Transfer Students

Students who transfer to Penn as juniors are eligible to request transfer credit for a writing seminar. The Critical Writing Program’s website will help students determine how to fulfill the Writing Requirement and whether credit from a previous institution is likely to be applicable.

If not yet completed, students should plan to fulfill the Language Requirement as soon as possible. Language department websites provide information about placement exams  for students who plan to continue with a previously studied language and/or receive credit for language courses taken at their previous institution.

Transfer students who come to Penn with sophomore standing will have one full semester before they are asked to declare their major. It is expected that most will be able to declare the major at the standard time (March of sophomore year). In the first semester, exploration should be the top priority. Students should browse the websites of prospective major departments for more detailed information of requirements and prerequisites.

Transfer students who come to Penn with junior standing should declare their major as soon as they are reasonably able to do so. Junior transfer students who are athletes must declare their major as soon as possible after arriving on campus in order to be eligible for athletic competition.

At least half of the courses satisfying the major requirement must be taken at Penn.

• Only the department or program advisors determine which credits transferred from another institution can count toward the major.
• At least half the course units in the major must be taken at Penn. Some departments require more.

In order to be eligible for Penn equivalent credit, courses taken at a transfer student's previous institution must have earned a grade of C or better. If the course was taken on a pass/fail (or credit/no credit) basis, Penn credit may still be awarded.

Transfer students should review the pass/fail or credit/no credit policies of their previous institution:  if a P or CR represents a grade of not less than a C, it will be possible to award credit pending approval in XCAT. If, however, a P or CR at the previous institution can represent a grade lower than a C, the transfer student should contact the instructor of any course taken this way and ask that person to confirm that the student earned a grade of C or better. This confirmation should be forwarded to the student's College advisor as confirmation that the credit is eligible for transfer.

Prior College Math Courses

Transfer students who took a math course at their previous college or university should speak with their academic advisor about the proper placement in a math course at Penn. Placement may depend, in part, on the approval for transfer credit received from the Math department via XCAT.

Starting Math at Penn

Students who did not take a math course at their previous college or university and plan to do so at Penn should take the Math Diagnostic to determine the proper level of calculus course to take. Transfer students wishing to take this placement exam should let their College advisor know as soon as possible, so that they may be given access to the exam.  You can find out more about starting math at Penn here.

Transfer students who have questions concerning their class standing should contact the Office of Admissions. Questions concerning the curriculum should be addressed to an academic advisor in the College Office.

Students who transfer to Penn with junior standing are not eligible to apply for a dual degree program or for semester study abroad programs.