Transfer Applicants

Submit all required parts of the Common App for Transfer or the Coalition on Scoir transfer application, including the essay. 

$60 application fee or fee waiver. If you cannot afford the application fee, see the information below to see if you qualify for a fee waiver.

Why we need it: High school transcripts are used to evaluate your academic achievement and verify that you successfully graduated from high school. 

Who should submit it: An official at your high school, typically the registrar or a guidance counselor.  
 

Why we need it: College transcripts are used to evaluate your academic achievement in college. 

Who should submit it: An official at your current college, typically the registrar.
 

Use either the Common Application College Report or the Coalition Application Transfer Report, depending on which application you applied with. 

Why we need it: A College official’s report verifies that you are currently in good academic and disciplinary standing at your current college. 

Who should submit it: An official at your current college with access to your academic and disciplinary records, typically the registrar or an academic advisor.
 

Record your cumulative grades in your current courses through either the Common Application Mid-Term Report or the Coalition Application Curriculum Report, depending on which application you applied with. 

Why we need it: A mid-year report provides updates on the academic progress you have made in the courses you are currently taking. Colgate understands that mid-year grades in college courses may be based on just a few assessments.

Who should submit it: You (the applicant) after asking the instructors of your current courses for your current grade in their course and recording it on the form. 
 

Why we need it: An academic evaluation is a letter of recommendation from a college professor that helps assess a student’s academic achievement beyond transcript grades. 

Who should submit it: The professor writing the evaluation. If you are applying through the Common App for Transfer, provide your professor’s email in the application. If you are applying through the Coalition on Scoir Transfer Application, use this form. 
 

Colgate school codes: SAT - 2086, ACT - 2702

Applicants should indicate on their application whether or not they would like their scores considered.

• Submitting SAT and ACT test scores is optional; students who choose not to submit their scores are at no disadvantage; we will evaluate academic achievement through all other application components.
• Colgate will accept self-reported SAT or ACT score results. Applicants may list SAT or ACT results in their Common Application, Coalition on Scoir, or Questbridge Application. Additionally, students may send a copy of their score reports to admission@colgate.edu.
• Colgate accepts results from both the paper and digital formats of the SAT.
• Should a student choose to submit ACT scores, the science and writing scores, if taken, will be reported separately from the composite scores.
• Colgate superscores both the ACT and the SAT.
• After receiving an admission decision, admitted applicants who chose to have their scores considered will be required to send official scores from the testing agency.
• TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test (DET) scores are required for non-native English-speaking students who do not study at a secondary school or college/university where English is the primary language of instruction. These scores must be sent from the official testing agency.

You may submit an optional SlideRoom portfolio to highlight your accomplishments in: visual art and media, music (instrument and vocal performance, and composition), theater, and dance.

Submission Tips

• You can include multiple mediums in a single submission; list each medium on your form.
• Ensure your submission highlights your individual role and talent so faculty can accurately identify and assess you as an artist.

Important to Know

• Submitting material does not require you to major in the arts, nor does it affect academic placement.
• You do not need to submit a portfolio or audition to declare an arts major at Colgate.
• Visit SlideRoom for specific file types and technical requirements.
• Every submission will be assessed by a Colgate faculty member and considered as part of the holistic application review.

Submission Deadlines

• Supplementary material submission deadlines coincide with application deadlines for all application plans. We cannot accept submissions for review via email or after the deadline.

Fees and Waivers

• Submission fee: $12 USD 
• Waivers: Those receiving a Common Application fee waiver will automatically have this fee waived in SlideRoom. This fee will also be automatically waived for all students applying via QuestBridge. Colgate is unable to provide SlideRoom fee waivers

If you have questions about a SlideRoom submission, please email admission@colgate.edu. If you have questions about a specific major or faculty/student organization, please email the academic department directly.

Applicants may share online materials showcasing their unique background, talents, or creativity. This is an opportunity to share work that falls outside of traditional portfolios, such as:

• Creative works
• Social media profiles
• Performances
• Online boutiques
• Community pages

How to submit: Include your URL in the Colgate supplement section of your Common App, Coalition, or QuestBridge application.

