Transfer Students

Our Transfer Process 

If you’re considering transferring colleges and St. Lawrence is on your list of possible options, we’ll work closely with you to address any and every question, offer assistance, and help you get to know our community as you make your decision. 

No matter your reasons for transferring, you’ll fit right in among our community if you’re curious, care about uplifting others, and are committed to making the world a better place. 

Begin Your Common Application

You can also apply using the St. Lawrence Application, where you will create a user account within our SLU portal so you can keep track of your admissions application materials and find out more details regarding next steps

Begin Your St. Lawrence Application

Transfer Admissions Process

We welcome applications from qualified students who wish to transfer from two-year or four-year institutions. As a transfer, you’ll be considered for admission with advanced academic standing. Due to our graduation and residency requirements, we can only accept up to two years’ work from another institution. 

If you graduated from a two-year college and have completed a liberal arts program, you can expect to begin your academic journey at St. Lawrence as a junior.

What We’re Looking For

We take a holistic approach to every application we review because we want to get to know you as a future member of our community, not just a test score. That means we’ll look at your academic achievements along with your activities, interests, and aspirations. 

Your Educational Background 

To be accepted, you must have maintained at least a 2.8 GPA or higher in your college coursework. We’ll also review the high school transcripts of all transfer applicants, though we place more weight on the high school record for applicants who are in their first year of college.

Your School & Community Involvement

We’re looking for students who will positively contribute to our campus community; we want to know about your extracurricular and co-curricular activities, outside hobbies and interests, volunteer and work experience, and civic engagement. 

Transfer Application Checklist

• Common Application or St. Lawrence Application
• Official copy of your high school transcript (sent directly to us by your high school)
• Official copy of your college transcript (sent directly to us by each college you’ve attended)
• Official standardized exam scores (optional for most applicants—see below)
• A letter of recommendation from a college professor (sent directly to us by the professor)
• Transfer College Report (to be completed by an official at your current college)
• Transfer Mid-Term Report (to be filled out by each of your professors for your current classes)
• Resume (optional)

We cannot accept transcripts nor recommendation letters submitted by students. Please ask your high school(s), college(s), and professor(s) to submit these materials either via the Common App for Transfers or directly to our office at admissions@stlawu.edu.

Why Transfer to St. Lawrence?

We value the diverse experiences and perspectives that transfer students bring with them. No matter why you decide to transfer, you’ll find a community that’s excited to embrace you as a fellow Laurentian. 

You might consider transferring if…

You’re looking for a specific academic program or more interdisciplinary programming.

We offer more than 100 academic programs across the humanities, sciences, arts, and social sciences. Our multi-field major also allows you to combine several topics that interest you into one program of study. As a student at St. Lawrence, you’ll have lots of flexibility and room to explore when it comes to academics.

You’re looking for a forward-thinking, 21st-century education with a strong liberal arts tradition.

At St. Lawrence, your coursework will empower you to consider multiple perspectives and think critically about the world around you. You’ll also develop a strong foundation of reading, writing, research, and presentation skills. These core abilities, combined with innovative academic and career preparatory programming, will prepare you for whatever path you choose to pursue. We know this because the results speak for themselves–95% of our graduates are employed or continuing their education less than a year after graduation. 

You’re looking for a close-knit, supportive community. 

If there’s one thing our students can’t stop talking about, it’s the warm and welcoming community of friends, teammates, volunteers, classmates, and mentors they’ve found on campus. As you continue your research, we hope you’ll schedule a visit to campus to experience it for yourself. 

You want to explore a wide variety of academic and co-curricular interests.

With over 150 student clubs and organizations on campus, St. Lawrence students are known for being active and involved every day of the week. There’s no limit on the types of activities you might choose to fill your time. You could play a sport and still run for student government or volunteer with Campus Kitchens. You could write for the student-run paper, play an instrument with SLU Funk, and advocate for local food with our Seed to Table club. 

You’re looking for more career mentorship and career preparatory opportunities. 

Think career boot camps, alumni panels, informal interview practice, a structured alumni mentorship program, and opportunities to explore different workplaces while networking with alumni in cities across the U.S. Our top-ranked Center for Career Excellence and nationally recognized alumni network will help you lay the groundwork for a rewarding career from day one as a Laurentian.

Additional Transfer Admissions Information

Transferring Course Credits

St. Lawrence University will determine your class year and evaluate transfer credit after a thorough review of your transcript(s). 

In general, you must earn a minimum of a 2.0 (or a “C”) in any given course to receive credit from St. Lawrence. We will accept a maximum of 17.5 credits toward our graduation requirement of 33.5 units. This means you’ll be required to take at least 16 course units as a St. Lawrence student, which takes at least two years. 

Graduates of two-year colleges who have completed a liberal arts program and meet standards of admission can expect to matriculate as juniors. Normal academic progress for others is as follows:

Test Optional & Score Policy

St. Lawrence University is SAT/ACT-optional for all domestic applicants. 

If you have a strong high school and college record, we welcome your application regardless of how you performed on your SAT or ACT. 

Students whose native language is not English and who are not attending an English-speaking school must submit either TOEFL or IELTS scores as a proof of English language proficiency. 

Submitting Scores

Indicate on your Common Application or St. Lawrence application which scores, if any, you wish to be considered in the application process.

• List St. Lawrence University as a recipient institution when registering for exams to ensure the testing agency sends us your report; use the appropriate school code: 
  • SAT/TOEFL code: 2805
  • ACT code: 2896

• If you decide to submit your scores, St. Lawrence will now accept self-reported scores at the time of your application. This means that you can send us your scores through:

  • An official score report sent by the testing agency (SAT/TOEFL code: 2805; ACT code: 2896)
  • Via email from your high school counselor
  • On your official high school transcript (if your school includes test scores on transcripts)
  • Self-reported by sending a screenshot or PDF of your full student score report to admissions@stlawu.edu (the screenshot or PDF must include your full name and date of birth)
• If you’ve taken a test multiple times, please submit all of the results. You should not convert, superscore, or recalculate your self-reported scores in any fashion.

Next Steps: Making it Official

We gladly accept self-reported scores during the application process. Should you decide to enroll at St. Lawrence, you will need to provide official test scores from the testing agency or your high school. 

Please note: your admission decision could be at risk if your self-reported scores differ in any way from your official score reports.