University of Virginia: A Comprehensive Guide to Transfer Requirements

The University of Virginia (UVA) welcomes transfer applicants seeking to complete their bachelor's degrees in Charlottesville. UVA is a selective public university, and while its first-year acceptance rate is competitive, it is known to be transfer-friendly, admitting transfer applicants at a higher rate. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the transfer process, requirements, and strategies for prospective transfer students.

Transfer Opportunities at UVA

UVA offers transfer opportunities for students seeking a full-time, in-person bachelor's degree in one of the following schools:

College of Arts and Sciences
School of Engineering and Applied Science
School of Architecture
School of Nursing
School of Education and Human Development
McIntire School of Commerce
Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

For those seeking to complete their undergraduate degree online with part-time flexibility, the UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) and the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Sciences Management (BPHM). This article focuses on transferring to the schools listed above for a traditional, in-person experience.

General Requirements for Transfer Admission

Transfer candidates must be in good standing, both academically and socially, at all previously attended institutions. Students already holding bachelor's degrees are generally ineligible to apply for a second undergraduate degree, with limited exceptions in the School of Engineering for those without prior degrees in engineering or physics.

Credit Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum of 9 transferable credits to apply. The maximum number of transferable credits is 60 semester hours. All transfer students are expected to complete at least four semesters of full-time coursework in residence at UVA to earn their degree.

GPA Requirements

The minimum college GPA required for transfer applicants is 2.00. However, the average GPA of admitted transfer students is around 3.5. Aiming for a GPA of 3.75 or higher can significantly improve your chances of admission.

Standardized Tests

All students must submit either SAT or ACT scores.

Application Deadline

The UVA transfer deadline for fall applicants is March 1. A limited number of transfer students are admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences for the spring semester. Spring applicants must have a minimum of 24 credit hours completed by the end of the fall semester preceding the desired spring semester.

UVA Transfer Acceptance Rate

UVA is among the most selective public universities in the country. For the fall of 2024, UVA received 4,053 transfer applications and accepted 1,178, resulting in an acceptance rate of 29%. It's important to note that acceptance rates can vary significantly depending on the academic program. UVA tends to favor Virginia residents in the transfer admission process.

Application Essays

The UVA transfer application includes four writing prompts, but not all are required.

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The UVA Connection Essay (Optional)

This short essay (500 characters) is for applicants with a personal or historic connection to UVA. Such connections might include being a child of a UVA graduate or employee, a descendant of ancestors who labored at UVA, or a participant in UVA programs. If you have a genuine connection, share a story that highlights how your experience has prepared you to contribute to the University. If not, it is best to skip this prompt.

The Enrollment Question (Optional)

This prompt is for applicants who have taken time off from school since graduating from high school. Use the space to provide details about any periods of non-enrollment. Focus on laying out the facts without making excuses.

The Transfer Essays (Required)

There are two core essays for the UVA transfer application:

Reasons for Transferring and Objectives: This essay (up to 4000 characters) should address your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve at UVA. Focus more on looking forward than backward. Explain why you are looking to leave your current school, but emphasize why UVA is the right fit for you. Ideally, you should highlight an academic program at UVA that you are particularly drawn to. Discuss how UVA will support you in reaching your academic and personal dreams.
Individual Background, Perspective, and Experience: This essay (up to 1800 characters) should focus on your individual background, perspective, or experience and how it will serve as a source of strength for you and those around you at UVA. Share a story that illustrates two or three facets of who you are. Discuss what you will bring to the UVA community and mention at least two student groups that you would want to join and contribute to.

Additional Application Requirements

In addition to the application essays, you will need to:

Request recommendations from professors.
Order transcripts from your current (or past) college and high school.
Decide whether to send standardized test scores.

Transferring from a Virginia Community College

Over half of admitted fall transfers come from the Virginia Community College System. If you are currently enrolled in a Virginia community college, you should also look into the Guaranteed Transfer Admission program.

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Guaranteed Admissions Program (GAP)

The Guaranteed Admissions Program (GAP) allows transfer students from Mountain Empire, Southwest Virginia, or Virginia Highlands Community Colleges to declare their intentions of studying at UVA Wise early in their time at the community college.

School-Specific Requirements

Admission is granted to individual schools within the University, and each school has its own specific requirements.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts & Sciences is the largest of UVA’s schools. It welcomes qualified transfer students. You must submit official final transcripts from all previous colleges and universities.

