course. This course may also fulfill a requirement for major, support, general education, or free elective category. You may have transfer credit for the USCP requirement. You can check your DPR after you are notified that your transfer evaluation is complete.

What are USCP courses? 

USCP courses must fulfill all of the criteria according to AS-836-17 and they must also address the Diversity Learning Objectives (DLOs). You can explore which courses count for the USCP requirement on the Catalog website. 

Minimum 2.00 Cal Poly Cumulative, Higher Ed. Cumulative, and Major GPAs

The following GPAs must be a 2.00 or higher to graduate:

• Cal Poly (CPSLO) Cumulative
  • The cumulative grade point average of courses taken only at Cal Poly
• Higher Ed Cumulative
  • The cumulative grade point average of courses taken at any higher education institutions, including courses taken at Cal Poly and transfer credit.
• Major GPA
  • The cumulative grade point average of only the courses within your Major. Please see Understand Your Curriculum Sheet above if you are unsure what courses are within your major. FAQs on estimated major GPA.

You can verify your GPAs by following the steps below.

How to Access Your Poly Profile:

1. Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
2. Go to your Academics tab
3. Under General Degree Resources select Poly Profile

Cal Poly (CPSLO) Cumulative and Higher Ed Cumulative GPAs are located within your Enrollment Summary table. 

Your estimated Major GPA is located under Academic Progress.

Please note: If you are close to a 2.00 Estimated Major GPA, it is recommended that you talk to an advisor for support on calculating your Major GPA.

Confirm Your Graduation Term

It is important that you review your Student Center, under Academic Progress, to confirm that your Expected Graduation Term is accurate.

Graduation terms are set when a student reaches 72% in their Actual Academic Progress gauge. If you have not hit 72%, you will not have an Expected Graduation Term assigned yet.

Change Your Expected Graduation Term

If the term listed in your Student Center is not correct, you can make a change:

• Request to Extend Expected Graduation Term - Undergraduate
• Notification of Earlier Expected Graduation Term – Undergraduate

Department Approved Substitution Course

Was a required course not offered or not available to you? Did you discuss an alternative course with your major department?

A major/support substitution form from your major department or an update to your concentration form is required. Once the form is completed, it can take a while before your DPR updates with this information. If you are not sure if a form was completed, check with a CLA Advisor or your major department.

Declare Your Concentration, if required for your major

If your concentration courses are not listed in your Degree Progress Report (DPR), you will need to declare your concentration ASAP. Visit your department's website and search for their concentration page. Follow the instructions for how to apply or declare. Not all majors require a concentration, if you do not see a section for a concentration on your curriculum sheet, you do not have one. 

Finish Any Incomplete Grades

You must finish any classes, internship or senior project with an incomplete before you can graduate. If you are unable to finish any courses with an incomplete grade, talk with an advisor to confirm that all of your graduation requirements will otherwise be fulfilled. 

Have You Taken Classes Elsewhere? Send Final Transcripts

If you have not sent final transcripts, it is recommended that you send them to Cal Poly once the grades are finalized at the other institution.

Please see the Transfer Credit Evaluations web page to learn more and see the estimated time for when transcripts will be processed.

Drop Your Minor, if you are not going to finish

If you notice that your unmet requirements are in a minor that you no longer wish to pursue, it is important you drop your minor.

• Drop Minor Request

What if I want to walk in the Spring Commencement ceremony but don't have all my degree requirements fulfilled?

First, it is important to know that walking in the Commencement Ceremony does not mean you have officially earned your degree. You may request to walk in the Commencement Ceremony prior to having your degree requirements fulfilled.

Please review this Graduate Information web page to learn more.

Do I need to complete other paperwork to graduate?

No. At Cal Poly, undergraduate students do not apply for graduation. Instead, undergraduates are assigned an expected graduation term once they have completed 72% or more of their degree.

You can learn more about your Expected Graduation Term, Diploma Information, and Honors designation on the Graduation Process web page.

What if I submitted paperwork/transcripts, and I don't see it reflected on my Degree Progress Report?

The Office of the Registrar works hard to review forms and input them into your DPR. Some forms are processed within a few business days, while others can take up to 3-4 months. 

Please review the Evaluations Form and Transcript Processing Timeline.

What happens if I will not fulfill my degree requirements until after Spring 2026?

That is no problem! We are here to support you. You will want to check out this web page for important information: Navigating the Semester Conversion