How to "untie" when colleges and universities change majors"

Students have more.Multi-machineWill "change the track"

In recent years, many colleges and universities have "loosened" the policy of transferring majors, breaking the restrictions on the number of places, times, and grades of previous applications for transferring majors, and some colleges and universities have even implemented"No threshold for transfer-out"Policy.

Starting from this year, Sichuan Agricultural University will allow cross-campus transfer of majors and will never exceed the maximum number of students in each major.20%Upgrade to30%. Beijing University of Science and Technology moderately relaxed the proportion of transfer to professional acceptance, the abolition of the transfer of professional application threshold. Chongqing University is the implementation of professional“No threshold for transfer-out”In addition to some limited majors, students can apply after one semester of enrollment, and each person at the undergraduate level has many opportunities to change majors.

Some colleges and universities optimize the diversion of large-scale enrollment and encourage students to "switch the track" independently ". Tianjin University has introduced a new enrollment policy. Students can choose their major within the class when they are divided into large categories, neither based on the results of the college entrance examination nor on the results after admission. Southwestern University of Finance and Economics announced since2026Level implementation“Independent choice of graduation major”According to the system, students can take courses independently from the third semester based on their own interests, advantages and future plans. Those who meet the conditions can obtain the corresponding undergraduate professional graduation certificate and degree certificate.

Traditionally, the receiving department or major has certain requirements on the scores of the students applying for it. If there is a failing course, the application for transferring to a major will be restricted. However, most of the students applying for transfer need to transfer to a major because of lack of interest or mismatch of professional ability. There is a natural contradiction between the two. Vice Provost of Beijing Normal UniversityXia MinSaid, the school research found this pain point, in.2024The success rate of transferring majors in the year was about higher than that of the previous year.10%。

"On the whole, the transfer of majors in colleges and universities is indeed relaxed compared with before. The transfer threshold is lowering, the transfer is becoming more and more standardized and transparent, and the assessment content is also more focused on students' professional interests, academic potential and target majors. Cognition." Associate Research Fellow, National Institute of Educational AdministrationLiu YidongHe said that in recent years, the "unbundling" actions of various colleges and universities reflect the deep-seated changes in the training of talents in higher education in our country, and the concept of educating people has gradually shifted from "teacher teaching as the center" to "student development as the center".

How to avoid "chasing hot"

2022He was admitted to the Department of Geographical Sciences of Beijing Normal University inRen XuchaoBecause the school's English major did not have an enrollment plan in Shaanxi that year, it was a pity that it missed its favorite subject.

"I tried to adapt to the original professional, but it is lack of motivation." In the first semester of his freshman year, he formally submitted an application for transferring to a major and successfully transferred to an English major through the examination. Today, Ren Xuchao has been exempted from the subject teaching (English) major in the Zhuhai campus of Beijing Normal University. After graduation, he plans to embark on the road of teachers he loves.

In the view of many educators, the adjustment of the transfer policy is based on the growing needs of students' independent development and personalized growth, giving them more room for trial and error and adjustment.

Statistics from many colleges and universities show that after the relaxation of the transfer policy, the number of applicants and the success rate of transfer are on the rise.2026Total of Sichuan Agricultural University in1157The person is allowed to transfer to the relevant profession;2025The University of Science and Technology Beijing has a total394Students transfer major success, success rate80%。

In terms of the flow of students, statistics from Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications found that applications for transfer are mostly concentrated in communication engineering, automation and electrical engineering, data science and big data technology, cyberspace security, electronic science and technology and other majors (categories). "The flow of students to a certain extent reflects the structural demand for talents caused by the adjustment of national industrial development." Dean, School of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of TechnologyGao GuohuaSay.

Will the relaxation of restrictions on changing majors lead to a swarm of "hot spots"? How to guide students to establish a scientific professional view? Many colleges and universities implement the "no threshold for transfer, transfer to have assessment", and implement the freshman tutorial system, academic tutorial system, carry out career planning activities such as industry enterprise visits, outstanding alumni sharing, etc., with the help of professional evaluation tools to guide students to scientifically recognize their own interests and abilities, to avoid the irrational choice of following the trend of professional.

"In the past, students seldom thought about 'what do I like ','05after’Students have a clearer understanding of this, and higher education needs to respond to this change.”Director of the Academic Affairs Office and Director of the Admissions Office of Beijing University of TechnologyZhang YongzheIt is suggested that career planning education should be integrated into the whole process of talent training, guide students to establish a scientific professional view that takes into account their personal interests and national development, and at the same time ensure that there are sufficient teaching resources for the transferred majors to ensure the quality of talent training.

Xia Min suggested that we should further optimize the policy of transferring majors. On the basis of scientifically setting the application conditions for transferring majors, we should set up scientific and fair transfer assessment links, and adopt the combination of written examination and interview, focusing on the matching degree between students' academic interests and professional abilities.

Find a balance between "loose" and "orderly"

2018In, the Ministry of Education issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of High-level Undergraduate Education and Comprehensively Improving the Ability of Talent Cultivation, which clearly stated that students' learning autonomy and choice should be expanded, students should be encouraged to learn across disciplines and disciplines, and students should be allowed to choose their own majors and courses.

Party Secretary, College of Water Resources and Hydropower, Sichuan Agricultural UniversityHorsehairHe said that the loose professional transfer policy has provided support for the cultivation of interdisciplinary innovative talents. In the past two years, some students have transferred from computer and big data majors to water conservancy and hydropower engineering majors. The direction of smart water conservancy is in great need of students with such disciplines.

Liu Meng, Dean of the Undergraduate School of Chongqing University and Director of the Academic Affairs Office, said that colleges and universities can optimize the professional layout according to the flow of students, and build an open school-running model that is more suitable for national development and market needs. Gu Wei, director of the Academic Affairs Office of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, believes that the "loosening" of majors is also conducive to promoting colleges and departments to actively update the curriculum system, upgrade training programs, and enhance the attractiveness of running schools and the effectiveness of educating people.

Finding a balance between "loosening" and "order", and grasping the balance between respecting students' choice and ensuring the quality of training are testing the governance wisdom of colleges and universities.

In order to avoid the overload of popular teachers and teaching resources, some colleges and universities take corresponding measures according to the actual situation. Beijing University of Technology sets transfer limits based on the teacher-student ratio and practical teaching affordability; Sichuan Agricultural University supports more majors in teacher recruitment and other aspects; Chongqing University coordinates teaching resources such as teachers and laboratories through large-scale training.

In addition, many colleges and universities set up multiple choice channels through minor, micro-major, double bachelor's degree programs, etc., so that students can "cross-border" study without changing majors.

Liu Yidong believes that colleges and universities can strengthen the construction of core courses in general education, stimulate students' academic interest, and at the same time further optimize and adjust the professional layout and curriculum settings, support traditional advantages and scarce fields, develop digital humanities, smart agriculture and other cross-directions, and enhance the so-called "The attractiveness of" unpopular "majors.

Deng Weibin, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Office of Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said: "With the development of artificial intelligence and other technologies, the education goal of colleges and universities will be transformed into cultivating a'innovative subject' that can adapt to future uncertainties and help students activate their potential."