Freshmen coming to campus this fall will not need to meet the previous university certification requirements due to the implementation of a new certification process.

The guidelines for major certification are under Rule 53, according to WSU’s Academic Regulations.

Samantha Swindell, College of Arts and Sciences associate dean for curriculum, instruction, and assessment, said students are required to complete 24 credits with a 2.0 GPA before certifying into a major. Students also had to meet requirements specific to certain programs.

“The rule used to be: you’re out until you’re in,” Swindell said.

Suzi Billington, Carson College of Business director, said each college and department can determine how they accept students.

The change in Rule 53 does not impact current students, Billington said.

Terese King, WSU Academic Success and Career Center director, said a discussion about certification started last spring among deans and university leadership. The change will go into effect in fall 2020.

Academic advisers will work with students to make sure they know what is required of them, King said. Transfer students used to come to WSU without realizing they had extra requirements to certify.

“[Transfer students] get to WSU and realize that they’re not certified,” King said. “They want to know why this barrier is in front of them.”

Swindell said WSU Faculty Senate voted in April to change the rule so students can certify into their major when they first come to WSU.

The University of Washington and Oregon State University use a similar certification process, she said.

King said the certification process for WSU has remained the same for more than 30 years.

With the current process, about 2,063 students with 60 plus credits are uncertified, according to a letter from the Office of the Provost.

“This [change] really helps the incoming freshmen look at our institution and say, ‘I can see a clear path to graduation,’” King said.

Vasty Alpire, freshman zoology major, said she thinks the new rule will make it easier for students to get into their major.

Abigail Hahn, freshman civil engineering major, said she thinks the competitive majors should have some kind of limit.

Billington said to coincide with the certification change, the Carson College launched a new curriculum for freshmen.

Students must take five classes to be accepted into their major, she said. Before the rule change, it was a two-year process to certify as a business major. It now takes one year to certify as a business major.

The Carson Career Amplifier program is part of the new curriculum. The program requires students to complete activities outside of the classroom, such as attending club meetings, workshops and networking events.

Billington said some faculty members were fearful of the change because of the possibility of having more students in their programs.

She said she thinks there will be more students in the Carson College. However, it will be harder to predict how many students are going to stay in the program.

“They have all of that information their freshman year so that when they make their decision, they’re making an educated decision as opposed to a shot in the dark decision,” she said.