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TRANSFER STUDENTS' FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Transfer Eligibility and Credits The Transfer Application Process Checklists Transfer Eligibility and Credits Q. Can I apply to transfer after one semester of college? A. No. Students are eligible to transfer if they will bring a minimum of 25 credits from another institution, and have completed one full academic year at another institution before enrolling at Barnard College. Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit or summer college work completed during high school is not credited towards the 25 credit minimum requirement but credit will be granted, if appropriate, once a student has enrolled at Barnard. Q. What is the residency requirement at Barnard College for transfer students? A. To receive the Bachelor of Arts degree at Barnard, a transfer student must attend Barnard for at least four regular academic terms during which she must complete at least 60 points, including at least six courses in the major field (and three in the minor field, if a minor is declared). Q. Can I transfer to Barnard College and still study abroad? A. Typically, students who transfer in with sophomore (24-51 points) class status can consider studying abroad. In careful consultation with one's academic advisor, a student can explore the implications for studying abroad while keeping in mind the residency and point requirements at the College. Q. How many credits can I transfer toward a degree at Barnard College? A. A maximum of 60 points can be transferred from another college or university toward a degree at Barnard College. Q. What is considered acceptable transfer credit? A. Courses completed at other accredited colleges and universities which are similar in content and depth to Barnard courses may be submitted for transfer credit. Credit for approved work at another institution is applied to Barnard's 121-point graduation requirement with a maximum of 16 points per term. Credit cannot be granted for courses with grades lower than C minus. Acceptable transfer work does not usually include applied or professional courses or more than the equivalent of two Barnard studio courses. The first term of an elementary language course is not normally credited unless or until the second term or a more advanced course has been satisfactorily completed, but a student may request a single exemption to this ruling. Transfer applicants who are admitted will receive a transfer credit evaluation with their admission letter indicating transferable credit and fulfilled course requirements. Q. Does Barnard College accept distance learning courses for transfer credit? A. At this time, we do not grant transfer credit for distance learning courses. [BACK TO TOP] The Transfer Application Process Q. What test scores do I need to submit to complete a transfer application? A. Scores from standardized tests are required as part of the transfer admissions process. We require official scores from either the SAT I or the ACT exam from ALL transfer applicants, regardless of the number of credits transferring or length of time since high school. We will accept either the old or new version of these tests (with or without writing components). International applicants who have studied in the United States for fewer than four years are also required to submit an official TOEFL exam score. Q. How can I find out about registering for the required exams? A: SAT I exam Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 592 Princeton, NJ 08540 Phone: (609) 921-9000 Internet: www.collegeboard.org Barnard College code for score release: 2038 ACT Exam American College Testing Iowa City, IA 52243 Phone: (319) 337-1000 Internet: www.act.org Barnard College code for score release: 2718 TOEFL Official scores from the TOEFL exam are required for students who have been in the U.S. for 4 years or less and English is not one's native language. TOEFL Services, Educational Testing Services P.O. Box 6151 Princeton, NJ 08540-6151 Phone: (609) 771-7100 E-mail: toefl@ets.org Internet: www.toefl.org Barnard College code for score release: 2038 Q. Why do I need to submit copies of course descriptions? A. If you are offered admission to the College, we will provide you with a tentative statement of transfer credit at the time we notify you of our decision. In order to evaluate any course work that you completed, or that is currently in progress, we will need to review official course descriptions from the college or university catalog. Therefore, we request official course descriptions for all college coursework at the time of application. Q. I applied to Barnard as a first-year applicant and I am applying again as a transfer applicant. Do I need to submit an entirely new application? A. If you decide to seek application again to the College, you will need to submit an entirely new application. However, we will have access to your prior application materials. Therefore, if you submitted official standardized test scores when you first applied, and you have not taken the exam since, we would still have this information on file. We would not have your final high school transcript if you applied during your senior year. Q. I have been out of school for a number of years. Do I still need to submit an Academic Dean/Advisor form or Faculty letter of recommendation? A. Yes. Individuals applying to Barnard as transfer students are required to submit two letters of recommendation: 1) college-level faculty recommendation* 2) current (or most recent) academic dean or advisor Unfortunately, letters of recommendation from employers and high school teachers cannot be submitted in place of any of the two letters that are required. If you feel these recommendations would be helpful, we will accept employer or teacher recommendation as a supplement to the required letters and use them in our review of the file. *We recognize that transfer students come to Barnard College from a wide range of colleges and universities. Therefore, students who have the most personal contact with Teaching Assistants may find it more appropriate to ask a TA for a letter of recommendation. Q. I am attending a school on a trimester or quarter system. What do I do with the mid-semester grade reports? A. Please submit to us you most recent trimester or quarter grades. You are not required to submit mid-semester progress reports if you have just begun your latest academic term. Q. When do I apply for financial aid? A. You should apply for financial aid at the same time you apply for admission. The financial aid deadline for transfer students entering in the Fall semester is April 1. Please note that we do not offer institutional financial aid for mid-year transfer students entering in the January, but some federal funds or loan programs may be transferred from your current institution. Q. Can I schedule an interview? A. The Office of Admissions does not offer interviews (on-campus or with alumnae) for transfer applicants. We invite you to convey to us within the context of the short answer questions or the lengthier application essay any information that you feel we should be aware of. If you have further questions contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@barnard.edu. Q. Can I visit for a tour or information session? Can I visit classes? A. Transfer students are welcome to visit campus and attend our full range of activities on campus. Please check Visit Barnard for the latest information on campus tours, information sessions and class visits. Q. When will I receive my transfer application decision? A. We mail notifications as soon as possible after the application is complete. For Spring transfers, notifications will be sent between November 20 and December 10. For Fall transfers, notifications will be sent between April 20 and May 15. All applicants will receive an email from the admissions office allowing them to track their application materials receipt soon after the application deadline (November 1 or April 1). [BACK TO TOP] Checklists Below are lists of documents required for Transfer or Visiting applications. We encourage you to print out the Adobe Acrobat version of the checklists, to help you through the application process. To apply as a transfer student to Barnard College, please submit: Transfer Version of the Common Application $55 application fee or fee waiver request Barnard Supplement for Transfer and Visiting Students Common Application Essay Mid-semester grade reports for all currently enrolled classes Official Transcripts of all College Work College Official’s Report for Transfer Admission (Dean or Adviser’s Recommendation Letter) One Teacher Evaluation for Transfer Admission (Faculty or Teaching Assistant may complete) Official Final High School Transcript High School Guidance Counselor or Teacher’s Recommendation (Optional) Official SAT or ACT score reports Course Catalog or course descriptions from all courses you have taken in college   To apply as a visiting student to Barnard College, please submit: (Please use the forms marked Transfer for the Visiting Student application) Transfer Version of the Common Application $55 application fee or fee waiver request Barnard Supplement for Transfer and Visiting Students Common Application Essay Mid-semester grade reports for all currently enrolled classes Official Transcripts of all College Work College Official’s Report for Transfer Admission (Dean or Adviser’s Recommendation Letter) One Teacher Evaluation for Transfer Admission (Faculty or Teaching Assistant may complete) [BACK TO TOP]