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HOW TO APPLY Cornell Faces Cornell Campus

Transfer Students: Application Process Overview

Wondering about what's required to transfer to Cornell? This information is for you if:

  1. You've already matriculated full-time at another institution and/or
  2. You've graduated from high school and have earned 12 or more credits at another institution since graduation.

( If you are enrolled in a dual enrollment or early college program, and have not yet graduated from high school, you will apply as a freshman.)

Note to Current College Freshman: Current college freshmen should plan on completing at least one year of coursework elsewhere. Transferring after one semester is not advisable and is not permitted in most cases. If you intend to complete only one semester of coursework at another institution, you must contact the admissions office in advance of submitting your application for spring admission. Current freshman are welcome to apply for fall admission; application for fall admission must be submitted by March 15.

The Cornell Transfer Application Consists Of:

  1. the Transfer Common Application, which Cornell uses exclusively (this includes pages AP-1 to AP-4, the College Instructor Evaluation and the College Official’s Report )
  2. a $70 application fee or fee waiver
  3. the Cornell Transfer Supplement to the Common Application, required of all transfer applicants as it includes important Cornell-specific information and required essays
  4. the required Midterm Report
  5. official college transcript(s), final high school transcript, and official test scores (SAT/ACT) if already taken
  6. the 2008 Transfer Financial Aid Application for applicants planning to apply for financial aid
  7. college specific requirements as noted in the Special Requirements for Transfer Students grid

The transfer application filing periods are as follows:

Fall Transfer Applicants: February 15 to March 15

Spring Transfer Applicants: October 1 to November 1

Required Interviews

For transfer applicants to the School of Hotel Administration, the architecture program in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, a formal interview is required for admission. Transfer applicants to the art department in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning also are encouraged (though not required) to have an interview. Submit an online request for the School of Hotel Administration, and the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, or call the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at 607-255-2222 to schedule a required interview.

Application Status

When we receive your Transfer Common Application and fee or fee waiver, we will e-mail you with the information you need to access your online application status on Cornell’s web site. Please note that receiving an ApplicantID via e-mail is your confirmation that we have received your application. Using this secure site you will be able to track your application materials, update your e-mail address when necessary, and have access to your admission decision. If you do not receive an ApplicantID within two weeks of submitting the Transfer Common Application to Cornell, it may be because your e-mail address is incorrect or you are blocking e-mail from us.

Note to Spring 2008 Transfers

Cornell University has extended its transfer application deadline until March 31, 2008. If you would like to apply for Fall 2008 transfer consideration, you will need to submit the Transfer Common Application and the Cornell Transfer Supplement electronically by the March 31 deadline. All other required application materials may arrive shortly after this deadline. The application and supplement can be found online at http://www.commonapp.org/.

Important E-Mail Instructions

It is important that you provide us with a legible, current e-mail address (on the Transfer Common Application and Cornell Transfer Supplement) that you check frequently. E-mail is our primary method for communicating with you to request missing application materials, to verify information, to give you special instructions, etc. Please be sure to include cornell.edu in your address book and/or remove any spam blockers that might prevent our e-mail from reaching you.

Applying to a College

You may apply to only one of the seven undergraduate colleges at Cornell; however, at the discretion of the admissions office, another college at Cornell may review your application in the event that you are not offered admission to your first-choice college. Each college has its own admissions requirements for transfer applicants.If you have questions about admission to a particular college at Cornell, or you would like college-specific information sent to you, we encourage you to contact the college directly. Our undergraduate colleges can be explored at the links below:

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Engineering
School of Hotel Administration
College of Human Ecology
School of Industrial and Labor Relations