Zhejiang allows college students to shift majors

The Zhejiang Provincial Education Department announced Wednesday that each college student will be given one chance to change majors, China News Service reported.

Undergraduates who stay at the same university without taking a semester off or transferring to another school will be able to change their concentrations, according to the regulation issued by the department.　

However, students whose majors cannot be altered due to previous regulations by local admissions authorities will not be allowed to change fields, according to the department.

The regulation states that majors necessary to the country's development should be protected via preferential policies, improving teaching facilities and increasing scholarships to attract and retain more students.

It is common for students to shift their majors in foreign universities.

In the 1980s, Peking University and Wuhan University began to allow outstanding students to change concentrations. In September 2002, Fudan University permitted 244 students to change their majors. Since then, many universities have started to follow suit.