Transfer with CUNY

No matter where you are along your journey, we’ll help you plan your next big step.

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Transfer in Three Easy Steps

For more info on the steps to transfer, click here.

Step 1: Explore your Options

Change can be a good thing. If you’re thinking of making a move, CUNY has transfer friendly policies and a great selection of academic programs to help you meet your goals.

Step 2: Apply

Ready to Apply? The CUNY Application allows you to select up to 4 college choices as a transfer student. Visit our How to Apply page for guidance on submitting your application, sending documents, and checking the status of your application.

Step 3: Enroll

Once you receive decisions from each of the colleges to which you’ve applied, you can accept your offer in the Student Center of CUNYfirst. You’ll also be able to see your Transfer Credit Evaluation in CUNYfirst. Make sure to check how your credits transferred – general education requirements, major requirements or electives.

Transfer to CUNY With Ease

It’s never been a better time to transfer to CUNY, and the process is smoother than ever.
Thousands of students transfer to CUNY every year for a variety of reasons:

Easy Process

Transfer to CUNY in just a few steps, and receive a decision quickly.

Value

A CUNY degree is the most affordable high-quality degree in NYC.

Opportunity

Launch your career with access to NYC’s internships & jobs.

Inclusion

Our extremely diverse student body welcomes all backgrounds.


Jillian Quinn

Pace University to CUNY
“Transferring to CUNY was easier than I thought, and I got help along the way.”


Emily Springer

Smith College to CUNY
“Transferring to CUNY helped me develop as a student, and as a person.”


Yulen Senosiain

Rutgers University to CUNY
“New York City is the epicenter of everything and I wanted to be closer to home.”


Aziz Sharipov

Michigan State to CUNY
“My CUNY professors felt more relatable while helping me with my goals.”

Affordable Education

CUNY degrees expand your mind without emptying your pocket.
Our financial aid enables 75% of our students to graduate debt-free.

Financial Aid & Scholarships

NEW YORK STATE RESIDENT

Four-Year Colleges
$6,930 per year

Two-Year Colleges
$4,800 per year

OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENT

Four-Year Colleges
$18,600 per year

Two-Year Colleges
$9,600 per year

Study at 25 colleges
across New York City

5 Boroughs
12 Four-Year Colleges
7 Community Colleges
6 Graduate & Professional Schools
Online Programs Available

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Tips for Transferring

Track Your Financial Aid

Financial aid is available only for a limited number of semesters – federal Pell grants for 12 semesters and NY State TAP grants for eight. It’s important to carefully plan your courses to ensure you do not run out of aid before graduating!

Self-Advocate!

If you have used the transfer tools to understand how your courses should transfer and you believe something transferred incorrectly, file an appeal.

Connect with an Advisor

Reach out to an advisor at your potential transfer college and ask what resources exist! Many CUNY colleges have peer mentor or ambassador programs, letting you speak to current students who have recently transferred.

Plan Your College-to-Career Path Early!

Associate-degree students should speak with their advisor in the first semester (or even before starting!) to discuss long-term goals, including earning a bachelor’s degree and career aspirations. The earlier you identify your prospective senior college and major, the better off you will be as you can optimally map out your associate degree pathway to minimize lost credits.

Understand Your Degree Program

You’ve seen the acronyms…e.g., A.S., A.A.S., B.B.A….but do you know what they mean? Understanding your degree program is critical because there are fundamental differences in the structure of different types of degrees, which has major implications for how a degree transfers.

Research Bachelor’s Degree Programs Early

While you may not even know you want to pursue a bachelor’s degree, almost 9 out of 10 associate degree freshmen aspire to this goal. Start researching options in your first semester. Speak to an advisor and any trusted faculty member to get advice.

Technology is Your Friend

Several tools are available to help you select courses and degree programs that will allow you to transfer in a seamless and optimal manner. Use them early and often and continually monitor your progress to stay on track.

Do the Math

Taking 15 credits a semester, or 30 credits over the course of a year, including over the winter and summer terms, will help you stay on track to graduate in a timely manner. And timely graduation helps to preserve your financial aid.

Earn Your Associate Degree, then Transfer

While you should plan your transfer strategy early, we recommend students earn their associate degree, then transfer. Make the most of your time pursuing your associate degree by building relationships, especially with advisors and faculty, and taking advantage of any services or resources available, such as ASAP or College Discovery, which offer personalized supports and resources.

Keep It in the CUNY Family!

We hope you will pursue all of your higher education goals at CUNY and want to see your credits transfer as seamlessly as possible between our colleges. Our Pathways Initiative for general education; Gateway Courses into Majors in many popular majors; and articulation agreements between colleges all help make this possible.

