Transfer Students

If you’re a current MCC Dual 2+2 student finishing the program, you must submit the following to the University of Rochester the semester before you plan to enroll as a full-time Rochester student:

• MCC 2+2 Intent to Enroll Form*
• Official college transcript from MCC and any other school(s) attended
• Official AP/IB exam results if seeking college credit
• Transfer Midterm Report (suggested)
• A resume and an admissions interview are recommended for those wishing to compete for potential merit scholarships
• If applicable, apply for financial aid

*The Intent to Enroll Form should be completed by March 15 for fall enrollment and October 15 for spring enrollment at Rochester.

Rochester offers 2+2 programs in the following academic areas:

• African and African American studies
• Anthropology
• Art history
• Biology
• Biomedical engineering
• Business
• Chemical engineering
• Electrical and computer engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• English
• History
• Mathematics
• Optics
• Political science
• Psychology
• Religion
• Studio arts

Some of our engineering 2+2 program requirements have you cross-registering for courses at Rochester while enrolled at Monroe Community College. These cross-registration courses are processed through the Rochester Area Colleges (RAC) Inter-Institutional program agreement. When taking cross-registration courses, you’ll follow the RAC procedures on the registrar’s site.

If you’re looking to earn a degree from Rochester, you must apply for admission, be accepted, and matriculate into a degree-seeking program. You would follow the transfer application instructions on this page and submit the Common or Coalition Application material. You can indicate if you are seeking enrollment as a part-time or full-time student in the application.

Staff in the Office of Admissions can discuss your academic background and any future plans you may have for applying to a degree program. You can contact us at (585) 275-3221 or admit@admissions.rochester.edu.

If you are a University of Rochester employee, you and your children may be eligible for tuition benefits. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in the classroom or are looking to pursue a different path you may want to take some non-matriculated courses prior to applying to matriculate in a degree program.

A detailed pre-enrollment Transfer Credit Evaluation will be included with an admissions offer. Courses taken at another college are evaluated individually for transfer credit. If coursework is judged as comparable in level and content to coursework offered at the University of Rochester, and completed with a grade of C or better, it will transfer for elective credit.

Credit for “P”, “S”, and “CR” (or similar grades) where there is not another grading option will be awarded as elective credit. In the event that there is a letter grade underneath the “P,” “S” or “CR” that is below “C,” credit will not be awarded. However, elective credit will be granted for all “P”, “S” and “CR” grades earned during the Spring 2020 semester due to pandemic academic interruption.

All transfer coursework comes in as elective credit. To obtain course equivalencies, students must reach out to the authorized departmental contact from the following list: https://www.rochester.edu/college/ccas/undergraduate/curriculum/authorized-approval-list.html. The College Center for Advising Services provides additional information regarding transfer credit policies and cluster requirements for transfers.

Below are guides to help students see which of their courses might possibly transfer. Please note the below guides do NOT guarantee courses will transfer (the exceptions being all of Monroe Community College and our business pathway with Finger Lakes Community College).

Finger Lakes Community College (only courses part of our FLCC business pathway are official regarding transfer credits).

Onondaga Community College

Monroe Community College (this guide is official regarding all transfer credits).

Part 1 – The University of Rochester motto of Meliora – or “ever better” – deeply integrates core values into all that we do. These core values of equity, leadership, integrity, openness, respect, and accountability define not only who we are, but also who we hope to become. Please highlight an experience, creative idea or research opportunity when you’ve put into action one or more of these characteristics in order to make yourself, your community or the world “ever better”.
Part 2 – Choose one of the following prompt to reflect on in a short essay:

American social reformer, abolitionist, writer and statesman Frederick Douglass said, “Some know the value of education by having it. I knew its value by not having it.” Explain ways in which education has directly influenced you and your ability to do good in the world. How will you use the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities of the University of Rochester experience to grow and promote positive change for yourself, your community and the world?

Dr. Donna Strickland, University of Rochester alum and 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Physics said, “There’s no point in me being anything other than me.” The University of Rochester encourages each student to embrace who they are and create their own individual curricular path and experience. How will you use the opportunities here to fully be who you are? What unique perspectives will you bring to our community?

The University of Rochester benefactor entrepreneur, photography pioneer and philanthropist George Eastman said, “What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.” Looking forward towards your college experience, what do you hope to do outside of the classroom at the University of Rochester that will enhance who you are as a person? How will specific academic and social opportunities here help you grow?

Susan B. Anthony, champion of abolition and women’s rights, once said “Organize, agitate, education must be our war cry.” As you look to join our community of doers and disruptors, in what ways do you envision using both the curricular flexibility and co-curricular opportunities to invoke change for marginalized groups?

If you have graduated from high school or earned a high school equivalency, and have enrolled in eight or more college credits following graduation, you would be considered a transfer applicant. Applicants who are most competitive for transfer admission will have completed at least a year of college courses (24–32 credits) at the time of applying.

If you have graduated from high school more than two years ago but have not taken college level classes, you are considered a first-year applicant. You may be more competitive for admissions by taking some college courses and then applying as a transfer. Every applicant’s situation is different and you may want to contact us about your circumstances.

If you are obtaining a high school diploma and or an associate degree through a dual-enrollment or “early college” program, you will be considered as a first-year applicant because you have not officially graduated from high school. College courses can be considered for transfer credit but will not be applied to advance class standing or used for the Rochester curriculum requirements. First-year applicants can only accelerate graduation by one semester. 

