Congratulations! It sounds like you are hoping to graduate soon. To ensure you graduate before Fall 2026, we suggest you review the steps and resources below.
Academic Advising Support
We encourage all students to meet with an advisor to ensure they have a plan to graduate.
Save the Dates for our upcoming Graduation Check Workshops in Spring 2025!
- Wednesday, April 16th, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (In Person - Location TBA)
- Friday, April 18th, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Virtual - Zoom Link TBA)
Know What You Need to Graduate
Follow the steps below to identify what requirements you need to complete your degree.
Step # 1: Run your Degree Progress Report
Your Degree Progress Report
Your Degree Progress Report (also known as your DPR) is the most important tool to understand as a Cal Poly student. Like the Curriculum Sheet, the Degree Progress Report displays all of your degree requirements to graduate. The Evaluations Unit uses the Degree Progress Report to post your degree so it is important to make sure the courses you have and will be taking are fulfilling the requirements you expected in your DPR.
Your DPR should be ran at least once per quarter to track your progress to degree.
How to access your Degree Progress Report
- Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
- Go to your Student Center under My Apps
- Click on Academic Progress drop down
- 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 look at the Degree Progress Report with your Curriculum Sheet in hand as it is broken up into sections similarly to your Curriculum Sheet.
You can view your Degree Progress Report through the PDF or online.
It can be helpful to review the Degree Progress Report Guide.
Step # 2: Identify the Status of your Degree Requirements
Your Degree Requirements
Everything you need to complete for your Degree is in your Degree Progress Report. It is important to review it often, especially after registration.
Identify Status of Your Degree Requirements
To earn your degree, every requirement in your Degree Progress Report must be completed. 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 before you graduate.
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
Not Satisfied
As your scroll through your DPR, make a list of all of the requirements that are In Progress and Not Satisfied.
Step # 3: Make a Plan for your Unmet Requirements
Have a Plan
If your goal is to graduate by or before Spring 2026, it is important to have a plan. If you need help with making a graduation plan, we encourage you to meet with an advisor.
Creating a Graduation Plan
There are a lot of different ways you can make your plan, but feel free to use the worksheet below to map out each of your Unmet Requirements (In Progress and Not Satisfied). It is important to pay attention to pre-requisites and course sequencing.
Course Planning Worksheet
Further Understand Your Degree Requirements
It is important you know what you need to earn your degree. The resources below can be helpful to gain a deeper understanding of your degree requirements.
Know Your Catalog
Every student at Cal Poly is on specific Catalog (2022-2026, 2021-2022, etc.), which outlines the official curricula and courses, academic policies, and information needed to earn a degree. Requirements for degree programs may change from one catalog to the next.
In order to understand what you need to graduate, you must also know what Catalog you are on. You can verify your Catalog by following the steps below:
- Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
- Go to your Academics tab
- 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 degree course requirements in a one to two page snapshot.
How to access your Curriculum Sheet
- Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
- Go to your Academics tab
- 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 technical electives or concentrations.
Support Courses
Support courses are courses chosen by your department to provide foundational support for your Major Courses. In the College of Engineering, these courses sometimes double count as General Education 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 Support Courses.
Free Electives
Free Electives can be found on a few College of Engineering major curriculum sheets. In general, most students in the College of Engineering do not have Free Electives.
Graduate Writing Requirement (GWR) & United States Cultural Pluralism Requirement (USCP)
There are two 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:
- 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,
- Earn a passing score on a GWR Portfolio
GWR Information for Transfer Students
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IF YOU TRANSFERRED TO CAL POLY FROM A COMMUNITY COLLEGE:
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You will need to fulfill the GWR at Cal Poly even if you were GE-certified at your community college because the GWR is an upper-division University degree requirement and students must complete the requirement at the CSU campus at which they are matriculated.
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IF YOU TRANSFERRED TO CAL POLY FROM ANOTHER CSU CAMPUS:
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You may receive GWR credit if you fulfilled the requirement while enrolled at another CSU campus. Ask a representative from the GWR office at your former CSU campus to send to the Writing and Learning Initiatives office (writingandlearning@calpoly.edu) an official letter verifying GWR completion.
