Change of Campus

Location: E130 Smith Building;
Phone: 814-949-5035		 Hours Our Staff Office of the University Registrar
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Penn State Altoona Change of Location/Change of Campus Guidelines

For students currently enrolled at another campus who want to enroll at Penn State Altoona in a future semester
Effective May 11, 2006, change of Location to Altoona will be restricted, as follows:
  • Altoona Service area baccalaureate and associate degree students who are requesting to return home, regardless of their college of enrollment, may be considered for change of campus. Other campuses should review and release students as their own campus' policies dictate. Altoona service area counties include Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, and Somerset , which are coded on ARUSPA as 05, 07, 11, 31 and 56, respectively.
  • Students from outside of our service area whose official record identifies them to be in an Altoona College major, and who will be enrolling in their junior or senior year, may be considered for Change of Location to Altoona.
  • Students at other campuses whose home of residence is outside of our service area cannot be considered for a Change of Location for Fall. This includes lower division students in an Altoona College major and/or those who indicate a major preference in an Altoona College major. We encourage such students to apply for Change of Location for Spring, although we cannot assure a Spring approval at this time.
Introduction:
The majority of baccalaureate students who enroll at Penn State remain at their campus of admission until such time that they enter their major through the formal Entrance to Major process in the spring semester of their sophomore year. On occasion, students find it necessary to relocate to another Penn State campus prior to entering their major as juniors.

This information is intended for students who are currently enrolled at another Penn State campus who are considering a change to Penn State Altoona. The process is based upon University policy as well as campus guidelines.

This document does not apply to students who are enrolled for the current semester at Penn State Altoona, nor does it apply for subsequent campus changes once a student has moved to Penn State Altoona and again is seeking a change to another campus. Please see the appropriate guidelines for students seeking to relocate from Penn State Altoona to another location in a separate document.

About the process:
  • Change of campus is an academic process, that is, whether or not a student can schedule classes and make academic progress at both their current and proposed campus is of primary concern.
  • Change of campus is a two-step process--the sending unit makes the initial review. For students enrolled at University Park, the student's college is the sending unit. For students enrolled at all other campuses, each campus has designated an contact person, usually in the Registrar's Office, to review such requests. If the sending unit supports the request, only then will the receiving campus make the final decision. For students wanting to relocate to Penn State Altoona, Penn State Altoona is the receiving campus.
  • Only if the sending unit supports the student's request will the receiving campus have the opportunity to review the student's request. Note: if the sending unit supports the student's request, then it has the responsibility for contacting Penn State Altoona to finalize the decision. It is not the student's responsibility to contact the receiving campus.
  • University policy allows for limitations based upon balancing the abilities of students to make academic progress with a campus' or college's management of resources. Therefore, not all requests are supported by the sending unit. Likewise, not all requests supported by the sending unit are approved by the receiving campus.
Considerations for all students proposing to enroll at Penn State Altoona from another campus:
  • Students may be denied on the basis of Penn State Altoona not being able to schedule a student with sufficient credits and/or courses available to make academic progress. Decisions may vary by student depending upon the timing of the request. This consideration is implied with all further subsections of this document.
  • Students pursuing one of the following majors will have additional limitations: all students in the college of Education or pursuing a major in the college of education, all students pursuing EEDAL, all students in the College of Engineering or pursuing a major in the college of engineering. For details, see the Limitations section, below. This consideration is implied with all further subsections of this document.
Considerations for students, by group:
Start at the top, finding the first applicable category for the student.
  • Students in Penn State Altoona majors, including Penn State Altoona common year designations, will be considered by Penn State Altoona, provided that the student has a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
  • Any student who is in a major that they can complete at Penn State Altoona, that is not part of Penn State Altoona College will be considered for approval, provided that the student has a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
  • Lower division students without a Penn State cumulative GPA: because there is no Penn State GPA to review, the admissions application will be reviewed. If the student would have met the admissions criteria had they applied for the freshman year, they will be approved. If they would not have met the admissions criteria, the student will be denied. Such students who are denied may request reevaluation after they establish a Penn State GPA. A student's GPA must be based upon at least 12.0 credits that are letter-graded during the current semester. For students still with common year designations, please provide a specific major of interest for Penn State Altoona to determine whether or not a schedule of classes may be provided.
  • Lower division students with a cumulative GPA: With the exception of students pursuing majors in the College of Education or EEDAL, or majors in the College of Engineering, Penn State Altoona will approve students with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or greater, provided we are able to provide a schedule to make academic progress. For students still with common year designations, please provide a specific major of interest for Penn State Altoona to determine whether or not a schedule of classes may be provided.
  • Upper division students in non-Penn State Altoona College majors should meet with their current advisor to determine what courses are still required for graduation, and whether or not those courses are available at Penn State Altoona. Desired courses should be listed by the sending campus if supporting the change of campus to Penn State Altoona.
Limitations:
  • Students pursuing a major in the College of Education (ED) or elementary education at Penn State Altoona (EEDAL) are required to have at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA and must have a C grade or higher in each of these three courses: EDTHP 115, EDPSY 014 and CI 295. Students will not be able to schedule these courses after changing campuses to Altoona.
  • Students pursuing a major in the College of Engineering (EN) are required to have at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA and must have completed, with a grade of C or higher, MATH 140 AND EITHER CSE 103 OR CHEM 110.
  • Students will not be approved if their cumulative GPA is lower than 2.00.
  • Provisional students will not be approved. These students should apply for degree admission, selecting Altoona as the campus of choice during the degree admission process.
  • Housing or employment secured prior to a final, written change of campus approval will not be considered as an exceptional circumstance in the change of campus review process. Penn State cannot be responsible for third-party contracts.
For the full University policy on change of location, review the D policies, especially, D-1, at this website: http://www.psu.edu/oue/aappm/

Student Action:
  1. Meet with your current academic advisor to review major preferences and progress in your current or intended major. Determine whether or not your current campus can provide you with a schedule of classes to make academic progress in this major. Review entrance to major requirements.
  2. If applicable, complete the change of location request form, most likely available in your current campus' registrar's office, or if you are a student at University Park, your college advising center. Complete the form, sign it, and submit it to the appropriate office. If citing lack of academic progress as the reason for your request, please list the courses which are not offered at your current campus on the change of campus request.
  3. If a student's change of campus request is approved and the student's schedule of courses is not consistent with the reason that an early change of campus was approved, the change of campus approval may be rescinded and the student may be required to return to his/her original campus for the semester immediately following.
Questions can be addressed individually with Gina Baird, Coordinator of Clientele Services, 814-949-5035, E130 Smith Building, GGG3@psu.edu.