Transfers and Withdrawal from Penn

Students who wish to apply for an internal transfer between any of the four undergraduate schools should attend an information session or speak with an advisor in the school to which they are applying. Applicants should be prepared to discuss why the curriculum of the target school is a good fit for their academic interests and goals.

  • Students are not eligible for transfer until they have completed 8 c.u. (or two semesters, whichever comes later) at Penn.
  • Applications for internal transfer will not normally be considered after the end of the sophomore year.     
  • Students applying for internal transfer must be in good academic standing in their home school and should have no NR's or I's on their record.
  • Internal transfers to any of Penn's undergraduate schools or divisions are not eligible to transfer again within the University.
  • External transfers admitted to any of Penn's undergraduate schools or divisions are not eligible to transfer again within the University.
  • Students in Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies are not eligible to apply for an internal transfer into the College of Arts and Sciences.

Students with questions about transferring into the College should make an appointment to speak with Dr. Rebecca Poyourow.

Students should be aware that there are specific eligibility requirements for those wishing to transfer into the Wharton School and that the process is very competitive.

Students may submit an application for internal transfer into the College during the application period for each semester (April 1 to May 15 for the fall and November 1 to December 15 for the spring)

Students whose curricular interests change after they have matriculated into one of the other full-time undergraduate programs at the University of Pennsylvania (Engineering, Nursing or Wharton) may apply to transfer into the College of Arts and Sciences. Students considering such a transfer should contact Dr. Rebecca Poyourow to discuss their academic interests and plan for completing a College degree. Students interested in transferring into the College should review the curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences and consider possible majors.

The Internal Transfer Committee will look for indications of future success in the College by reviewing students’ academic records from Penn and their high school. Since this is a competitive process, applicants who wish to pursue a liberal arts program are encouraged to consider opportunities at other institutions as well.

The College will consider applications of students who have demonstrated an interest in the liberal arts and completed at least two semesters and 8 c.u. at Penn. Competitive candidates will typically have a minimum Penn g.p.a. of 3.0 and high school grades and testing consistent with first-year students in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Applications will not be considered after a student’s fourth semester at Penn. All applicants are expected to be in good academic standing at the time of applying to transfer to the College, have no incomplete coursework, and have no pending student conduct or academic integrity cases. Students may apply through May 15 for entry the following fall, and December 15 for the following spring.

External transfers admitted to any of Penn's undergraduate schools or divisions are not eligible to transfer again within the University.

Students in Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies are not eligible to transfer into the College of Arts and Sciences at Penn.

A student who wishes to withdraw from Penn must inform the College Office in writing by filling out the Withdrawal from the University form. If a student withdraws after the fifth week of the semester, all course grades from that semester will be reported on the transcript as W (withdrawal).

Once the Withdrawal is finalized, students are advised to contact any relevant campus offices and follow their specific procedures and deadlines.

Checklist: Before leaving

applying to transfer to another University-College Report Form