New Transfer Student Guide

All students within the College of Arts & Sciences are expected to bookmark the College’s homepage (college.as.virginia.edu). We expect you to check the College’s homepage regularly for information related to the College’s news, contacts, rules, resources, and procedures to your academic status in the College. If you make the College’s website your browser’s homepage, then you will more easily remain informed about valuable information and resources to guide you through your undergraduate degree. 

Activate your UVA student computing account now and check your UVA email often. If you choose to use another mail system, it is your responsibility to have your UVA mail forwarded to that account. Email is the official method of communication at our university, and you are expected to read and respond to the academic tasks and reminders that are sent to your UVA email account until graduation.

After the Office of Admission receives your deposit, your transcripts will be sent to the College’s transfer credit analysts. We will evaluate and then post your transfer credits to your Student Center on the Student Information System (SIS). To ensure that you have access to this system, please practice logging into the system and navigating between the pages within. If you encounter problems, contact Information Technology Services for help. We will inform you of your academic year, expected date of graduation, and the name of your assigned faculty advisor in your SIS Student Center before the first day of classes.

To be admitted as a transfer student, you must submit to the Admission Office your official final transcript from each previous college or university, including the spring semester of this calendar year. We cannot complete transfer credit evaluations until we receive your final transcript with your spring term grades. To expedite this process, ask your current school to send your transcript to our Office of Admission as soon as possible after your final grades are recorded. This remains your responsibility, and your admission to the university is not finalized until this step is completed.

If the Admission Office does not receive your official transcript with your final semester grades by July 1 we cannot guarantee that we will have your transfer credit evaluation completed before Fall course enrollment.

If you enroll in summer session at another institution, you must report a separate transcript to the university after your final grades are posted. To expedite the receipt and evaluation of external summer session coursework, have your summer transcripts electronically delivered to the College’s Transfer Credit Analyst. We also recommend that you have an official final transcript sent directly to you. If your summer session coursework does not end before July 1 we cannot guarantee that this credit will appear on your UVA transcript before you enroll in Fall courses.

In general, we accept transfer credit for courses that are comparable to those we offer and in which you have earned a grade of “C” or better. We will award no more and may award fewer credit hours than the amount given by the sending school (in the case of institutions using a quarter system, three quarter-hours equal two semester credit-hours). Courses completed on a pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, or credit/no credit basis will not earn credit. We transfer credits only, not grades or grade-points. This means that all students enter the College with a 0.00 GPA and will establish a new GPA only after they complete UVA coursework. 

If you haven't done so already, you may use the Transfer Credit analyzer tool to conduct a preliminary evaluation on your own. This database is a historical record of actual coursework that transferred to UVA in the past. It is not designed to represent the complete catalog of courses at your prior institution. For a more complete description of the University’s policy on Transfer Credit, see the Undergraduate Record. 

Students seeking test credit (AP, IB, SAT II, etc.) must submit their test scores directly to the College Registrar. We are not permitted to transfer test credit from the transcripts we receive from your prior institution. This means that test credits and curricular exemptions from your previous institution do not automatically transfer with you. We must receive your test scores from the corresponding testing agency to award test credit. Test scores must meet the College's standards in order to receive credit. Please check this website to verify test credit placements, and review the College's test credit policies here.

Please note: Credit earned during Spring 2020 under P/F, CR/NC, S/U grading scales may transfer as X000T elective degree credit. Dual Enrollment writing and language courses also transfer to the College as X000T elective degree credit and appear in this analyzer with "DE" credit designations.

Expect to receive a secure letter from the College in your UVA email account when we have completed your course evaluation. For most students, this will happen sometime between mid-June and early August, depending upon when we receive your final transcript. As soon as we evaluate your transcript, we will notify you that we have posted your credit (see below for directions on checking your credit). As new transcripts or test scores become available, we may add or revise transfer or other non-UVA credit to your record. Always check your SIS student account before you contact the College’s staff with questions about the status of your transfer credit. 

At your "Student Center" find the drop-down menu under "Academics" and click on "Transfer credit report." If we have received your transcript and evaluated your credits, then your evaluation of courses will be visible there. To see how your transfer credits satisfy general education requirements, click on “Academic Requirements.” This screen will change every time you report transfer credits or enroll in classes, so it is important to review this report during each time you enroll or adjust your class schedule. 

As noted above, this screen may change as we receive summer transcripts, AP or IB scores, dual enrollment courses, etc. If the expected changes do not appear, it is very possible that we have not received any additional documentation. In this case, please request your previous school or the appropriate testing center to send your transcript to The College of Arts at P.O. Box 400133, Charlottesville, VA 22904 or send an email to the College’s Transfer Credit Evaluator.

