<p>I think that the reason why students at universities may have to declare their majors going in, while those at liberal arts colleges do not, is related to the types of majors offered there.</p>
<p>At liberal arts colleges, the majors offered are usually almost exclusively in the liberal arts (duh!). In most instances, it is possible to declare a major in a liberal arts field as late as the second semester of sophomore year, even without having taken any courses in that subject as a freshman. (Chemistry is the principal exception because its courses are sequential.)</p>
<p>At universities, many of the majors are professional ones – engineering, business, computer science, nursing, and dozens of other things that I can’t think of right now. These types of majors usually involve strict sequences of courses that have to start in freshman year. Those students who attend large universities and major in the liberal arts are usually no more restricted than their counterparts at small colleges, but these students are in the minority at most universities.</p>