A number of applicants may qualify for an application fee waiver. When using the Common Application, you may be eligible for a waiver based upon need criteria that is determined based upon your response to questions. There is also waivers issued by Rochester based upon the additional criteria that can be selected in our member questions if you fit additional criteria:

• For Phi Theta Kappa members
• For Veterans or Active Duty military
• For students in a New York State Opportunity program (HEOP, EOP, SEEK, or College Discovery)
• For applicants who attended high school within the Rochester City School District
• For graduates of the Say Yes to College Program
• For students who have received approval based upon financial hardship from a Rochester Admissions Counselor

For the fall of 2022, the typical student gaining admission to Rochester:

• Took challenging college courses
• Maintained a median college GPA of 3.65
• Has started or is prepared to explore classes within their major area of interest
• Joined as incoming sophomores or juniors based on awarded transfer credits
• Demonstrated an active, independent role in their educational, personal, and community activities

We value unquantifiable strengths such as initiative, creativity, enthusiasm, openness, motivation, and leadership, and we’re also careful to ensure our student body represents the full spectrum of diversity, including hometowns, ideas, and experiences.

This report collects information about your standing at your current institution. A dean, registrar, advisor, or other college official who has access to your academic records can complete this report. You may need to inquire at your institution to determine who can submit this report for you.

It takes about four to six weeks to review an application and notify you of the decision. Review of Fall semester applications begins in March, with notification beginning in late March. Review of Spring semester applications begins in the middle of September, with notification beginning in October. You are encouraged to complete your application by the priority deadline to receive earlier notification and for strongest consideration. If you complete your application after the priority deadline, you will be reviewed and notified on a rolling basis. Notification may take longer if we need to request additional information.

Rochester communicates with students a number of ways. All students’ decisions will be posted to your MyROC applicant portal. You’ll receive an email when a decision has been made and posted. Please check your MyROC applicant portal to ensure your contact information is accurate and to follow your application through the review stages. For those admitted to Rochester along with the decision there will be copy of your transfer credit evaluation released at the time of acceptance based upon completed and any in progress courses. Please make sure to save a copy of the PDF of your evaluation for your records as it can be helpful when speaking to faculty about credit that won’t have access to it.

Rochester highly encourages you to interview. An interview with a Rochester representative is a great way to talk about your background, experiences, and interests. Rochester students are so much more than just pieces of paper, and we want to take the time to get to know you. Notes from interviews are used in our review, so interviews should be complete by the time your application is submitted for our review. Interviews can help us get to know you better and help with merit scholarship consideration.

If you want to enroll for the fall semester, interview in the spring. If you want to enroll in the spring, interview in the summer or fall.

Yes. All applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships. Rochester receives applications from many qualified students, but not every admitted student will receive a scholarship. You are considered holistically for potential merit scholarships and about 30-40% of admitted transfer students will receive a scholarship. An average transfer scholarship amount is $12,000 per year of study, but there are higher amounts awarded. If you are awarded a merit based scholarship, it will be included in your admissions decision letter.

Your financial aid package will be emailed to you a week after your admission offer has been released, as long as the Financial Aid Office has all of the required documents to complete the package. If you are applying for aid, you should complete your FAFSA and CSS PROFILE at the same time you are submitting your application for admission, so that the financial aid process is not held up. In addition to the FAFSA and CSS Profile, Rochester collects tax information through the College Board’s IDOC Service. If you have questions regarding aid, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Credit can be awarded for the following official exam results for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and A-level exams.

Credit is not grant transfer credit for American Council on Education (ACE), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST).

Some Rochester academic departments (languages and mathematics) have placement exams available to help advise students proper course sequencing placement. Consult with the academic department if you have a question about course placement based upon your foundation.

Graduation year and class standing is determined by the number of credit hours granted at the time of entrance. The class year gives you an idea of how long it would take you to earn the minimum of 128 credit hours to complete a degree at Rochester. Graduation class year may change depending on your academic foundation for an intended major (especially true for engineering, computer science, digital media studies, and public health) or course of study.

You are encouraged to speak with an academic department adviser about any questions regarding major course equivalences. Faculty identified as department contacts can be found on the Authorized Approval List.

The table below illustrates the number of credit hours associated with each class standing.

Rochester does require students to maintain full-time enrollment for at least 4 semesters in order to obtain a degree. Depending on how many credits the student comes in with the Enrollment Policy dictates how many semesters you’d have to be a student to earn the minimum of 128 credits required for graduation.

A maximum of 64 credit hours from a two-year school may transfer to your Rochester degree requirements. If you are transferring from a four-year school, you may transfer more than 64 credits. However, students must complete at least four full-time semesters at Rochester in order to obtain a degree.

Yes. You can apply as a transfer student to obtain a second degree. The degree must be in a completely different area of study than your first degree and might not be advised depending on your goals. The College may not be able to award a second degree if you’re looking for a second BA degree. Second degree students receive little in financial support and it might be best for you to consider a graduate program. You are encouraged to speak with an admissions counselor and potentially a graduate department head about your plans and goals.

Yes. Transfer applicants must be currently enrolled in a HEOP, EOP, SEEK or College Discovery program and meet regular admission standards as a transfer applicant. In addition, there must be space available in our program and you need to provide documentation verifying your eligibility. HEOP counselors are available to assist you with questions about the program and potential openings. For more information, please call (585) 275-0651 or visit Rochester’s program for more information.

Yes. However, the nursing program is not an entry-level program. You must have either an RN license or a bachelor’s degree and apply directly to the School of Nursing. For more information, please contact the School of Nursing.

Fantastic! Once you have enrolled, you will receive email communications from Admissions with the next steps for new students. You will get a lot of information to read through, forms to complete, and additional information about Orientation and Advising leading up to the term you are joining us. Course registration happens after you’ve met with your assigned college advisor. If you are looking to get a jump-start on things, be sure to monitor Orientation website to monitor the most up to date information.