If you believe we have made an error evaluating your transfer credit, you may request a review. There is no deadline to have your transfer credits reviewed. To do this, forward a syllabus or detailed course description for the course in question to the College Transfer Credit Evaluator at P.O. Box 400133, Charlottesville, VA 22904 or by email.

Once we receive your transcript and evaluate your credits, the Office of Admission will make your offer of admission final provided that your work in the spring term is commensurate with your previous performance.

Note: Course selection for the fall semester does not constitute matriculation. Students whose credentials are not complete by August 10 may be disenrolled from their courses and may have their registration canceled. Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission if you have questions about your final offer of admission.

All transfer students enter the College’s “Traditional Curriculum.” The College has a series of competency and area requirements that all transfer students must fulfill. Refer to the general education website for a complete summary of these requirements. You will have some or most of these requirements filled with courses transferred from your previous institution. You must fulfill any remaining requirements in-residence at UVA.

Check your “Academic Requirements” report in SIS to determine which requirements you have completed and which you still need to take. Make a list of those requirements you have not completed and keep them in mind as you browse through the Schedule of Courses on SIS to select classes. 

If you have not yet fulfilled your First Writing requirement then you should submit a writing portfolio to the English Department for review and possible exemption. You should also enroll in ENWR 1510 until you hear back from the English Department about your writing portfolio, and some transfer students will complete ENWR 1510 during their first semester here. For Writing Portfolio instructions, see the English Department’s Writing & Rhetoric website. 

If you have not yet fulfilled the World Language Department, you should enroll in a language instruction class each semester until this requirement is complete. Students who enter with no college-level language study will begin at the elementary level and complete a four-semester sequence within a single language department. Students who have prior experience studying a language should complete a World Language Placement Diagnostic for placement and possible exemption from this requirement. 

Students who are fluent in a language other than English should also take a placement diagnostic for possible exemption from this degree requirement. Students who speak a language that is not offered at UVA should contact the World Language Placement Dean, Melissa Frost, to coordinate a placement test.

Note: Students who are exempted from the language or writing requirements do not earn credit toward their degree. And it is important to remember that course exemptions from other universities do not automatically transfer with you. Students must pass through the College’s diagnostic process to gain exemption from these general education requirements.

All students must select a major no later than four semesters before graduation. If you are a rising third-year student, then you will need to declare your major no later than the first week of the fall term. Should you not be ready to do so, please see Dean Ozment about a petition to defer your declaration until the end of your first semester here.

If you are a rising second-year student, you do not have to declare until the end of your second semester here.

Note that stating a major interest on your admission application does not constitute declaring a major. 

For more information, see Majors in the College of Arts & Sciences .

When you have questions about your major, you should first research the curriculum on the department’s website and then contact the undergraduate director of your intended major program or department after we have evaluated your transfer credit. Many undergraduate directors and departmental advisors will be available to advise and answer student questions during the summer months. 

When you declare a major, your department will assign you a major-specific faculty advisor from that department. If there is a particular faculty member from the department you wish to become your advisor, you may inquire about that person becoming your faculty advisor during the declaration process. If you do not request a specific faculty member to become your advisor, then the department will assign someone to you based on availability. You should meet with this faculty advisor soon after you declare and at least once a semester thereafter.

If you are interested in declaring Economics or one of the interdepartmental or interdisciplinary majors, such as Global Studies, you should contact the Undergraduate Director as soon as you have been admitted to the College because these majors have strict qualifications and are competitive. We do not guarantee admission to your first choice major, only to the majors for which you qualify to declare. Thus, it is always important to have an alternate major, especially if you are transferring as a third-year student, just in case.

Transfer students are permitted to major in two subjects. However, third-year transfers interested in double-majoring will face tight scheduling requirements and other challenges, especially if their general education requirements remain unfulfilled. Additional full-time semesters are not granted for the purposes of completing multiple majors. We therefore do not guarantee that transfer students will be able to graduate with more than one major.

Departments determine which and how many external credits may be applied toward a major. You should assume that all remaining courses in the major must be completed at this University unless told otherwise by the Undergraduate Director of your major department or program. 

All courses for the major must be taken for a grade, and each department determines the grading threshold for applying course credit toward the major. Courses completed on a credit/no credit basis will not satisfy major requirements. After you declare your major, the remaining course requirements for that program will populate in your SIS “Academic Requirements” report.

Your Advising Dean will explain the major declaration process before you begin your first semester in residence.  

If you are a rising third-year student, do not delay the declaration of your major beyond the first week of classes in the fall unless you have filed a deferral with the department.

