Transfer Students
Whether you are transferring from another university or from one of Carnegie Mellon’s other colleges, you’ll be classified as a freshman in the School of Design unless you have completed a program equivalent to our freshman year. It is extremely rare for transfer students to be accepted with advanced standing due to space constraints and alignment with transferring studio experiences. Although we welcome transfer applications to the School of Design, transfer rates are low for several reasons:
- We only accept transfers to begin classes the fall semester (not for spring or summer semesters).
- Because our low attrition rate limits space, even if you were accepted into another program within Carnegie Mellon or within the College of Fine Arts there is no guarantee that you will be able to transfer into the School of Design.
- Regardless of your prior college experience, the university is likely to dictate freshman status for your first year in the School of Design.
Dates
Application forms, exam scores, and transcripts must be received by the Office of Admissions on or before December 1. Other important deadlines are listed in your Application Packet.
Portfolio guidelines
Transfer applicants should follow the same portfolio guidelines and satisfy the same application requirements as regular decision applicants.
Transfer applicants have a later on-campus portfolio review date than regular applicants. Please refer to your Application Packet for the exact date.
The School of Design now offers an online option for portfolio submission, an electronic posting of digital work to a secure third party website. This option is for students unable to attend an on-campus review session. A committee of faculty members will review your portfolio, and if additional information is needed, a faculty member may conduct a phone interview with you. To exercise this option, register for the online portfolio submission. This will take you to the admissions website where you will register with Carnegie Mellon and confirm that your portfolio will be submitted online. Once you register, you will then be directed to the site where your work is to be posted.
Visiting campus
If you would like to arrange a campus visit and/or a telephone interview with a faculty member, please contact Melissa Cicozi to arrange a date and time.