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Transfer Admission
Transfer student admissibility is based primarily on academic performance in college coursework completed and the applicability of that coursework to the requirements of their intended ESF program of study. Consideration is also given to the relationship of the student’s prior academic discipline to the intended program of study.
SUNY Application Common Application
Please note: You must use the SUNY application if you have earned or will earn an A.A. or A.S. at a SUNY or CUNY college and you wish to receive the SUNY transfer application fee waiver, or you are applying for the “3+3” Doctor of Physical Therapy program with Upstate Medical University.
SUNY has temporarily suspended SAT and ACT testing requirements for admission to bachelor’s degree-granting campuses. You can now choose to have your scores considered at each SUNY college to which you apply.
ESF has “transfer articulation” agreements with Cooperative Colleges in New York and surrounding states that identify equivalent courses for ESF lower division degree requirements and designate advisors at each campus to assist in course selection and scheduling. ESF Admissions staff members also advise students preparing to transfer, and they regularly visit Cooperative College campuses. You may attend a non-participating college, but you should consult the ESF Admissions Office for guidance on course scheduling.
All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final college transcripts and score reports for college level examinations (AP, CLEP, IB, etc.) are received and reviewed by Office of Undergraduate Admissions staff under the direction of the faculty. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that official, final transcripts or score reports are received by the College.
From Accredited Colleges and Universities
Course work appropriate to the ESF curriculum can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred. Courses to be transferred to meet graduation requirements for any curriculum must be acceptable in content, and credit will be awarded only for those completed with a grade of C or higher (a C- is not acceptable). Only coursework completed at institutions that are fully accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies will be considered for possible transfer credit toward ESF degree requirements. These agencies are the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Advanced Placement and Other College Level Examinations
The College will consider for advanced standing credit the results of examinations from standardized testing agencies such as the College Entrance Examination Board’s Advanced Placement Program (AP) or the College Level Examination Programs (CLEP) as well as the Higher Level Exams of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Find information on AP, IB, and CLEP score requirements for transfer of credit click here.
Appeal Process
Transfer students who are completing or have completed an associate degree program at a SUNY campus and who do not agree with their preliminary transfer credit evaluation should first contact the ESF Office of Admissions to request a further review of potential transfer credit. The student’s academic record and the preliminary transfer credit evaluation will be reviewed, in consultation with the Academic Department if appropriate, to determine whether additional transfer credit is applicable to degree requirements. If the student does not agree with the review of the transfer credit evaluation by the Office of Admissions they then have the option of appealing the evaluation with the ESF Dean of Instruction and Graduate Studies.
Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at esfinfo@esf.edu or (315) 470-6600 for further information on transfer credit policies and evaluations.