Transfer applicants for fall 2024 admission may apply with or without standardized test scores. Transfer applicants for fall 2025 admission and later will be required to submit one or more scores from the following test types: ACT, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or SAT. The admissions process for the Eli Whitney Students Program (EWSP) for nontraditional students is test-optional: applicants to the EWSP may apply with or without standardized test scores. Review standardized testing for transfer applicants to learn more.
You will need to make the decision yourself as to whether you would like to include scores with your application. The admissions office will not be able to assist you with that decision. For applicants without scores, the Admissions Committee places greater weight on other parts of the application, such as transcripts, recommendation letters, and essays. Competitive candidates with or without scores are those whose applications clearly demonstrate a high degree of academic preparedness, a consistent record of scholastic success, and genuine intellectual curiosity.
Transfer applicants should submit required financial aid documents by April 1 to receive a provisional financial aid decision with an admissions decision. If you miss the deadline, your provisional award information may arrive after your admissions decision. However, you are still eligible to apply for financial aid, and your award will not be reduced because of late submission. Please submit all documents as soon as possible; the more quickly you complete your file, the sooner you will receive your provisional financial aid decision.
Yes. Transfer applicants will be invited in mid-April to participate in an interview via StandOut, an online platform that enables applicants to record and submit a video interview for inclusion in the admissions file. Completing a StandOut interview is entirely optional. If you choose not to submit an online interview, it will not negatively affect the review of your application.
No. Applicants may not request an interview with an admissions officer. After a preliminary review of complete applications, the Admissions Office will offer a select number of transfer applicants the opportunity to interview with an admissions officer.
Students who will have at least a year’s worth of transferable credit but no more than two years’ worth at the time of entry, you should apply for transfer admission. Students who will have less than a year’s worth of transferable credit at the time of entry should apply for first-year admission. Students who will have more than two years’ worth of transferable credit are normally not be eligible to apply for transfer admission. Note that college credits earned while in high school are not considered transferable credit.
The transfer application fee is $80. Fee waivers are available via the Common Application or the Coalition Application online for students who meet the eligibility criteria. Making fee waivers easy is one example of Yale’s commitment to being accessible to students from all backgrounds.
If your college experience was delayed or interrupted for more than five years, you may be eligible to apply to the Eli Whitney Students Program. While all Yale College students earn bachelor’s degrees from Yale, there are a few differences between the two programs: transfer students must attend Yale full-time, while Eli Whitney students may choose to attend on a part-time or full-time basis. Tuition costs for Eli Whitney students vary depending on the number of credits taken in any given semester. On-campus housing is available to transfer students, but not Eli Whitney students.
Yale rarely allows transfer students to postpone matriculation, but the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will consider requests in exceptional circumstances.
Every incoming transfer student is assigned to one of Yale’s fourteen residential colleges. On-campus housing is guaranteed to first-year students and sophomores, for whom residence is required. On-campus housing is generally available for all who request it, but availability is not guaranteed.
Please contact Yale’s Student Accessibility Services at sas@yale.edu or 203-432-2324.
Transfer applicants will receive their admissions decisions in mid-May through the Yale Admissions Status Portal. Applicants will receive email alert notifying them when decisions are available.
Yes, but you must submit a new application for admission in a subsequent year. A new application fee is also required. Please note that applications will not be considered from individuals who have submitted a total of three applications to Yale College, including a first-year application.
Yes. Yale College admits students from both community colleges and four-year institutions.
A holistic review of an applicant’s postsecondary experience is required to determine if credits will transfer to Yale. Yale will not accept college credit for courses taken during high school, college credits awarded for Advanced Placement Tests, correspondence courses or the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests. Credits for non-Yale online courses may be eligible for Yale credit under limited conditions. Online courses taken through Yale automatically transfer onto the Yale transcript.
The transfer deadline is March 1. Please note that transfer students may only apply to begin their studies in the fall semester.
Yes. Transfer students are eligible for the same need-based financial aid as students who enter as first-years. Yale’s financial aid policies meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for all students, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Financial aid is awarded solely on the basis of financial need; merit-based scholarships are not available. For more information, visit the Financial Aid page or Estimate Your Cost in Three Minutes.
No. Transfer students must enter in the fall term.
No. Transfer students must attend Yale on a full-time basis. Students admitted through the Eli Whitney Students Program have the option to attend on a part-time or full-time basis.
Most courses in Yale College are semester courses that carry one credit. Generally speaking, a Yale course credit is the same as three or four credit hours or four and one-half quarter hours.
No. Yale will not evaluate college courses completed while a student was in high school, even if the course was taken on a college campus.
The Yale College Dean’s Office evaluates transcripts for all admitted transfer students to determine course transferability; courses that are similar to those available to Yale undergraduates are most likely to transfer. Admitted transfer students will receive an estimate of their transferable credits and the number of terms expected to complete a bachelor’s degree before replying to Yale’s offer of admission. Matriculating students receive a final transfer credit report after Yale receives an official final college transcript from the student’s previous institution.
The Yale Admissions Status Portal will allow you to view an Application Checklist of all required material and, eventually, your admissions decision. You can also use the Status Portal to request a change of address, change of primary email, etc. Given the volume of our application pool, admissions staff are unable to individually acknowledge receipt of documents over the phone. If there is a concern regarding one of your documents, please email transfer.admissions@yale.edu.