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IF YOU TRANSFERRED TO CAL POLY FROM A 4-YEAR INSTITUTION OUTSIDE OF THE CSU SYSTEM:
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You will need to fulfill the GWR at Cal Poly because students must earn GWR credit from the CSU campus at which they matriculate.
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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 also fulfills a requirement for Major, Support, General Education, or Free Elective category.
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).
How this will look in your DPR:
You can explore what 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 Cal Poly and other higher education institutions (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
You can verify your GPAs by following the steps below.
How to Access Your Poly Profile:
- Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
- Go to your Academics tab
- 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 (learn more about the Estimated Major GPA), it is recommended to talk to an advisor for support on calculating your Major GPA.
Troubleshoot Any Concerns
As you plan ahead, please review the details below that may pertain to your unique situation.
As you scroll through your Degree Progress Report (DPR), any requirement marked with a red "Not Satisfied" indicator will need to be addressed. Prior to your final enrollment appointment, you should review and make plans for these requirements. Review the list below to see what you may need to address.
Confirm Your Graduation Term
It is important that you review your Poly Profile to confirm that your Expected Graduation Term is accurate.
In the College of Engineering, 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. Once you do, it is important that you confirm that the Expected Graduation Term assigned matches your plan.
How to Access Your Poly Profile:
- Log in to your My Cal Poly Portal at my.calpoly.edu
- Go to your Academics tab
- Under General Degree Resources select Poly Profile
- Scroll down on your Poly Profile to the Career Program Plans and see if the correct term is listed.
Change Your Expected Graduation Term
If the term listed in your Poly Profile is not correct, you can make a change depending on your situation below:
If you realize that a course is not counting towards your degree in the way you expected, you may need to complete a course substitution form:
Please note: These forms go through a review process and may be approved or denied. If you have questions about filling out a form, please plan to meet with an advisor.
Declare or Switch Your Concentration
If you realize that your concentration courses are not included in your Degree Progress Report, you will need to complete the following steps.
In order to declare your concentration, please:
In order to switch your concentration, please:
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.
Drop Your Minor
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.
Change Your Catalog
If you have identified that you are not on the correct catalog and have rights to another catalog, you may need to change your catalog.
Please note: This may have impacts to your degree requirements. It is recommended that you meet with an advisor prior to completing this form.
Finalize Grades - I, RD, RP
If you have any grades that have not been finalized (examples: I, RD, RP), you will need to work with your instructor to have a Grade Change completed in order to graduate.
Verify Total Degree Units
It is important that everything in your Degree Progress Report (DPR) is satisfied, including your Total Degree Units. Below are some areas to double check:
- Total Units for the Degree: You are are required to meet a certain number of units for your degree. Issues may occur in the following scenarios:
- Double Counting: If you double count Major/Support courses with a General Education (GE) course, you may need to add additional free elective units to meet the Total Units for the Degree.
- Transfer Students: If you are a Transfer Student and you have received more than 105 units of degree credit from a community college, you may be at risk of not meeting your Total Units for the Degree. Please see an advisor if you are approaching graduation and this area is still red (not-satisfied) in your DPR.
- Upper Division Units: Your degree requires a certain number of Upper Division units. Issues may occur in the following scenarios:
- Double Counting: If you double count Major/Support courses with an Upper Division General Education (GE) course, you may need to add additional Upper Division units to meet this requirement.
- Course Substitution: If you had an approved course substitution using a Lower Division course for an Upper Division requirement, you may need to add additional Upper Division units to meet this requirement.
- Units in Residence: Your degree requires that a certain number of units be taken at Cal Poly. Please see an advisor if you are approaching graduation and this area is still red (not-satisfied) in your DPR.
Frequently Asked Questions
We hear these often, but please do not hesitate to connect with us at eadvise@calpoly.edu if you have additional questions!
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 a certain percentage 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?
What happens if I fulfill my degree requirements after Spring 2026?
