Transferring to the University of Rochester
Transfer students from other colleges and universities must satisfy all requirements for graduation. All incoming transfer students will be assigned a College advisor who will remain with them until graduation. College advisors assist students in developing academic and career plans, including plans to complete the Rochester Curriculum.
Fall start—Prior to the start of the fall semester, all students transferring to the University are expected to participate in the online transfer student orientation that starts in July. All transfer students are also required to attend Fall Welcome Week on campus in August.
Spring start—For students starting in the spring, the online transfer student orientation starts in December and Spring Welcome Week is in January prior to the start of the semester.
Academic Policies
Transfer Credit Policies
To have your credits transferred to the University of Rochester, you must have an official transcript produced from your previous college or university with the grade and credit earned. If you are planning on using any of these courses toward your major or minor, you must fill out a Course Approval Form to receive departmental approval. Please see the transfer credit page for more information.
Course credits earned at Monroe Community College (MCC) do not need department approval if they are on the MCC Master List, unless a student is using it for a major or minor.
A maximum of 64 credit hours is transferable to the University of Rochester degree from two-year schools. Other than the maximum of 64 credits that can be transferred from a two-year school, there is no specified limit to the amount of credit that can be transferred from a four-year school. The comparable policy applies to credit earned through online coursework. In all cases involving transfer credit, students are subject to the College's enrollment policy.
No more than six courses (24 credit hours) can be transferred to a degree program by students whose first experience at the University of Rochester is as a non-matriculated student. Students who were previously matriculated and then register for University of Rochester coursework as a non-matriculated student are ineligible to use these courses toward a degree without paying the difference in tuition.
Cluster Information
Students who transfer to the University of Rochester are encouraged to complete the entire Rochester Curriculum. However, knowing that time constraints and requirements for the major may make this difficult for some, the faculty has authorized certain exceptions.
There is a special cluster provision created for transfer students to help them meet these requirements. Academic advisors in the College Center for Advising Services are available to assist transfer students with their questions about the Rochester Curriculum.
Enrollment and Residency Policies
Transfer students should also review the enrollment policy and residency requirement page. Entering transfer students are expected to follow the enrollment policy requirements specific to their status upon matriculation. No student can earn an undergraduate degree without completing a minimum of four semesters of full-time study at the University of Rochester during a fall or spring semester. At least 48 credits must be earned at the University of Rochester in order to receive a University of Rochester degree.
Academic Planning
Prospective transfer students are welcome to schedule an appointment with an advisor in the College Center for Advising Services in order to discuss their academic plans. Please use our online scheduling system to meet with an advisor.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available to transfer students. Application forms for financial aid and information are available from the Financial Aid Office in Wallis Hall.
FAQ’s and Timeline
Please review these resources we have created specifically for transfer students:
- Transfer student FAQs (pdf)
- Transfer student timeline (pdf)