In addition to a major, students may choose a minor concentration in a second subject. A minor contains approximately half as many course requirements as a major. Not all departments or interdepartmental programs offer a minor. Visit Minors in the College of Arts & Sciences to see which minors are available. If you wish to minor in a particular subject, consult the Director of the Undergraduate Program in that department to obtain timely and accurate advice.

The 120 credit undergraduate degree was designed for students to complete during eight full-time semesters of study, carrying an average of 15 credits per semester. Coursework completed prior to transfer determines your classification and expected time-to-degree within the College of Arts & Sciences.

All students are responsible for knowing their academic level and the number of allotted full-time semesters available to them. Students entering the university as second-year transfers are expected to complete their degrees in six full-time semesters, and students entering as third-year transfers are expected to complete their degrees in four full-time semesters. 

Your classification and the number of full-time semesters you are allotted will be noted in an advising letter that is emailed to your UVA email address during the summer months. You are expected to read this letter and share it with your assigned faculty advisor when you meet for course advising. 

Students who are able to finish all residential & degree requirements before exhausting their allotted full-time semesters are welcome to graduate early. Students who are not able to complete their undergraduate degrees during their allotted full-time semesters should consult their Advising Dean to create alternative plans. These students may require summer session, January-term, part-time enrollment, transfer credit, or a ninth full-time semester before they graduate.  

Neither Summer Session, January-Term, or part-time enrollment are counted in your full-time semester allotment. Many students enroll in these special terms to enrich or accelerate their graduation plans. 

After transferring to UVA, you may request permission to accumulate additional transfer credits from another university during the summer or through a transfer-credit study abroad program only if you have not already transferred the maximum 60 transfer credits. Your Director of Undergraduate Programs must approve any requests to fulfill any major requirements through additional transfer credit. Once you enroll at UVA, all remaining general education requirements must be completed in-residence at UVA, not by additional transfer credit.

If you arrived at UVA with fewer than 60 transfer and/or test credits, then you may request permission to accumulate additional transfer credit through summer study at another institution or through a transfer credit study abroad program. Permission to transfer additional credit is only granted if you have a 2.0 cumulative UVA GPA for domestic credit, and a 2.5 cumulative UVA GPA for study abroad credit. 

Subject to these restrictions, courses completed elsewhere with a grade of C or better may be transferred and applied to your degree; the grades are not computed in your grade point average, nor are these grades recorded on your transcript. As with all transfer credit, students may not receive more, and may receive fewer, than the number of credits earned at the host institutions.

For more information, see the College’s policies regarding Transfer Credit.

Full-time students maintain Good Academic Standing if, at the end of a semester they complete at least 12 credits of graded work with at least a 1.80 semester average and with no more than one grade below C-. Students who do not meet these criteria will be issued an Academic Warning by their Advising Dean.

Students who receive two consecutive Academic Warnings will be suspended for one full academic year. Students who earn fewer than nine grade points in a single semester will also be subject to suspension for a full academic year. 

Third year students must also declare a major to remain in Good Academic Standing. Third year students who fail to declare a major risk losing their course enrollment priority and being blocked from course enrollment. No student may enroll for a sixth semester without a major.

For more information about making satisfactory progress, see the College’s policies about Academic Standing.

With over 11,000 students enrolled in the College, we must, of necessity, have this rather detailed and formal set of academic regulations. If you need to request an exception to a rule due to mitigating circumstances, you should consult your Advising Dean as soon as possible. When appropriate, your Dean will coach you through the petition process to request an exception to the College’s rules. Submitting a request for an exception to the rules does not guarantee approval.

The University numbers courses from 1000 through 9999. Courses numbered on the 1000 and 2000 levels are usually designed for students with little previous knowledge of a subject. In many cases such courses must be taken before more specialized offerings in the 3000 and 4000 levels can be taken. 5000-level courses are graduate courses that may also appear available, but undergraduates should not enroll in these courses unless specifically advised by the instructor or by your faculty advisor. Courses numbered beyond the 5999 level are not open to undergraduates.

Students at our university are responsible for the outcomes of their enrollment decisions. This means that you are responsible for reading the course descriptions and for verifying that you have the prerequisites for the courses you take. If you are in doubt, confer with the professor who teaches the course. 

The standard course load at our university is 15 credits each semester; the minimum course load for a full-time student is 12 credits. 

Select 4-5 courses depending upon the number of credits per course. As you select courses, be certain to include the relevant discussion sections, labs, drills, and workshops where required. Choose your courses with a plan to fulfill soon any remaining general education requirements, especially the First Writing requirement, World Language requirement, and the Natural Science/Math requirement.

Try to select a mix of large lecture courses and small seminars with greater daily participation. You’ll enjoy your semester much more if your courses are not all the same type. Also try to strike a balance between courses that require extensive reading and those that are exam heavy. Consult your Advising Dean when you are uncertain about how to identify these courses to build a balanced schedule.

