In an effort to put all 23 CSU campuses on a similar calendar, Cal Poly Pomona is among six CSU campuses that will be converting to the semester system.

Los Angeles and Bakersfield are leading the way with an expected launch in fall 2016. Cal Poly Pomona is expected to follow with the new calendar going into effect in fall 2017. The timeline for the other three campuses, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino and East Bay, has not been set at this time.

The calendar conversion will better align the university with other CSUs and community colleges. In addition, the semester system will provide for deeper more meaningful projects, richer learning experiences, and extended time for mentoring relationships between students and faculty.

"At its heart, this change will be a gift to future generations. The benefits of conversion are very clear, especially in supporting our student success initiatives," says university President Michael Ortiz. "Students can also take advantage of more summer internships and research experiences. Faculty will find more sabbatical and academic opportunities. Finally, collaboration is greatly augmented. It will be easier to share programs with other CSU campuses and partner in grants, research, and academic initiatives."

The university is working to ensure that:

• Students will not lose any credits toward their degree before the conversion.
• The time to graduation will be the same as during the quarter system.
• Additional advising and support will be available for students to complete an Individual Academic Plan.
• Tuition fees for the year should not be more than during the quarter system.
• The conversion should not adversely affect financial aid.
• Tuition and fee payment schedules, as well as financial aid and scholarship disbursements, will be aligned with the semester calendar in the same way they are aligned with the quarter calendar.

The CSU Chancellor's Office will pay for a substantial portion of the conversion costs at the six quarter campuses. The remaining costs, particularly those to assist departments to revise their curriculum, will be funded by Cal Poly Pomona.
The university will immediately begin planning for the three-year transition process, from developing new calendars to converting curriculum to updating software and databases.

To learn more about the conversion to semesters and view the FAQs, visit the Calendar Conversion website.