Each fall, we welcome a very small number (12 on average) of transfer students to Harvard College. We seek students whose previous academic experience will prepare them to flourish in our rigorous and rewarding liberal arts program. In our candidates for transfer admission, we look for:

• A clearly defined academic need to transfer
• A proven record of achievement at your current institution
• Strong faculty recommendations

Recently, we have received more than 2,000 transfer applications per year. In pools of this size, the number of well-qualified applicants far exceeded the number of students admitted and enrolled each year as transfer students. As admission to transfer to Harvard is competitive, we encourage you to explore a variety of colleges in your transfer search. Check out our brochure for more info. 

Harvard cannot comment on individual eligibility questions. Please use the information below to determine which applicant pool, if any, is appropriate for your current academic standing.  

The transfer application is intended for students who have completed at least one continuous academic year (fall and spring semesters, or the equivalent) in a liberal arts, full-time, in-person degree program at one college, and not more than two academic years, by the time they would enroll at Harvard. Courses that Harvard accepts for transfer credit must be analogous to courses offered at Harvard in our liberal arts curriculum. To get a sense of the scope of our liberal arts program and whether your current studies are similar, please review the concentrations that Harvard offers.

Students are not permitted to relinquish credit earned to restart their college experience or regain eligibility (Example: A rising college senior cannot drop credits to enter Harvard as a junior). 

Harvard does not award credit for:  

• Online, hybrid, or distance education, nighttime or extension courses  
• Part-time coursework  
• Technical, vocational, or professional courses such as accounting, marketing, journalism, law, finance, agriculture, nursing, business, communications, or specialized military training coursework  
• Dual-enrollment courses counted for credit toward a high school diploma  
• Work done prior to admission in an isolated term, summer, semester or quarter at another college, unless the college from which you are transferring has granted credit for that work  
• Foundational, diploma, or preparatory year coursework
• Credit gained by accelerating in an academic year at another college  
• College Level Placement Exam (CLEP), Advanced Placement Exam (AP/IB) results, or any credit earned by examination, even when credited to your degree by the college or university from which you wish to transfer  
• Summer school courses, except for those at your current college/university or courses at Harvard Summer School

If you are currently or have been enrolled previously in a full-time, in-person program at an accredited institution but your college coursework does not meet Harvard’s transfer eligibility requirements, it may be that you are ineligible to apply to either the first-year and transfer application rounds. 

Students who have completed one full-time year of college in a regular degree program in lieu of their senior year of high school (often referred to as dual enrollment) should apply for first-year admission if these courses are taken for credit towards a high school diploma.

If you are too advanced in your studies to qualify for transfer, you may be interested in the Visiting Undergraduate Student Program.

No student with a bachelor's degree or other first university degree from any other university, whether American or foreign, is eligible for admission to Harvard College. Students interested in continuing their studies beyond the bachelor's degree might wish to consider one of the 10 Harvard University graduate schools. The Harvard College Admissions Office is independent of these schools and their admissions policies. 

Through our admissions process, we strive to give you ample opportunities to best demonstrate your interests and accomplishments. We welcome candidates who have gone directly from high school into college as well as those who have followed less traditional paths.

The Admissions Committee looks for achievement in a rigorous program of study, especially in your expected field of specialization. Beyond strong grades, test scores, and recommendations, the Committee considers other non-academic factors such as significant extracurricular engagements and talents. We also consider an applicant’s capacity for leadership, creativity, resiliency, intellectual curiosity, and independent thinking.

In addition to our standard application materials, you may submit supplementary materials showcasing exceptional or unusual talents, including musical performance, artistic work, and research material.

Harvard accepts transfer students for fall semester entrance only; we do not admit students for the spring semester. The transfer application becomes available during the fall of the academic year. 

• March 1: Deadline for all transfer application and financial aid materials. 
• The Transfer Admissions Committee begins to review applications after the application deadline.
• We will notify applicants of admissions decisions by June.

Submitting your materials early does not increase your chances of admission, but it does provide more opportunities to track down any missing documents and ensure that your application is full and complete by the time we begin our review. Please note that college transcripts should be sent between January and March in order to reflect your most updated academic credentials.

• Transfer Application from the Common Application.
• Harvard College Questions and Writing Supplement for the Common Application
• $95 fee (or request a fee waiver by sending an email to adm-tran@fas.harvard.edu)
• Standardized testing*: The SAT or ACT is required of all transfer applicants. In exceptional cases, when those are not accessible for a student, one of the following can meet the requirement:
  • AP exam results
  • IB Actual or Predicted Scores
  • GCSE/A-Level Actual or Predicted Results
  • National Leaving Exams Results or Predictions
• College/Dean’s/Registrar’s report
• Official College Transcript
• College Instructor Recommendations (2)
• Official High School Transcript

*If you have applied to Harvard in the past, we will have access to your previous application in our review process including any scores that you submitted with earlier applications. Test scores can be particularly helpful for non-traditional students. We encourage non-traditional students to submit an exam taken within three years of applying for transfer to reflect current academic ability.

Self-reported scores are acceptable during the application process; official scores are required of enrolling students.

Harvard will honor comparable coursework completed prior to your transfer admission, while also giving students time to take advantage of Harvard’s course offerings and delve deeply into their concentration.

Courses that Harvard accepts for transfer credit must be analogous to courses offered at Harvard in our liberal arts curriculum. Please review our liberal arts program and the concentrations that Harvard offers to assess whether your current studies are similar.

Transfer students may transfer a maximum of 16 semester-long courses—the equivalent of two full years of academic work—providing the opportunity to take the remaining half of the courses required for your A.B. or S.B. degree at Harvard.

The Harvard College Registrar’s Office grants credit for work done at another college or university to each admitted transfer student on an individual basis after careful evaluation. While Harvard does not audit transcripts prior to application to determine eligibility, the descriptions below should be helpful in determining which of your courses may transfer. Harvard College is unable to make recommendations regarding coursework at your current institution or advise on anticipated class standing during the application process. 

The Transfer Admissions team will be available to answer questions by email at adm-tran@fas.harvard.edu Monday through Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm ET.