Your first-choice class may be full. The College does not save seats for newly admitted students in all courses, and there is no guarantee that you will gain entry to your first-choice class. For this reason, it is important for you to identify some alternative classes and to place them in your SIS shopping cart. Keep in mind that fall enrollment stretches over several months, and there are ample opportunities to adjust your class schedule. You may add yourself to multiple “waitlists” in SIS and monitor your class schedule during the month of August.

Don’t try to take on too much during your first semester here. Most transfer students find their first semester at UVA requires significant social and academic adjustments.

Avoid more than three consecutive classes on any weekday. Allow yourself time to eat lunch and dinner. Keep in mind the location and format of your classes. Ask yourself, how much time do you require to walk between academic buildings? Use UVA’s online interactive map to help you assess distances between buildings. It takes most people about twenty minutes to walk from Brooks Hall to Gilmer Hall, and less than ten minutes to walk from Wilson Hall to Minor Hall.

Do not repeat a course for which you already received transfer or test credit unless specifically instructed to do so by your Director of Undergraduate Programs or Advising Dean. Repeated courses will not accumulate additional degree credits and will not count toward your grade point average. If you are in doubt, please check with your Advising Dean.

If you are a second-year student, you should use your first semester in residence to explore many departments. Take a couple classes that will open doors to several potential majors. You are welcome to declare a major immediately if you are ready, but you are not required to do so during your first semester. You will have ample opportunity to discuss your plans with your faculty advisor.

If you are a third-year student, we expect you to arrive with a major in mind that you are prepared to declare. Consult the departmental web site for your major and enroll in two required courses for that program this fall. If, after you declare, your faculty advisor suggests courses other than those you have chosen, you may revise your course schedule during the drop/add period. Make sure you have the necessary prerequisites for your major. 

Transfer Students admitted to the College are anticipated to earn their undergraduate degrees from the College of Arts & Sciences. Transferring to another School at the University may not be possible. If you plan to transfer into one of our professional schools (Batten, Commerce, Nursing, Architecture, Engineering, Education), check to see what courses are recommended. You are not guaranteed entrance to those programs and must enter the university with an alternative major in mind from the College of Arts & Sciences. If you don’t plan correctly, you may find that you need summer school to complete your degree. Extra academic time is not automatic and is difficult to obtain. If you have questions, contact the school directly.

The College of Arts & Sciences will contact you directly with information about fall course enrollment. Please continue to check your UVA email account for updates and instructions. When it is time to enroll in classes for next spring (and subsequent semesters), you will need to see your advisor to have your advising "hold" released. If you are a second-year transfer student, we will assign you an advisor this summer; if you enter as a third-year transfer student we expect you to declare a major upon arrival, at which point you will be assigned an advisor in your major.

You may not get your first choice of classes during your first semester in residence because the College cannot save seats for newly admitted transfer students in all fall courses. It is therefore important to have alternate selections in mind. If a course you wish to take is full in July, add yourself to the SIS wait list when enrollment reopens in August. Returning students frequently change their schedules, and departments occasionally create new courses sections in August to meet student demand. 

Continue to monitor SIS because you may add/drop courses until the College’s stated deadlines. After your first semester, you will have much higher priority access to the schedule of courses and thus a better chance to take the courses you most desire. Be assured, however, that we have never had a case where a student failed to graduate in a timely fashion because of the inability to get needed courses.

Yes. We encourage newly admitted transfer students to enroll in our summer session. Any credits earned during the summer will count toward your degree, including general education requirements. As well, summer term does not count toward the number of full-time semesters you are allotted. Students have not only made significant academic progress this way, but they also find that it is an excellent way to adjust and orient themselves to University life. It may also accelerate your ability to declare a major. 

You may review the summer session offerings on UVA’s Summer Session website. If you are interested, email your full name and date of birth to the summer session email account ([email protected]). State your interest in attending summer session and indicate that you are a new transfer student. Our Summer Session staff will help you register for summer courses. Their office staff is available to assist in the enrollment process and to answer your questions. We hope that you will seriously consider summer enrollment.

Yes! The College takes its deadlines very seriously; they have all passed review by the Faculty. If you miss the deadline for adding a course then you should plan to take that course in a future term. If you miss the deadline to drop a course for any reason, you must withdraw. If you miss the deadline for withdrawing from a course that you attended all semester, you will remain in that course and receive a final grade on your transcript. 

The College also strictly observes the deadline to request changes in your exam schedule (allowed when you have 3 exams in a two-day period without an intervening day), and the deadline to file for an extension of time (incomplete, IN). For more information see the College’s Academic Policies.