Information for Transfers

If you are considering completing an application as a transfer to the University of Pennsylvania, please also visit the admissions website for transfers.

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.

TIMELINE

January
Transfer students may submit applications as early as January 1 for fall admission, which is the only time transfer students may begin their course of study at Penn.

March 15
Application deadline. Submit up-to-date transcript with fall grades to Penn AND mid-semester spring grades.

May 15-May 30
Decisions made on a rolling basis. If housing is desired, please return forms enclosed with your admit letter as soon as possible.

August/September
Incoming Transfer Student Orientation.

FAQs  [Click link to expand/collapse answer.]

1. How do I know whether I should apply as a transfer or as an incoming freshman?

ANSWER: 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.

2. Are transfer students given housing?

ANSWER: 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.

3. Do transfer students live with students who began their education at Penn?

ANSWER: 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.

4. How does the transfer of credit at Penn work?

ANSWER: 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 want 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.

5. What are the pre-requisites for transferring to:

• The College of Arts and Sciences

ANSWER: The College's new general education requirement consists of two parts: five foundational skills through writing, foreign language, quantitative data analysis, formal reasoning, and cross-cultural analysis; and seven sector requirements in Society, History & Tradition, Arts & Letters, The Living World, The Physical World, and two interdisciplinary sectors: Humanities & Social Sciences and Natural Sciences & Mathematics. 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.

All students should consult the web pages of specific majors to apprise themselves of prerequisites and course requirements before applying to the College of Arts & Sciences. 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. Prospective Communication majors must complete prerequisites for that major before being admitted to the program. Admissions to this major, therefore, cannot be guaranteed until these requirements have been met, either prior to, or after matriculation. Students are not permitted to transfer into the Individualized major in the junior year.

Please visit the Transferring into the College of Arts and Sciences website for further details.

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

ANSWER: At the Wharton School, the first collegiate business school in the world, the undergraduate program integrates the intellectual enrichment of a liberal arts education with a solid general business curriculum. Wharton students take courses in the arts, sciences and humanities, while learning business fundamentals and pursuing a business concentration. Students are encouraged to transfer after their freshman year because there are very few spaces available for entering juniors.

Please visit this website for full requirement details for transfer to Wharton: including course requirements for calculus, economics, statistics, and accounting based on entering for your sophomore or junior year. It is also 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. In addition to the academic requirements, all applicants should have demonstrated leadership skills through involvement in their current college community. Please also visit the Wharton Undergraduate Division website for a full description of degree requirements, including the language competency requirement. Course information is also contained in the Undergraduate Academic Bulletin.

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

• School of Engineering and Applied Science

ANSWER: The objective of the School of Engineering and Applied Science is to educate students to become professionals who consider the human as well as the scientific and economic aspects of societal problems. Students therefore combine fundamentals of engineering and technology with a variety of courses in the arts and sciences, and in other disciplines in a manner individually suited to their career goals.

All transfer applicants to the Engineering School need to select a major when applying. Applicants should follow, as closely as possible, the schedule outlined for the major. Students are eligible to apply for a dual degree program after completing one year (eight course units) at Penn.

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. Computer Science majors need to complete a year of computer science during their freshman year.

Depending on their desired discipline, students transferring 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.).

Please see the website for further details about specific requirements. 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

ANSWER: The School of Nursing believes that today's nurses must be innovators, advocates for improved patient care, and sensitive spokespersons for the health needs of the patient and the community. The objective of the school is to graduate students who are well educated and productive members of a community. A liberal arts program encompassing many disciplines is an integral part of the nursing curriculum. In addition, clinical experiences in all areas of nursing practice offer students a wide variety of health care settings in which to learn.

Transfer applicants must have completed a minimum of eight transferable college courses, including at least two laboratory sciences courses. Recommended courses include Introduction to Chemistry I and II with lab, Introduction to Biology I with lab and Introduction to Microbiology with lab.

Please see the website for more information. 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

6. Can transfer students apply for dual degree or joint degree programs?

ANSWER: 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.

7. Is it possible to switch schools once you are admitted as a transfer student?

ANSWER: No, externally admitted transfer students are not permitted to transfer again within the University. Please apply to the school in which you intend to graduate.

8. What does "legacy" mean in the transfer process?

ANSWER: Children and grandchildren of alumni are considered "legacies" at Penn. Like in the undergraduate admissions process for freshmen, being a legacy is noted in the transfer process. "Legacy" is an extra, positive piece of information about an applicant.

9. What services does the ACA offer a transfer applicant?

ANSWER: Transfer applicants are offered all of the same services that the ACA provides to incoming freshman applicants.

We encourage transfer students to Legacy Advising Sessions before the application deadline, so that our advice is most useful.

10. Is the admit rate higher for transfer students than it is for incoming freshmen?

ANSWER: No, these admission rates tend to be about the same-roughly 16%.