Incoming Freshmen – “Know B4U Go”

Queens College, one of CUNY’s senior liberal arts colleges, offers a broad and diverse curriculum across the Schools of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and Education.

All students must complete degree requirements that include the Pathways General Education courses and a major area of study. This liberal arts foundation provides opportunities to explore a wide range of disciplines and develop well-rounded academic skills.

Before your one-on-one advising session with a professional academic advisor, review the Spring 2026 Pathways Course Offerings Listing (coming soon) to identify General Education requirements and courses that interest you.

You may also begin building a “shopping cart” of potential courses using  Schedule Builder via CUNYfirst. For assistance, refer to the CUNYfirst Student Center tutorials. 

First-Year Writing

Before your advising session please review the First Year Writing Guide for important information about your required writing courses. ENGL 110 is the first course in our writing sequence, but additional options are available for students who may benefit from extra support. Be ready to share your writing course preference during your session.

ESL/Reading & Writing Placement

If you are a new or continuing student and have not met your CUNY Reading and Writing Proficiency Requirements, please refer to the Testing Office for guidance and next steps.

Math Placement

To determine which Math course you should begin with, review the Math Placement Information. If you have additional questions, you may email the Math Department at MathPlacement@qc.cuny.edu.

At Queens College, we are committed to providing an educational environment that assures student success.

Take 15 credits a semester to keep on track to graduate in four years, which will save you time and money! If you are a full-time, in-state student, you can take 15 or even 18 credits each semester for the same cost as 12 credits.

Refer to the Academic Program Maps are provided to guide your path to graduation in four years.

File Completion

Having all of your official transcripts and score reports demonstrating Prior Learning in your admissions file is very important. Be sure to submit all original and final (non-CUNY) transcripts electronically to the Undergraduate Admissions Office (UA) via email to transcript@qc.cuny.edu. AP, International Baccalaureate and CLEP scores should be sent via College Board to University Application Processing Center (UAPC).

Please note that UA cannot grant you any college credits unless official transcripts/score reports are on file.

 A good rule of thumb: If you were still in classes when you filled out the CUNY or Common application, you should submit your final official transcripts as soon as you can. Chances are the transcript on file used for admissions purposes will not show the final semester’s coursework, credits, and grades. Please note that this is not applicable for CUNY students who participated in the CUNY College Now Program.

Submit the following transcripts to Undergraduate Admissions:

• Non-CUNY schools attended
• Non-CUNY college preparatory coursework
• High school transcript and proof of graduation

Standardized Exams

• Advanced Placement (AP)
• Advanced International Certificate of Education Program (AICE)
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• Defense Language Proficiency Tests (DLPT)
• International Baccalaureate (IB)
• NYS Seal of Biliteracy

Use CUNY Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) to see how your scores will transfer:

• Set Queens College as the Transferring To institution
• Select Trainings and Exams
• Select which test(s) you have completed from the Training and Exams drop-down menu.

Note: It is important that you provide academic advisors with this information during your Freshman Advising Session so that they can help to determine how much and what type of credit you may be awarded by the Admissions Office. Advisors who have this information can advise you against taking duplicative courses and thereby losing credit.

You can check if your transfer credits have been processed by QC by accessing your Transfer Credit Report via CUNYfirst. Click here for more information.

All students enter Queens College as Undeclared.

DECLARATION OF MAJOR and/or MINOR PROCESS

Students who would like to declare or change a major or minor, must fill out the fillable Declaration of Major/Minor form  and email it to the respective academic department for “signature.” Once the academic department fills out their portion of the form it will be submitted to the QC HUB for processing.

The following majors require an application and/or have special entrance criteria, which means that they cannot be declared in this manner. Please see the respective department’s website for further information:

• Business Administration (Actuarial Studies, Corporate Finance, and International Business)
• Communication Sciences and Disorders (i.e., Speech Pathology)
• Dance; Drama/Theatre
• Dietetics
• Elementary & Secondary Education
• Music (all programs)
• Neuroscience
• Studio Art BFA

For more information on Choosing and Declaring a Major – click here!

You will need the following accounts as a QC Student:

Note: Please ensure you activate the following accounts. Click on each link below for access/activation instructions.

• CUNYfirst
• Qmail (QC Student Email)
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• AMS (formerly CAMS)/QC Username
• QC Navigate

IMPORTANT: All users (students, staff and faculty) are required to setup their CUNY Login Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) in order to access the following platforms: CUNYfirst, Brightspace, DegreeWorks, ITS Service Desk, QC Navigate and more.

Follow these instructions to setup your CUNY Login MFA: Setting Up CUNY Login MFA

Need additional assistance claiming your accounts? Refer to the following links:

• Account & Access
• ITS Student Resources
• Common Issues and Fixes for CUNY Login MFA
• ITS Help Desk

UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO

Once your CUNYfirst & Qmail accounts are set up, you must update your personal information, including your cell phone number and email address. Refer to the How to Update Your Contact Information Guide and/or the CUNYfirst Student Center Tutorial.

Queens College will use this information to communicate with you, so it is critical that it is updated and available. In the event the College’s communications are filtered to Junk and Spam folders, be sure to check those regularly as well.

MMR/MEN IMMUNIZATION RECORDS

Before submitting your MMR/MEN Immunization Records, login to your CUNYfirst account – Student Service Center and view the holds section. If you have a Meningitis or MMR Hold, submit your Immunizations records to Healthquestions@qc.cuny.edu or contact Health Services at 718-997-2760 for assistance.

All students (regardless of age) must complete the meningitis response form. This information can also be self-managed through your CUNYfirst account.

Please note:

• If you attended a CUNY college, your immunization record will be available at Queens College.
• You may also obtain your immunization records from your high school or other schools you attended. Upload all documents via a secured method in CUNYfirst. Click here for more information.

For all questions and concerns, please visit the
Health Services Office or email: Healthquestions@qc.cuny.edu.

Have questions or need assistance?

Email the Academic Advising Center at advising@qc.cuny.edu and indicate Freshman Advising in the subject line. Call the New Student phone line at (718) 997-5573 and we will promptly return your call.

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