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Transfer (Non-Cornell) Credit

The maximum number of external transfer credits accepted is 60. 

 

What is needed to potentially receive external transfer credit? 

If a student would like general CALS credit or to fulfill a Distribution Requirement, the following items should be emailed, mailed, or dropped-off in person to CALS Student Services: 

  1. A completed Application for External Transfer Credit (located in DUST).
  2. The course syllabus.
  3. Once the course is complete, an official transcript sent directly from the external institution.  We will not accept unofficial transcripts. 

If a student wants to fulfill a Major Requirement, they must submit the following to CALS Student Services: 

  1. A completed Application for External Transfer Credit (located in DUST). 
  2. Including Section C, which indicates approval from student’s Major Advisor, OR an email from the Major Department approving the course.  The student should contact their Advising Coordinator about this process if they have questions. 
  3. Section B should be completed only if the student needs course equivalency. 
  4. The course syllabus. 
  5. Once the course is complete, an official transcript sent directly from the external  institution.  We will not accept unofficial transcripts. 

If a student wants to bring in college credit earned in high school (max of 15 credits, including AP), they must submit the following to CALS Student Services: 

  1. A completed Application for College Credit Earned in High School (located in DUST). 
  2. The course syllabus. 
  3. An official transcript sent directly from the external institution.  We will not accept unofficial transcripts.  

Can a student check to see if an external course they want to take has already been approved by CALS for a distribution requirement?   

Yes, students should check the CALS Transfer Course Database (located in DUST) for courses that have been approved.  If the course they are searching for is listed along with the Distribution Requirement they are seeking credit for, the student does not need to complete an application for external transfer credit (this application is located in DUST).  The student should cals-studentservices [at] cornell.edu (contact CALS Student Services) once the course has concluded and inform us that they have taken a pre-approved course and would like credit for it as listed in the CALS Transfer Course Database.  An official transcript must be sent directly from the institution.  Once this has been received, our Transfer Support Specialist will review, post the credits, and notify the student. 

If a student would like to enroll in a course offered outside of Cornell that is not listed in the Transfer Course Database, how do they get it pre-approved for credit? 

  1. Complete the Application for External Transfer Credit (located in DUST).  
  2. Submit the course syllabus. 

Materials can be emailed to cals-studentservices [at] cornell.edu (cals-studentservices[at]cornell[dot]edu), mailed to 215 Garden Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14853, or dropped off in person at 140 Roberts Hall. Once our office has these two items, our Transfer Support Specialist will review and reach out to the student with approval/denial.  Depending on the time of year, the review process may take up to 1-2 weeks. 

How can a student receive credit for a course already completed at another institution (for example, a course taken over winter/summer break) that they never sought pre-approval for? 

We encourage students to check the CALS Transfer Course Database for potential courses they wish to take outside of Cornell, and/or receive pre-approval before taking a course at another institution, although this does not always happen.  The pre-approval process is beneficial to the student so that they can feel confident that the course they are taking elsewhere will transfer into CALS once completed.

If the student did not receive pre-approval for a course they have already completed elsewhere, they must submit the following to CALS Student Services: 

  1. Completed Application for External Transfer Credit (located in DUST). 
  2. The course syllabus.
  3. An official transcript sent directly to our office from the external institution the course was taken at. 

Materials can be emailed to cals-studentservices [at] cornell.edu (cals-studentservices[at]cornell[dot]edu), mailed to 215 Garden Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14853, or dropped off in person at 140 Roberts Hall (transcript must be in a sealed envelope). Once our office has these two items, our Transfer Support Specialist will review and reach out to the student with approval/denial.  Depending on the time of year, the review process may take up to 1-2 weeks.