Incoming Student FAQ

Welcome to the College of Arts & Sciences at CU С��Ƶ! We know there is a lot to do and keep track of as you prepare��for your first semester, so we want to help��make your transition as smooth as possible! We created this page, organized alphabetically by topic,��to address the most common inquiries that we receive from incoming students.

Academic Advisors

Who is my assigned academic advisor? How/where do I find them?

Go to Buff Portal Advising (BPA), Log in as a Current Student, and look at your Student Success Team. Your assigned academic advisor will appear there. You can also check your CU С��Ƶ email for a welcome/introduction email from your advisor.

I have changed majors within Arts & Sciences since being assigned to an academic advisor. Does that mean I should get reassigned to a different one?

Yes, your academic advisor may change. However, reassignment would happen automatically as appropriate; you do not need to specifically request a change.

Adding a Major or Minor

I want to declare an additional major or a minor. How can I do that?

Incoming students cannot declare an additional��major��or a minor until classes begin. For further guidance, you can discuss your plans with your assigned academic advisor.

AP/IB Credit

Will I receive credit for my AP/IB exam scores? How will those credits be applied?

My AP/IB exam scores were high enough to give me credit for specific CU С��Ƶ courses. Could I still take those courses if I want to?

Yes, but please be aware that you will not receive duplicate credit. Connect with your assigned academic advisor to discuss the potential pros and cons of taking a class for which you have already earned credit.

Buff Portal Advising (BPA)

I am having trouble accessing Buff Portal Advising. What should I do?

In general, we find that incoming students report Buff Portal Advising issues��because:

They have��not��confirmed their enrollment, so they have not officially��matriculated (been activated) yet.
Or, they confirmed their enrollment very recently and/or have not activated their IdentiKey, so they��do not have full access to CU systems yet.

Make sure that you have��confirmed your enrollment and . After that,��please understand that it can still take a few days for things to process.

Actual technical issues are rare in our experience, but if you believe this to be the case, first contact oithelp@colorado.edu for assistance. Then, please feel free to email us at asadvising@colorado.edu, and we would be happy to help you with scheduling while your issue is being resolved.

When I log into Buff Portal Advising, there is no one appearing in my Student Success Team. What should I do?

Incoming students who confirmed their enrollment should now see their advisor assignments. If you are an incoming student who is not assigned, make sure that you have confirmed your enrollment. Once you confirm, you should be assigned to an advisor the following week.

Changing Majors

I want to change my major. How can I do that?

Incoming students wishing to change majors must do so through the Office of Admissions. Log into your , and there you should see an option to submit a major change request form. Complete the form to be considered. Major changes are not guaranteed, and there are typically additional steps needed when requesting to change from one college or school into another. If you already changed your major once and are trying to��request��a second major change, please contact your admissions counselor. If you do not know who your admissions counselor is, you can use this tool to find their contact information: .

Class Search

I am looking at the Class Search in preparation for registration, and it seems like many classes are already full. Should I be concerned?

Generally speaking, information you see in the Class Search is likely to��change by the time you actually��register because a number of seats are being reserved in selected courses for each registration period. Our advising team is prepared to support you through registration and make sure all incoming students are enrolled in an appropriate schedule of classes.

Deferring Admission

My situation has changed and I want/need to defer my admission. How do I defer, and what do I need to know about deferring?

You can request to defer your enrollment for up to one year by��using the term change form on your . Fill it out with the updated term you plan to start at CU С��Ƶ, the reason(s) for the deferral, and what you will be doing during the deferment period.

For more information, read the Term Change FAQ page.

Dual/Concurrent Enrollment Credit

I completed college-level classes during high school. How do I submit transcripts and get credit for them?

You should have login access to the college/institution that you were dually enrolled in and be able to request that a final, official transcript be sent directly from that college/institution to transcripts@colorado.edu. You cannot download and submit your own transcripts, as they will not be considered official.

New Student Orientation Sessions

How do I select a New Student Orientation session?

You can do this through your .

Early orientation sessions are not necessarily better��than the later ones. Many key classes will have a set number of seats reserved for each session, so students��in every��session will have the same opportunity to��access them.�

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