Transfer FAQs

Am I a first-year or transfer applicant?

First-year admission is defined as appropriate for those students in high school or who have graduated from high school but have not attempted college coursework after high school graduation.

If you have graduated from high school and have attempted college work post-high school graduation, you will now be considered a transfer applicant.  Please see our transfer admission requirements. Special exceptions may be made for those in military service and such applicants should inquire via email to admissions@nd.edu.

For transfer admission, if you have attempted college coursework post-high school graduation, you must obtain 24 credits and complete one full year of academic coursework at an accredited four-year institution.

Which of my credits will transfer?

Your intended college or school makes a final determination on which of your credits it will accept for transfer to Notre Dame, and you should expect to hear from your college or school after you reply to our offer of admission.

To be eligible for transfer, courses should contain content in curricular areas that align with those taught at the University and should not duplicate or significantly overlap with previous or future coursework.

Only courses earned at an accredited institution and completed with a grade of C or better will be considered. Courses that are offered online with synchronous components will be evaluated for transfer on a case-by-case basis.

Are transfer applicants allowed to self-report ACT and/or SAT scores?

Notre Dame is test-optional for 2024 and 2025 application cycles. Students may choose whether or not to include test scores when submitting their applications. Learn more about the test-optional program.

Applicants may self-report their SAT and/or ACT scores via their application and avoid paying testing agencies to send scores on their behalf. Once an admitted student confirms their enrollment to Notre Dame, they will be required to submit official score reports from SAT and/or ACT before they enroll. 

Please note that we will verify scores for enrolling students who self-report their test scores, and any discrepancies between official and self-reported scores may jeopardize a student's place in the class.

I never took the SAT or ACT (or my score is expired). Do I need to (re)take it to apply for transfer?

No, you do not. While standardized test scores play a role in our transfer admissions process, we understand that not all applicants have a current SAT or ACT score. Please email ndforms@nd.edu with your full name, date of birth, and application ID number to let us know that you will not be sending us a standardized test score. 

I have previously applied to Notre Dame. What do I need to re-submit?

Notre Dame retains first-year and transfer applications so you will only need to send documents that you did not submit as part of your previous application. Missing materials generally include: your final high school transcript, most recent college transcript, course syllabi from your current term, and a current College Student Record Form.

I have applied to transfer to Notre Dame before, and was not admitted. Can I apply again?

Yes, you can reapply, but applicants should be aware that a minimum of 60 credits must be earned at the University of Notre Dame. 

Your first-year application materials will be included in your transfer file. You do not need to resend official standardized test scores, unless you have retaken the exams. Please pay special attention to application instructions.

If you have applied for Transfer admission within the past two years, your previous application materials will be included in your new file. You do not need to duplicate any of the documents already sent. You are required to submit a completed Notre Dame Transfer Application, the $75 application fee, an updated College Student Record Form, an original Personal Statement, new course syllabi, and grades for any courses taken since you last applied.

Can I apply as an incoming junior?

The College of Arts and Letters has accepted a limited number of incoming first-semester junior transfer students. Traditionally, the other colleges and the School of Architecture do not accept transfer students after the first semester of their sophomore year. 

What if my current institution is on the quarter system?

If your current institution operates on the quarter system, it may be necessary to take additional courses to meet Notre Dame’s requirements. For example, you might need to take three calculus classes to cover the same material that Notre Dame covers in two classes. 

Please see below for the typical credit conversion:

Quarter-system Credits	Semester-system Credits
3	2.67
4	3
5	4

Do you consider Veteran applicants?

Yes! We thank you for your service, and we look forward to working with you. Please note that regardless of how many credits you have earned at other institutions, you will need to earn a minimum of 60 credits at Notre Dame in order to earn your degree. We work with Vetlink, a partner of Service to School, as part of our commitment to increasing veteran enrollment at Notre Dame. We are also a Yellow Ribbon Program participant.

Does the size of the first-year class impact the number of transfer openings?

Notre Dame has separate enrollment goals for both first-year and transfer students. In years when we enroll a larger-than-expected number of first-year students, we still plan to enroll a consistent number of transfer students.

I have additional questions—how can I contact you?

Please reach out to admissions@nd.edu if you have any remaining questions.