College Transfer Websites

Baruch College gray logo
Borough of Manhattan Community College - Logo
Bronx CC gray logo
Brooklyn College gray logo
College of Staten Island gray logo
CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies gray logo
Gray CUNY School of Professional Studies logo
Guttman Community College gray logo
Hostos Community College
Hunter College gray logo
John Jay College of Criminal Justice gray logo
Kingsborough Community College logo
LaGuardia Community College gray logo
Lehman College gray logo
Medgar Evers College gray logo
New York City College of Technology gray logo
Queens College gray logo
Queensborough Community College gray logo
York College gray logo

College Transfer Websites

A CUNY student smiling on an elevated subway platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have attended a college/university, proprietary school, vocational school or religious school after completing high school, you are a transfer student. Select the transfer application even if you are not seeking transfer credit or have decided to change majors. Second degree students are also transfer students.

Use the CUNY Application to apply and receive decisions from up to 4 colleges. Visit our How to Apply page for more guidance on what is needed to apply.

Yes. The priority deadline to apply for Fall is February 1st. For Spring, the deadline is September 15th. Our colleges operate on a rolling admission basis, which means that they continue reviewing applications throughout the cycle. It’s a good idea to apply early and have more time to complete your enrollment steps at your future campus.

Visit our Majors page to learn about what’s offered at each college.

Start planning as soon as you know you want to transfer; it’s a great idea to meet with your academic advisor and plan to take courses that are likely to transfer to your future college. You also want to review the admissions requirements of your future college.

CUNY’s Office of Academic Affairs has a page dedicated to outlining your rights and responsibilities as a transfer student, whether you are a current CUNY student or not. Familiarize yourself with the content on this page at the beginning of your transfer process. This page will empower you to make sound decisions during your transfer journey.

It’s a great idea to plan your transfer with your current academic advisor. Some colleges also have transfer offices that are dedicated to helping students transition to a new college. And finally, the admissions office at your future college is a great resource. Each of these offices is dedicated to supporting your journey.

No, GPAs start over when a student transfers to a new college.

Planning for a successful transfer to another institution should begin as early as possible. The specific program and college you choose directly impacts how credits transfer. The longer you wait to make a decision, the more you risk accumulating excess credits that cost you time and money.

As soon as you start enrolling in classes, you should consider making an informed decision about transferring and where you might want to transfer. Then align your coursework to those courses that either the Transfer Credit Tools or the Transfer Agreements say will transfer best for you and take those courses. If you start to run out of courses that will transfer, it may be the time to consider transferring and then obtaining your associate degree through the Reverse Transfer Process.

As part of your preparation for transfer, it is recommended that you start your math (based on your major) and English (composition) sequences as early as possible, as they are common requirements across most programs. Generally, you can also prepare to transfer by meeting with advisors and aligning your coursework to those courses that the Transfer Credit Tools or the Transfer Agreements say will transfer best for you.

Once you are accepted and admitted to the college you applied to transfer to, the college will conduct a credit evaluation using the information you submitted during the application process. The results will be made available via CUNYfirst and subsequently in DegreeWorks.

NOTE: CUNY colleges may also request to see supplemental materials (like transcripts) and other relevant information about coursework to determine the number of transfer credits to be awarded. Visit your college’s transfer office website to find out more information.

It depends on many factors that are unique to each student’s situation. A major factor is how well the courses in your associate degree program will count toward requirements for your desired bachelor’s program (i.e. satisfying the general education and/or major requirements for your desired bachelor’s program). Students who complete a CUNY associate degree before transferring only need to take 6 additional general education credits at the CUNY senior college (instead of 9-12 credits for a student without an associate degree). However, if you start to run out of courses that will transfer, it may be the time to consider transferring and then obtaining your associate degree through the Reverse Transfer Process

If you are a CUNY student, use the transfer credit tools that are available to get an idea of how many credits will transfer. If you are a Non-CUNY student, you may have tools available at your current school to help and when you commit to your transfer school you will receive your Transfer Credit Evaluation Report

All schools consider a student’s GPA when reviewing applications, so keep your GPA as high as possible to remain competitive.

This is a process through which a student who has transferred to a CUNY Bachelor’s program from a CUNY community college without first earning an Associate’s degree might still be able to earn that associate degree. With Reverse Transfer, credits earned at the transfer school that meet and complete the academic credentials of the Associate’s degree are “transferred back” from the four-year institution to the two-year institution to meet the Associate’s degree requirements. Visit the Reverse Transfer page for more information.

There are many benefits for students who earn their associate degree through reverse transfer. For starters, an associate degree provides students with a recognized and meaningful credential that can increase their job and wage potential.

CUNY student