Welcome Newly Admitted Students

We are excited to welcome you to Letters and Sciences (LTSC) and to the Maryland family. This website contains important advising and New Student Orientation information for students accepted to the University of Maryland, whether you have already confirmed your admission or plan to do so shortly.

Students will be officially advised regarding course registration and their intended major once they attend a New Student Orientation program. Until that time, please refer to information on this website and direct any unanswered questions to:

• applymaryland@umd.edu (Admissions Questions)
• askorientation@umd.edu (New Student Orientation Questions)
• ltsc_welcome@umd.edu (General LTSC Advising Questions)

All newly admitted students must review and complete the Admitted Student Checklist.

All newly admitted students also are encouraged to attend an Admitted Student Open House to learn more about the vast resources and opportunities available at the University of Maryland.

Students admitted into Letters and Sciences are those who are either undecided about a particular major or are still in the process of declaring their intended major.

• Undecided students are those who applied to the University of Maryland without a specific major in mind. For undecided students, LTSC offers the opportunity to explore many fields of study before selecting a major. Students will also enroll in courses that fulfill the University’s General Education requirements, allowing them to explore different academic areas while fulfilling graduation requirements.

• Undeclared students are those who have yet to declare their intended major or they are seeking admission into one of the University's Limited Enrollment Programs (LEP). For undeclared students interested in one of the LEP majors, LTSC works with students to satisfy all gateway requirements before applying to their intended major.

Most questions can be answered using this website. Remember, students will meet with an academic advisor, register for classes, and connect with other new students once they attend their New Student Orientation program.

To secure your space at the University of Maryland for the upcoming academic semester, you must first confirm your admission and pay your non-refundable enrollment deposit. View your admission decision letter for instructions on how to confirm your enrollment and subsequent steps.

For more information select one of the following:

After Schedule Adjustment (first two weeks of classes), students within Letters and Sciences are assigned to an academic advisor who monitors their progress, helps the student explore academic majors, and serves as a campus resource. All students have mandatory advising requirements that must be satisfied each semester before they will be cleared to register for the upcoming semester. Students are required to meet with their assigned advisor at least twice during the semester, depending on their class standing and status. To assist undecided students, we include academic planning and career/major exploration as a requirement to be cleared for course registration.

The following topics are covered during the advising appointments:

• Academic Major Options
• Campus Resources
• Exploration Activity Option
• Co-curricular Activities
• Individual Student Issues/Concerns
• Possible courses for the next semester
• Registration blocks that will delay course registration
• Mid-semester grades
• Two or Four Semester Plan

Letters and Sciences advisors will introduce students to resources within the department and all across campus to help them narrow down a major that works best for them. Students have until they reach 60 academic credits (excluding AP/IB credits) to declare a degree-granting major and transition out of Letters and Sciences. Students that are applying to one of the competitive Limited Enrollment Programs are strongly encouraged to declare an alternate major during the application process.

I have been admitted to the University and was denied admission to my Limited Enrollment Program (LEP)

Students that will have less than 60 academic credits at the start of their first semester.

• Students with less than 60 academic credits that were denied direct admission into a Limited Enrollment Program are admitted to Letters and Sciences. At the University of Maryland students have until they reach 60 academic credits to declare a degree-granting major. By the time a student completes their 60th credit they must declare a degree-granting major, even if they are still making progress toward declaring their LEP of choice. Students are assigned to an academic advisor who will help them to identify what gateway requirements they have left to complete for their intended LEP, as well as help them to select a parallel major.
• If you were denied direct admission to one of the LEP majors when you first applied to Maryland, you still have the ability to take gateway courses for the LEP major and apply again (as an "internal transfer") as long as you have not violated the LEP Repeat Policy and can achieve the required overall GPA. Students that have violated the LEP Repeat Policy, or are unable to reach the necessary overall GPA for their major and are no longer eligible for that major, will be advised on alternate majors that best fit their interests and career goals.
• First-semester freshmen in Letters and Sciences can declare the following LEP majors during their first semester: Communication, Criminology and Criminal Justice, and Psychology. Academic advisors in Letters and Sciences can support students with this change of major process.

Transfer students who have or will have 60 or more academic credits at the start of their first semester.

• Transfer students with over 60 credits that were denied direct admission into a Limited Enrollment Program (LEP) are admitted to the Letters and Sciences Interim Advising Program (IAP). At the University of Maryland students have until they reach 60 academic credits to declare a degree-granting major. Since IAP students enter with 60 or more credits, they are allowed to remain in Letters and Sciences for up to two semesters before having to declare a major. IAP students are assigned to an academic advisor who will help them to identify what requirements they have left to complete for their intended LEP, as well as help them to select a parallel major.
• If you were denied direct admission to one of the programs as a transfer student, you still have the ability to take gateway courses for the major and apply again (as an "internal transfer") as long as you have not violated the LEP Repeat Policy and can achieve the necessary overall GPA. Students that have violated the LEP Repeat Policy to achieve the required GPA for their major, are no longer eligible for that major. These students will be advised on parallel majors that best fit their interests and career goals.

If you have not already done so, your first step to accepting admission to the University of Maryland is to confirm your enrollment and pay your nonrefundable enrollment deposit. View your admission decision letter for directions on how to confirm your enrollment. Once this is done you can proceed to the following:

• Register for a required New Student Orientation program
• Complete the online Letters and Sciences New Student Orientation survey
• Complete the online Math Placement Exam
• Review other important information, including setting up your Terpmail account, to properly prepare for your New Student Orientation program