Transfer Eligibility & Academic Guidelines

Eligibility

The Transfer Admissions Committee determines eligibility during the application evaluation process. A holistic review of an applicant’s postsecondary experience is required to determine if credits will transfer to Yale.

The following policies should guide a candidate’s choice about whether to apply for transfer admission: 

• Eligible transfer students must have at least one year’s worth of transferable postsecondary credit before entering Yale College. One year is the equivalent of eight Yale course credits. Applicants who will have fewer than 8 transferable credits upon entering Yale should apply for first-year admission.
• Transfer applicants are offered admission to begin with either sophomore or junior standing.
• Yale does not offer admission to students with more than two years (18 Yale course credits) worth of transferable undergraduate coursework. All Yale College students must complete at least two years of coursework (18 Yale course credits) at Yale. 
• Any college credits earned prior to high school graduation will not be evaluated as transferable credit. Students who are dual-enrolled in both a high school and a college program should apply for first-year admission.
• Yale College does not accept transfer applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree.
• Applicants with an interruption in their education of at least five years may consider applying through the the Eli Whitney Students Program.

Guidelines for Transferring Credit

Transfer applicants receive an estimate of their transferable credits at the time of admission, and Yale does not conduct transfer credit reviews before an applicant is admitted. Yale students must complete 36 course credits to receive their bachelor’s degree, and most Yale College semester courses count as 1 course credit. Incoming transfer students may transfer up to the equivalent of 18 Yale course credits earned at one or more colleges and must complete a minimum of 18 course credits at Yale. 

Completed college courses that are similar to those offered at Yale in subjects taught in Yale College are usually transferable. Many courses in English, math (statistics, calculus I and above), psychology, biology, computer science, physics, history, economics, political science, chemistry, non-English languages, and philosophy are usually transferable for Yale course credit. Courses in subjects not offered at Yale—such as communications, criminal justice, business, nursing, and military fields—are not transferable. 

Online courses from other institutions may be eligible for Yale credit. Transferable online courses must include regular, synchronous interaction with the instructor, as well as regular feedback. Pending review by the director of the transfer program, up to two asynchronous online course credits may be approved for credit as part of the transfer process.

Distributional Requirements and Declaring a Major

Yale’s system of distributional requirements ensures diverse intellectual pursuits for all Yale College students while encouraging flexibility and freedom to expand on individual interests, explore new curiosities, and take academic risks. All students fulfill disciplinary area requirements by taking a minimum of two course credits in the humanities and arts, two course credits in the sciences, and two course credits in the social sciences. Students also fulfill skills requirements by taking at least two course credits in quantitative reasoning, two course credits in writing, and courses to further their foreign language proficiency. Credits transferred from other colleges may be used to fulfill distributional requirements, with the approval of the appropriate Yale administrators.

Yale students generally declare a major by the end of sophomore year. While most majors are open to transfer students, some departments have specific rules or prerequisites that may prevent some transfer students from pursuing the major. Incoming transfer students who are granted second-semester sophomore or junior standing and are interested in a Yale major that requires a sophomore-year application are encouraged to communicate with the director of undergraduate studies in that major after being offered admission. Given the sequential nature of the several engineering curricula, prospective transfer students looking to major in engineering should complete a full sequence of college-level single-variable calculus (or higher) and a full sequence of college-level introductory physics.

Review the Yale College Programs of Study for detailed descriptions of the courses, majors, and academic regulations.

Transfer Program and the Eli Whitney Students Program

If you are eligible to apply to both the Transfer Admissions Program and the Eli Whitney Students Program, the chart below details a few key differences. Candidates may apply to either the Transfer Program or the Eli Whitney Students Program. They may not apply to both simultaneously.