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Undergraduate Admission

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Transfer Applicants

Each year, Carnegie Mellon admits a small number of transfer students as space permits.

The policies and processes for transferring vary from college to college within Carnegie Mellon, so please carefully review the deadlines, as well as the transfer application instructions, below.

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Fall Transfer

Feb 15

Application Deadline

Mar 1

Supporting Document Deadline

By May 15

Admission Decision Notification

*Transfer applicants to the College of Fine Arts must meet the first-year application deadlines.

Spring Transfer

Oct 15

Application Deadline

Nov 1

Supporting Document Deadline

Early to Mid-December

Admission Decision Notification

*Spring transfers must have completed a semester of college before the application deadline in order to apply for admission.

Transferring By College

All colleges/schools except the College of Fine Arts

  • Fall transfer is possible if space is available.
  • Spring transfer is typically extremely limited due to space constraints.
  • Those transferring from another college or university are unable to apply to BXA programs.

College of Fine Arts (Architecture, Art, Design, Drama, Music)

  • Only fall transfer is available for College of Fine Arts applicants, and applicants must meet first-year application deadlines.
  • Transfer applicants are considered alongside first-year applicants and are likely to be given first-year status.
  • Those transferring from another college or university are unable to apply to BXA programs.
  • Visit our College of Fine Arts Applicants webpage for further details about portfolio review or audition requirements.

Additional Instructions for Transfer Applicants

In addition to reviewing our general admission requirements, please make note of the following:

  • Transfer applicants must submit a college transcript in addition to a high school transcript. This will need to be accompanied by a copy of course descriptions for courses you've taken from each college/university you attended, this can either be emailed to @email with the subject line, “Transfer Course Descriptions” or submitted via this form. Please don't send an entire college course catalog.
  • A recommendation from a professor or advisor should be submitted in place of a college counselor recommendation.
  • The College Report (a Common Application form) is also required from your current academic institution. This form should be completed by your current registrar or the appropriate dean/college official who can verify your enrollment and academic standing.
  • We do not require SAT or ACT test scores from transfer applicants. We neither require nor recommend taking SAT Subject Tests, and we won't use those scores in the admission review process.
  • If English isn't your native language, we do require an English proficiency exam, even if you didn't take one previously. We accept the TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, and Cambridge English Assessment. Please note our score requirements for each exam.
  • College of Fine Arts transfer applicants should visit the College of Fine Arts Applicants webpage for further details about portfolio or audition requirements. Applicants must meet the first-year deadlines for the College of Fine Arts.

Learn more about what it takes to get in

Important Information for Transfer Students

Transfer applicants are only considered for one college or program within Carnegie Mellon.

Spring transfers must have completed a semester of college before the application deadline in order to apply for admission.

If you're offered admission, the college/school you're admitted to will evaluate your courses for potential transfer credit and you will receive that credit evaluation with your decision letter.

If you're offered admission for the spring semester, we won't require a tuition deposit due to the short time between the offer of admission and the start of the spring semester. We will require a completed enrollment reply form to be submitted no later than December 15.

University housing is not guaranteed for transfer students.

For any questions you have regarding the transfer process please reach out to our Transfer Admission Coordinator, Jordan Elling, at @email