First-Year Student FAQs

Yes, students are asked to fill out a Registration Preferences Form. After you submit your enrollment deposit you will be emailed a personalized form from Admissions to submit your registration preferences by stated deadline. You will be assigned a preliminary schedule based on general education and major degree requirements as well as your registration preferences. If you did not receive this email please contact Undergraduate Admissions at admissions@callutheran.edu or 805.493.3135.

Your course schedule will be available in early January (for spring) or late August (for fall), and once it's complete we'll send you an email to let you know it is ready. Since we have many incoming first-year students, this process may take some time. We will do our best to accommodate your registration preferences based on major requirements, general education requirements, and course schedule.  

All Cal Lutheran students must complete the general education requirements or CORE 21. All of the courses you are registered for will meet at least one of your CORE and/or Major requirements. To view the courses that meet each CORE requirement, visit Student Planning. 

Some majors don't have any courses that must be taken during the first year. Space permitting, you will be registered for any first-year level courses required for your declared major. You will be able to discuss any questions about your major with your faculty advisor or a faculty member from that major during orientation.

This should not be an issue. Just be sure to mention to each professor when you meet them that you have a class immediately before or after. Professors are usually very understanding about this. Cal Lutheran is a small campus so it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to get to your classes.

Cal Lutheran believes very strongly that faculty advising is an important part of your academic journey. You'll have a chance to review your schedule with your faculty advisor during orientation and can attempt to make changes at that time. In most cases, you will need to wait until you have been advised by your faculty advisor to make changes. In the case of an extreme situation, we may be able to make limited adjustments before orientation. Courses can be added and dropped through the date identified in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar. Keep in mind that you need to stay in at least 12 credits to be full time and around 16 credits if you plan to graduate in four years.

Most classes meet either Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday. Some students may be assigned classes that all meet on the same days. We recommend that you take advantage of any open or lighter days to study, get involved on campus, or fit in a part-time job.

Unlike in high school, at Cal Lutheran you don't need to take courses in every subject every year. We require all students to take English 111 (some may need to complete English 110 first) and Religion 100 during their first year. You should have been registered in one or both of these classes. All of the other CORE requirements can be completed at any time. Some courses may overlap with your major requirements which will be completed in a future semester.