Information for Transfer Applicants
Timeline | FAQs
- Timeline -
January
Applications are submitted as early as January 1.
March
Application Due March 15
--submit updated transcript with fall grades to Penn
AND mid-semester spring grades
May/June
Decisions made on a rolling basis from mid-May to mid-June.
If housing is desired, please return forms enclosed with your admit letter as soon as possible.
August/September
Transfer Orientation
September
Fall admission is the only time transfer students may begin their course of study at Penn.
-
FAQs -
How do I know whether I should apply
as a transfer or as an incoming freshman?
For transfer applicants, at least one full year of transferable
coursework (8 college semester courses) must be completed
by the close of the spring term prior to the September
of anticipated enrollment at Penn. Students who are
completing their senior year of high school concurrently
with their first year of college, or students who have
completed less than one full year of college, should
apply as entering freshmen.
Are transfer students given housing?
On-campus residence in University run housing is available
to transfers on a first-come, first-served basis. Housing
cannot be guaranteed, although space is generally available
for those who apply for it by early Summer. The Department
of Housing and Conference Services may be contacted
by writing to the Assignments Office, Stouffer Common,
3702 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6180, calling
(215) 898-8271, or visiting their website at www.upenn.edu/housing.
Do transfer students live with students
who began their education at Penn?
Transfer students will be placed into the housing system
based on space that is available within the system.
Transfer students are housed with other Penn students;
there is not a separate dormitory for transfers.
How does the transfer of credit at
Penn work?
The University's transfer credit policy attempts to
integrate a student's previous course work with the
normal degree sequences at Penn. In general, transfer
credit may be awarded for academically-based courses
which were taken at a regionally accredited institution,
passed with a grade of C or better, and are similar
in content and classroom meeting hours to the curriculum
on this campus.
At Penn, credit is awarded in course units. The normal
course load results in eight to nine course units each
year. Courses taken for fewer than forty contact-hours
each term will not transfer but, when appropriate, may
be combined with other courses to give credit.
Credits transferred from other institutions will become
a part of the student's official record, but grades
will not be placed on the transcript nor used in determining
the student's cumulative grade point average.
The Office of Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing
examines a student's transcripts and sends an evaluation
of transferable credit approximately three weeks after
the letter of admission. Prospective applicants who
wish an approximate determination of which courses will
transfer should compare the course descriptions of their
home institution with Penn's. Full credit evaluations
are completed for admitted transfer students only. Please
visit our online course register at www.upenn.edu/registrar/register.
What are the pre-requisites for transferring
to:
- The College of Arts and Sciences
Requirements: Students in the College select a major
program and a structured set of electives en route to
earning the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Electives
are taken in the following categories: The General Requirement,
The Foreign Language Requirement, The Writing Requirement,
The Quantitative Data Analysis Requirement, Free Electives.
Students normally take four to five courses per semester.
The total number of credits required to complete a major
varies from major to major but is never less than twelve.
In addition to the major, a student must normally complete
twenty electives.
The total number of credits needed for graduation therefore
varies between thirty-two and thirty-six credit units
depending upon the sum of courses required in the major
and the electives. No student is required to complete
more than thirty-six for graduation. Students whose
majors require more than sixteen courses may take correspondingly
fewer electives. Students may take additional courses
if they wish, and many do.
Transfer students should note that the number of transferred
courses directly applicable to major requirements may
be limited. In all cases, students must spend a minimum
of two academic years at Penn, and at least one half
of the courses required for the major, and half of the
total required courses, must be completed at the University.
Students are not permitted to transfer into the Communication
or Individualized majors in the junior year. Prospective
transfer students applying to study the sciences or
Economics should have adequate preparation in college-level
calculus in order to be successful in these majors.
Additionally, students should consult the web pages
of specific majors to apprise themselves of prerequisites
and course requirements before applying to the College
at Penn.
Please consult the College at Penn's website for more
details, or all or visit in person:
The College of Arts and Sciences
University of Pennsylvania
120 Logan Hall
249 South 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304 (215) 898-6341
www.college.upenn.edu
- The Wharton School
Requirements: All applicants are required to have completed
two semesters of integral calculus, or its equivalent,
as well as one semester of microeconomics and one semester
of macroeconomics by the end of the term in which they
are enrolled at the time of transfer application. It
is also strongly recommended that all applicants gain
proficiency in a foreign language by the time they enroll
at Penn. Proficiency is usually equal to four semesters
of college-level language courses and must be demonstrated
by passing a proficiency exam at Penn before graduation.
Applicants should also have demonstrated leadership
skills. In addition to one year of calculus and economics,
potential incoming juniors are expected to have already
completed two semesters of accounting (financial and
managerial), and two semesters of statistics. For the
Calculus requirement, students must have first and second
semester Calculus course credit. Credit for a second
semester calculus is not acceptable without a score
of a "5" on the BC Calculus AP exam. Please check the
following links for recent changes in calculus course
content requirements: www.math.upenn.edu/ugrad/Undergrad.html.
Also, please be aware that math courses below the level
of calculus, and statistics courses without a calculus
prerequisite, will not transfer to Penn.
