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I Didn’t Know That: Catalog Years

Picture this: You’ve got your goals set, your classes mapped out for each semester, and you’re heading toward that graduation finish line. Then BAM. Your major requirements change. New courses have been added, and those electives you took aren’t on your degree requirements list anymore. What. The. Bleep.

Take a deep breath, and think “catalog year.”

Your catalog year is the academic year when you were first admitted to Boise State. So if you were admitted for fall 2019, your catalog year is 2019-2020. That means the major requirements for that year will still be relevant regardless of changes to your major requirements. So stick with your plan, make adjustments as needed, and if you have questions about how changes to the catalog affect your plans, get in touch with your advisor. They’ll be able to talk you through it.

One more thing to know: You don’t have to stick with your original catalog year. You can follow any edition of the catalog – there’s a new one published every year – as long as it was in force while you’re enrolled as a Boise State student and isn’t older than six academic years at the time you graduate.

If you do want to change your catalog year, contact the Registrar’s Office. They’re happy to help you in person, over the phone or email at degreeprogress@boisestate.edu. If you’ve already applied for graduation and need to change your catalog, email degreeprogress@boisestate.edu.