College Transfer Course Requirements:

Literacies:
- Rhetoric for the 21st Century (R21): A 6-credit literacy component focusing on written, oral, and digital expression. Includes two parts:
  - First Writing Course: Your school's full English Composition sequence.
  - Second Writing Course: Completed in residence at UVA.
- World Languages (WL): Demonstrated proficiency equal to the intermediate level of college instruction (usually the 202 level).
- Quantification, Computation, and Data Analysis (QCD) (6-8 credits): Two courses that include content from mathematical & statistical theory, mathematical manipulation & interpretation, computational & analytical methods, and data interpretation & communication.
Disciplines: Students must complete a course in each of the seven disciplines. Additionally, students entering UVA as a second-year student will complete three additional discipline courses, one in each of the grouped sections below. Students entering as a third-year student will complete two additional discipline courses, selected from two of the three grouped sections below.
- Artistic, Interpretative, & Philosophical Inquiry (AIP) (3 credits)
- The Chemical, Mathematical, & Physical Universe (CMP) (3-4 credits)
- Cultures & Societies of the World (CSW) (3 credits)
- Historical Perspectives (HP) (3 credits)
- Living Systems (LS) (3-4 credits)
- Science & Society (SS) (3-4 credits)
- Social & Economic Systems (SES) (3 credits)

Third-year transfer applicants should demonstrate completion of most or all of the above requirements. Second-year transfer applicants should demonstrate completion of at least half of the requirements.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to use the Arts & Sciences Transfer of Credit Analyzer.

School of Architecture

The School of Architecture welcomes qualified transfer students. Applicants must be in good academic standing and eligible to return to their most recent college. Transfer students must complete at least two years of coursework in the School of Architecture to earn a degree. It is strongly suggested that transfer students have at least a B average or the equivalent in previous college work. Applicants may select from three majors: Architecture, Urban and Environmental Planning, and Architectural History.

Important Notes:

Transfer students are not permitted to change majors after enrolling.
All programs have unique requirements that may make it difficult for transfer students to stay on a four-year graduation path.

A portfolio is required for applicants to the Architecture degree.

McIntire School of Commerce

The McIntire School of Commerce values students' different paths toward a college degree. The School considers applications from external transfers to enter into the second year of the Commerce curriculum.

Competitive applications will be expected to have:

Completed courses that will transfer to UVA as COMM 1800 (Introduction to Business), ECON 2010 (Principles of Microeconomics), and the First Writing Requirement (English Composition).
Completed 24 or more graded credits that will transfer to UVA towards any of the requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Students who enroll in McIntire as second year students will be required to complete six semesters at McIntire. If not completed prior to transferring, these students will be expected to complete the general education requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences prior to graduating from McIntire.

Transfer credit toward a degree is allowed for approved work completed in another college or university. However, no credit is given for a required upper-level commerce course unless that course is taken in the School of Commerce.

School of Education and Human Development

The School of Education and Human Development offers programs designed to prepare individuals for careers related to education, youth development, health and well-being. Programs open to undergraduates include teacher education, kinesiology, speech communication disorders, and youth & social innovation. Each program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) degree.

Students applying to transfer as second years need not have completed all of the listed requirements. Students applying as third-years should complete most, if not all of listed pre-requisite coursework.

Kinesiology:

Candidates with an associate's degree or two years of college coursework are preferred. Students transferring after one year of college should have completed at least 24 semester-hours; students transferring after two years should have completed at least 60 semester-hours.

Recommended Coursework:

Statistics (3 credits): Students are encouraged to take a course in statistics prior to transferring.
Cultural Literacy (3 credits): Students are encouraged to take a course from any department that deals substantially with a cultural heritage other than that of the West and/or that provides a global perspective, enhances cultural awareness, and broadens perspectives.

Secondary Education majors will choose a teaching endorsement in which to specialize. Prospective transfer students do not need to meet all of these requirements prior to transfer, but they should take a substantial amount of coursework in their discipline. Third-year transfer students should meet at least half of the requirements to put forth a competitive application.

School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)

Transfer students are admitted to SEAS, and are not admitted directly into an academic major.

An applicant for transfer admission must be in good academic standing at any college which he/she is currently attending or has previously attended, and must be eligible to return there. A transfer student is expected to have a better than average academic record, with special attention given to performance in mathematics and science.

Degree Programs:

Aerospace Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Engineering Science
Materials Science & Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Systems Engineering

Each student is required to write a thesis in the last undergraduate year.

School of Nursing

The School of Nursing accepts transfer students into the second year of the program. Students will normally complete at least one year of college level work before transfer. Students attending a Virginia community college must pursue a program of pre-nursing general education courses in order to be eligible for transfer.

Additional Resources

Transfer Virginia: Provides information to students throughout the college selection, enrollment, and transfer process.
Transfer Credit Evaluator: Review courses from your school that have transferred to UVA in the past.
Registrar's Office: Contact for a credit evaluation.

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