Transfer to Communication

We're so happy you're interested in the Department of Communication!

Current Cornell Students: If you wish to add Communication as a double major, or change your major to Communication, please fill out this form to let us know you're interested. 

Current Cornell CALS Students

All applications are reviewed by the Communication Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.  

Prior to applying, students must complete and earn a B in the following classes:  

  1. COMM 1101 
  2. COMM 2820  

  3. At least one of the following:  

    1. COMM 2200 

    2. COMM 2310

    3. COMM 2450 

    4. COMM 2760 

    5. COMM 2850 

Important notes:

*COMM 1101 & COMM 2820 are ONLY offered in the fall.  

*2310 is usually full with students already admitted to the major. Check with Professor to see if there is room for transfers. 

*Students are allowed to turn in an application only AFTER their grades are posted for the required classes.  

*Applications with grades lower than a B in these required classes will not be accepted, unless extenuating circumstances are outlined in your essay.  

* All applicants are held to the same standards of student conduct as current Communication majors. Follow this link to view the Cornell Student Code of Conduct: Student Code of Conduct (Student Code) 

 Submit your Change of Major Application here!

Current Cornell, Non-CALS

Students who are interested in transferring to the Department of Communication from another college at Cornell should read the information on the CALS Admissions page for Internal Transfer applications. Students are REQUIRED to meet with Ashlee Cherry (the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the Department of Communication). ec2396 [at] cornell.edu (subject: Non-CALS%20student%20interested%20in%20transferring%20to%20COMM) (Please email Ashlee Cherry to set up an appointment). If desired, students are welcome to make an appointment with the Office of Internal Transfer to discuss the process and application (this is not a requirement). The Office of Internal Transfer will provide you with the application deadline (generally the last day of classes).

Prior to applying, students must complete and earn a B in the following classes:  

  1. COMM 1101 
  2. COMM 2820  

  3. At least one of the following:  

    1. COMM 2200 

    2. COMM 2310

    3. COMM 2450 

    4. COMM 2760 

    5. COMM 2850 

Students may apply to the Office of Internal Transfer while they are currently enrolled in the three required courses. Competitive applications include a minimum cumulative Cornell GPA of 2.5 and higher than a B in each of the three classes.

All applicants are held to the same standards of student conduct as current Communication majors. Follow this link to view the Cornell Student Code of Conduct: Student Code of Conduct (Student Code) 

Prospective High School or Off-Campus Transfer Students

Current High School or off-campus Transfer students should review the CALS Admissions page. If you are interested in setting up an individual meeting with the Department of Communication or if you have questions about our department please contact ac2396 [at] cornell.edu (Ashlee Cherry) via email or set up a 30-minute advising meeting.

All applicants are held to the same standards of student conduct as current Communication majors. Follow this link to view the Cornell Student Code of Conduct: Student Code of Conduct (Student Code).

Academic Record

  • Strong academic record at the college level. In general, competitive applicants have at least a 3.0 (B) average.

  • CALS Required Coursework should be completed or in-progress with a “B” or better before applying.

  • The most competitive applicants are full-time students who have met the GPA and course requirements.

Requirements

Required:

Strongly encouraged (but not required):

  • One full year of Introductory Biology (labs recommended)

  • One course in either General (Inorganic) Chemistry I or Physics I (labs recommended)

(Or transfers with four full-time college semesters of study (post-high school) completed or in progress at time of application).

Required:

  • Two College Writing/English Composition courses or one writing/composition and Public Speaking

  • Statistics

  • Psychology

  • Sociology

  • General (Inorganic) Chemistry I or Physics I (labs recommended)

Strongly encouraged (but not required):

  • One full year of Introductory Biology (labs recommended)

Courses that meet the CALS social science and humanities requirements in Cultural Analysis, Historical Analysis, Knowledge, Cognition and Moral Reasoning, Literature and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Analysis and Foreign Language

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Did you take communication-related coursework at your previous institution? 

Please fill out the form below if you have completed communication-related coursework at another College/University, or through a study abroad program, and would like to see if you're able to use it/them in place of Cornell Communication classes. 

Syllabi from previous classes will be sent to faculty in the department to see if you can "replace" a COMM class, or receive credits toward your upper-level COMM elective requirements. 

Important notes

  • Incoming sophomores can transfer up to 12 credits.
    - You may submit more than 12 credits worth of class syllabi, but only 12 credits will be applied. If more than 12 credits are approved, please work with Ashlee Cherry to decide which classes would be most beneficial for you to apply to your Cornell Communication requirements. 

  • Incoming juniors can transfer up to 21 credits. 

  • Submissions are accepted at any point through the semester, however, decisions are not guaranteed over summer or winter breaks. (This means a submission that came in over the summer may not get a response until after the fall semester starts, but before the end of the add/drop period).  

Submit your class(es) here!