Transfer Option Applicants
Let’s Get Started
If you were offered the Transfer Option for fall 2025, please review the application instructions below. If you have questions, please contact the college or school that offered you the Transfer Option.
Before you apply
This application information is only for students who applied previously and received a Transfer Option offer for Fall 2025. If you did not receive a Transfer Option offer for Fall 2025, you can apply for transfer through the Common App and find application instructions here.
Deadline
The deadline to complete your Transfer Option application is March 15, 2025. Your online application must be submitted by this date, and we encourage you to submit all other application materials as close to this date as possible.
Log in using the same information that you previously used to sign in to your Cornell Applicant Portal. You can use the "Forgot Your Password?" link if you need to reset your password. If you no longer have access to the email address associated with your account, please contact admissions@cornell.edu for assistance.
Application Materials
To complete your application, you’ll need to submit the following items:
- Online application: You should use the same credentials you used to access your previous Cornell University application status portal. If you cannot remember your previous credentials, please select Create an Account under First-time users or contact applicant@cornell.edu for assistance.
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended AND an official final high school transcript.
- Official eTranscripts may be sent to applicant@cornell.edu.
- Transcripts and the College Report must come directly from the institution, they cannot be sent from you. We are unable to approve a TO application without receiving these materials.
- Transfer Option College Report
- Instructions on how to submit the Transfer Option College Report can be found at the top of the form.
- Mid-Term Report for your current semester. The Mid-Term Report should be submitted as close to the application deadline as possible and will be accepted after the March 15 deadline if necessary.
- Mid-Term Reports should be completed for your spring 2025 courses in progress, even if official mid-term grades are not issued by your institution.
Please note that there is no application fee for the Transfer Option application.
Additional Requirements for Your College or School
In addition to the general application materials listed above, please be sure to submit the materials required by the college or school you're applying to:
- Current semester schedule of courses.
- List of all Advanced Placement (AP) scores. For the purposes of the TO application, these scores may be self-reported.
- Essay: Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected and specifically, why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell CALS? You should share how your first-year experiences have helped prepare you for a transition to CALS.
The College of Arts & Sciences does not require any additional materials.
- Résumé
- List of all Advanced Placement (AP) scores.
- Essay: How will transferring to your intended major in the College of Human Ecology advance your academic goals and plans for the future? Responses should be no more than 650 words.
- Design supplements are required for Design & Environmental Analysis, Fashion Design & Management, and Fiber Science applicants in addition to submitting the Transfer Option Application. These materials must be submitted by the application deadline for critical evaluation by department faculty. Applications to those majors without the required supplement will not be reviewed. Be sure to use the current instructions when developing your supplement. Do not resubmit your original design supplement.
All applicants: Please attach an updated résumé to this application. You do not need to schedule an interview.
- List of all Advanced Placement (AP) scores.
Frequently Asked Questions
Transfer admissions are released on a rolling basis starting in mid-April. There may be occasions when we need to hold for final semester grades, but most decisions are sent in late April/early May.
Be sure to submit the required documents listed in each section of the application, in the format requested.
You can submit letters of recommendation, though they are not required as part of the Transfer Option application. Letters of recommendation should be from college/university faculty and/or advisors. Letter writers can email their materials to applicant@cornell.edu or you can upload the file(s) as supplemental information via the application portal.
Documents can be uploaded to your application or can be submitted later using the Upload Materials section in your Applicant Status Portal. Don’t forget to click the upload button after you've chosen your file.
Transcripts and the College Report must come directly from the institution; they cannot be sent by the applicant. We are unable to approve a TO application without receiving these materials.
If you are on the quarter system, your final winter quarter grades may be used in place of the Mid-Term Report.
Financial Aid
If you will be applying for financial aid, please make sure to complete the financial aid application by March 15. We strongly encourage you to apply for aid before you receive your admissions decision, or you may not receive your aid package in time to deposit.