Admission as a Transfer Student
All students who have previously attended an accredited college or university should apply as a transfer student.
Candidates are required to submit official transcripts of ALL previous college work. No admission decision will be made until this information is received by the stated deadline by the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
Equal consideration is given to all transfer candidates possessing an overall grade point average of at least 2.75.
Candidates should be aware that while a 2.75 GPA is the minimum requirement for consideration for admission to the university, pre-requisite coursework, a minimum GPA, and additional criteria may be required for specific majors.
Transfer candidates with 45 or more credits are required to apply directly to the major they wish to pursue. Those who indicate Undeclared will be required to select a major prior to an admission review.
Transfer candidates with less than 45 credits will be considered as either Undeclared if that have not selected a major or Pre-Major candidates if they have selected a major. The entrance requirements are the same as those noted above.
Applicants with less than 45 completed credits at the time of application are required to submit their high school transcript and SAT or ACT scores. The transfer admission decision for such applicants will be based on the quality of the college and high school academic programs, cumulative grade point averages, and SAT/ACT scores.
Candidates with any interruption in their education, either from high school to college or college to college may be asked to submit a written resume of their activities during that interruption.
Application, Transcript & Deposit Deadlines
No admission decision will be made until all required information is received by the above deadline by the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
Should the College meet its transfer enrollment target prior to the noted date, the College reserves the right to close transfer admission without prior notification.
Other Transfer Admission Categories
Educational Opportunity Program
Transfer candidates who apply under the auspices of the NYS Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) must possess the same academic credentials as required for regular transfer candidates.
Additionally, EOP transfer candidate must:
*Have been enrolled in an EOP, HEOP, or SEEK program at their previous
college(s).
*Submit the New Paltz EOP Confirmation Form.
*Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
An application will not be considered for review until ALL material is received by the Office of Undergraduate Admission by the above noted application deadlines.
Second Degree Candidates
An individual who has already attained a Bachelors degree is considered a Second Degree Candidate and must apply as a transfer student and must meet the same admission criteria and deadlines as all transfer students.
In addition to the stated transfer admission criteria, the policy for
admission as a Second Degree Candidate
includes:
*The intended major of the second degree must be substantially different
from the first degree so as to constitute a new major.
*Second Degree candidates receive a maximum of 90 credits in transfer
and are considered to have met all lower division requirements for the
second Bachelor's degree. Credits earned in the context of the first degree
may not be applied to the major of the second degree.
*Second Degree candidates must complete the entire major as determined
by the chairperson of the academic department.
*The candidate must complete a Writing Intensive course.
*A residency requirement of 30 credits is mandatory.
Specific Academic Major Admission Requirements
School of Fine and Performing Arts
Art and Art Education
A minimum GPA of 2.75 is required for consideration to the art and art education programs.
Transfer candidates who have completed college art courses must submit a portfolio as described in the "Undergraduate Placement Information for Transfer Students" flyer.
Transfer student who have not completed college art courses must submit a portfolio as described in the "Undergraduate Placement Information for Freshmen Students" flyer.
Portfolios must be submitted by the above noted application deadlines in order to be considered for that semester of entry.
Enrollment into the art or art education program and acceptance to SUNY New Paltz does not automatically grant entrance as a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) candidate. The student will enter as a prospective candidate for the Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Visual arts or as a pre-major in Art Education. To become a candidate for the BFA a student must submit a separate portfolio to the specific content area as prescribed by that area. BFA reviews are held near the end of each semester. Art Education requires an internal application process as well.
Music and Music Therapy
All music and music therapy candidates must be admissible to the university on the basis of their academic credentials and must participate in an audition/interview* for acceptance and appropriate placement within the music department. Information regarding the content of the audition may be obtained by writing the Department of Music.
Theatre Arts
All theatre arts candidates must be admissible to the university on the basis of their academic credentials and must participate in an audition/interview* for acceptance and appropriate placement within the Theatre Arts department. Information regarding the content of the audition may be obtained by writing the Department of Theatre Arts.
*Audition/interviews must be completed by the application deadlines noted above.
School of Education
Childhood Education and Early Childhood Education - minimum GPA of 3.00.
Secondary Education - minimum 3.00 GPA plus grades of "B" or better in English Composition I and English Composition II.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Communication Disorders - Minimum GPA of 2.8.
Psychology - Minimum of 45 transfer credits and a 'C' or better in General Psychology or its equivalent as determined by the department.
THE ADMISSION DECISION
Transfer admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. Fall semester applicants will receive notification of the admission decision beginning in January. Spring applicants will receive notification in October.
All admissions decisions are provisional and are final only when the Office of Undergraduate Admission receives documentation of the successful completion of all current college work. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure that such documentation is sent and received.
EVALUATION AND AWARDING OF TRANSFER CREDIT
An evaluation of previous college work is provided to accepted candidates who have indicated their intention to enroll at New Paltz through payment of the Pre-Enrollment Deposit. An evaluation will be provided if needed to made an enrollment decision if requested by the candidate. Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission.
Only the individual academic department will award academic credit for the major.
HOUSING INFORMATION FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS
There currently exists a large demand for on-campus university housing. All accepted transfer candidates who wish to reside in university housing must submit a $100.00 university housing deposit. They will be then placed on a university housing Wait List. Should university housing become available, those students will be notified by the Department of Residence Life.
Accepted transfer candidates are encouraged to visit the Off-Campus Housing Bulletin Board Web site.
STUDENT ADVISING AND COURSE REGISTRATION
In order to aid in the successful transition from the former college to SUNY New Paltz, entering transfer students must attend a Course Registration/Advising session. Accepted transfer students are assigned a specific session date and time based on their stated academic major. The session is one day in length and provides transfer students with a complete overview of the university's general education requirement, requirements and advisement for the major program , information on course transfer, development of a course schedule, and registration for the upcoming semester. The sessions are sponsored by the Office of Student Advising and the Center for Student Development. Please visit the Center for Student Development Web site for more information.