Domestic students may submit a 60–90 second Glimpse video. Glimpse is an opportunity to share your story and helps the admissions committee get to know you better.

International students should consider submitting an InitialView video to share their story.

Fees and Waivers
You may automatically qualify for a fee waiver if you received a fee waiver for ACT or SAT testing, and/or the College Board fee waiver.

Deadline
Glimpse videos must be submitted by the application deadline for all application plans.

You may submit brief samples of your best work or achievements in areas such as journalism, leadership, or community service. These materials should complement, not replace, the activity and involvement questions on your application.

Academic achievement, reflecting a student who is engaged with both ideas and learning, is important to the admissions decision. Colgate also looks for students with well-developed special interests, talents, and skills of all kinds, which can be a significant part of a student’s application.

When students choose to submit standardized test scores, this information provides additional data to demonstrate their overall academic achievement. When students choose not to submit standardized test scores, the Office of Admission evaluates their academic achievement through all other elements of the application.

Colgate will accept self-reported ACT or SAT score results. Applicants may list ACT or SAT results in their Common Application or Coalition on Scoir. Additionally, students may send a copy of their score reports to admission@colgate.edu.

Colgate superscores both the ACT and the SAT.

In alignment with Colgate's test-optional policy, the ACT (including the writing and science sections) is optional. Should a student choose to submit ACT scores, the science and writing scores, if taken, will be reported separately from the composite scores.

• The application fee is waived for non-U.S. citizens and all U.S. military veterans. 
• For U.S. Citizens, Colgate accepts official fee waivers from the College Board, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and Expanding College Opportunities. All other fee waiver verifications must be submitted on school/organization letterhead and signed by a counselor. If you qualify for a fee waiver through the Common Application or Coalition on Scoir, we do not require an official fee waiver form.

General transfer credit guidance:

• Courses taken through a strong liberal arts curriculum where a grade of C or better was earned.
• Grades of C- or lower are not granted credit, nor are courses taken as pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
• Select AP, IB and/or A-Levels are accepted for credit. Pre-matriculation credit will not satisfy any Liberal Arts Core Curriculum requirements.
• Students may transfer no more than 16 course credits toward a Colgate Bachelor’s degree.
• Individual departments determine which courses taken elsewhere can transfer for credit toward a major

Generally speaking, courses at other schools that have an equivalent in the University Catalog are considered part of a strong liberal arts curriculum. Colgate will only award transfer credit for courses taken in traditional liberal arts and sciences disciplines. Prospective transfer students should note that pre-professional courses taken at another school’s arts and sciences college will not transfer to Colgate. 

The chart below summarizes examples of courses that are frequently denied transfer credit, and an example of a liberal arts alternative:

Transfer applicants who are admitted to Colgate will receive a preliminary credit evaluation with their acceptance letter. Before an admissions decision is made, students can learn more about Colgate’s policies. Official credit evaluations are completed by Colgate faculty once a transfer student has been admitted, so we cannot provide preliminary estimates to prospective students.

Learn more about transfer credit.

Your academic year depends on the number of credits that transfer.

• Sophomore standing: Transfer the equivalent of 6–13 Colgate credits
• Junior standing: Transfer the equivalent of 14–16 Colgate credits

Colgate is a residential campus and guarantees housing for all students. The majority of students live on campus all four years at Colgate, with the exception of a small percentage of each year’s senior class. Students entering Colgate with sophomore or junior standing should expect to live on campus. 

Learn more about residential housing.

Students from all class years are welcome to have a car on campus at no additional cost. To park on campus, you'll need to register your vehicle and apply for a parking pass through Campus Safety. Learn more about parking and vehicle registration.

The Colgate Shuttle offers free transportation throughout campus and around Hamilton, making it easy to get where you need to go.

Transfer students are eligible to apply for need-based financial aid. Transfer students who wish to be considered for financial aid must submit all financial aid materials by the admission application deadline. 

See more details on the financial aid process and timeline.