Students are encouraged to transfer after their freshman
year, because there are very few spaces available for
entering juniors. Transfer students who wish to matriculate
into the Wharton School must do so through initial admission
to the University; externally admitted transfer students
are not permitted to transfer again within the University.
Transfer students enrolled in the other three undergraduate
schools may still take Wharton courses under the one
university concept, but will not be able to transfer
internally once they are at Penn. Applicants already
holding undergraduate degrees will not be considered
for transfer admission to Wharton.
Please contact The Wharton School if you have any questions
about its program. Further information is contained
in the Undergraduate Academic Bulletin at www.upenn.edu/registrar
and on the Division website at www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad
The Wharton School
Undergraduate Division
Attn: Admissions Recruitment
University of Pennsylvania
3730 Walnut Street
G95 Jon M. Huntsman Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6340
(215) 898-7608
www.wharton.upenn.edu/undergrad
ugoffice@wharton.upenn.edu
- School of Engineering and Applied
Science
Requirements: The School of Engineering and Applied
Science website clearly states the suggested schedule
for each engineering area of concentration. Applicants
should follow, as closely as possible, the schedule
outlined for the major. All transfer applicants to the
Engineering School need to select a major when applying.
Students are eligible to apply for a dual degree program
after completing one year (eight course units) at Penn.
Students holding undergraduate degrees in science-related
fields are not encouraged to pursue a second degree
but should contact the Graduate Admissions Office.
Students transferring into the School of Engineering
and Applied Science after one year of college should
have completed at least one course in chemistry, one
course in physics (involving the use of calculus), one
course in computer programming, two courses in calculus,
and, if possible, two courses in the social sciences
and humanities.
Depending on their desired discipline, students transferring
into the School of Engineering and Applied Science after
two years of college should have completed a total of
four courses in math (calculus through differential
equations), two courses in physics (involving the use
of calculus), one course in chemistry, one course in
computer programming, three or four courses in the social
sciences and humanities and as many engineering and
applied science courses as possible (e.g., mechanics,
electrical circuits, materials, thermodynamics, etc.).
Computer Science majors need to complete a year of computer
science during their freshman year. Please see the website
for further details about specific curricula. For further
information on academic programs please contact:
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Office of Academic Programs
University of Pennsylvania
111 Towne Building
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315
(215) 898-7246
www.seas.upenn.edu/under/
- School of Nursing
Requirements: Transfer applicants must have completed
a minimum of eight transferable college courses, including
at least one laboratory science course. Externally admitted
transfer students are not permitted to transfer again
within the University.
Applicants with a Bachelor's degree in a non-nursing
discipline, and applicants who are RN Return students
(those who have completed a Diploma RN program or an
Associate's Degree RN program), have two options: The
BSN Second Degree program and the BSN/MSN Accelerated
program.
The BSN Second Degree program is an accelerated option
for those exclusively interested in pursuing a Bachelor's
of Science in Nursing. The BSN/MSN Program is for those
who have identified a graduate area of interest. The
length of the program varies depending upon what coursework
the applicant has completed prior to matriculation.
The BSN/MSN program is for those who would like to pursue
a Master of Science in Nursing and have already identified
an area of specialty, but do not yet have a Bachelor
of Science in Nursing. Students admitted to both portions
will earn an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing
and continue studies in the desired Master's area. Applicants
to the BSN/MSN program must take the GRE.
The School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission
on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Interviews are required for the School of Nursing. All
applicants should contact the School directly for more
information and to discuss previous academic work.
School of Nursing
Office of Enrollment Management
University of Pennsylvania
Nursing Education Building
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6096
(215) 898-4271
www.nursing.upenn.edu
nursing-ntugrad-admissions@nursing.upenn.edu
nursing-bsn-msn-admissions@nursing.upenn.edu
Can transfer students apply for dual
degree or joint degree programs?
Students may apply for dual degree programs within the school to which they are applying. Students are not able to apply to joint degree programs. For more complete information, please check with the appropriate school to determine the best options.
Is it possible to switch schools
once you are admitted as a transfer student?
No. Please apply to the school in which you intend to major.
Is the admit rate higher for transfer
students than it is for incoming freshmen?
No, these admission rates tend to be about the same-roughly 20%.
What does "legacy" mean in the transfer
process?
The children and grandchildren of alumni are considered "legacies" at Penn. Like in the undergraduate admissions process for freshman, being a legacy is noted in the transfer process. "Legacy" is an extra, positive piece of information about an applicant.
What services does the ACA offer
a transfer applicant?
Transfer applicants are provided all of the services that the ACA provides to incoming freshman applicants.
The Alumni Council on Admissions acts as an additional resource for legacy applicants. After conducting some initial research about Penn and other college choices, students may use our office as a place to turn with follow-up questions. We are happy to assist, or to provide referrals to other departments at Penn.
Our office also conducts optional on-campus interviews for legacy candidates during the application process. We begin those for transfers in the fall once the applicant has started their freshman year at the college from which they will be transferring. We encourage students to complete their interview in accordance with application deadlines. The interview is completely optional, but a nice way to supplement the application to Penn. Students should be equipped to articulate their interest in Penn, and why Penn is a good match for them. If a student wishes to schedule an on-campus interview with our office, they should call us at (215) 898-6888.
For more information, visit our website
or the admissions
website.
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