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At Purchase College, we put great emphasis on helping our transfer applicants have a seamless transition.  Here are a few fast facts about our transfer students:

  • About 39% of our incoming students are transfers
  • We have transfer students from the US and all over the world
  • The majority of our transfer students come from the surrounding community colleges including: Rockland, Westchester, Orange, Nassau, Suffolk and Hudson Valley 
  • The average GPA of transfer students is 3.0
  • The average age of our transfers is 23

Transfer Credit

All new freshman and transfer students should have their scores/transcripts sent to Purchase College, Office of Admissions.

All Returning students should send their scores/transcripts directly to the Purchase College, Registrar’s Office.

Purchase College may give credit for the following:

  1. College-level credit: Students who completed college-level courses should request that an official copy of their transcript be forwarded from that institution to the Office of Admissions at Purchase College. Courses are reviewed on an individual basis by the Credit Evaluator to determine whether or not credit can be awarded based on the major that the student is applying for and the course taken.

  1. IB International Baccalaureate (IB): Purchase College recognizes schools offering the International Baccalaureate program.  The International Baccalaureate curriculum is the most challenging and comprehensive curriculum available and IB participation is recommended, taken into account and considered during the application process.Students who achieve a score of 5 or higher on a higher-level exam are awarded credit.  The amount of credit varies from one test to another; the range is from 6 to 8 semester hours per exam. 

  2. CLEP: Students who receive the minimum score for credit as determined by the College Board are awarded credit. The amount of credit varies from one test to another; the range is 4-16 semester hours per exam.
  3. Advanced Placement (AP):  Students who achieve a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam are awarded credit.  The amount of credit varies from one test to another; the range is 3 to 8 semester hours per exam.  AP literature and composition or AP language and composition: students receiving a 4 or 5 will be given credit and are waived of the Basic Communication requirement. Students who receive a 3 will be given credit but will be required to take the course to fulfill that requirement.

Students receive official notification about AP credit once official scores are received by Purchase College in late August via the online Degree Progress Report. At Orientation you may proceed with registration by estimating the scores you expect to earn, or know you have earned on your examinations. If your scores are above or below your estimate, you may change your schedule at regular registration prior to the start of the semester.

NOTE: Not all students will receive credit for all tests. See chart for details.

PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE TRANSFER STUDENTS:

Courses are accepted for transfer credit provided that they were taken at a regionally accredited college and a grade of D or higher was achieved. NOTE: Certain majors have grade requirements for major requirements; if the grade was not achieved in transfer, major courses may need to be repeated.

For liberal arts and science majors, 90 is the maximum number transfer credits from two-year colleges, four-year colleges or a combination of colleges, that may be applied toward the baccalaureate degree requirements. Seventy-five is the maximum number of lower-level (freshman/sophomore-level) credits that can be applied to a Purchase degree. For visual and performing arts majors, consult the college catalog for information about transferring credits.

The transfer student’s designated class standing (class year) is determined by the number of credits accepted for transfer (see the “Class Standing” section of the Undergraduate Bulletin). However, for many majors (combined major/minor in the sciences, for example) overall class standing should not be construed to mean that the student is necessarily on schedule within major/minor sequence. This is especially true for students who transfer to the University from technical and applied programs, or for those who change major interest and/or career goals at the time of transfer.

The prospective transfer student should examine closely those sections of the Course Catalog which deal with minor requirements, residence requirements and the General Education requirements.

PURCHASE COLLEGE CURRENT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:

Transfer equivalencies for institutions and courses previously approved for transfer credit are available online from the Purchase College Course to Course Equivalency tables.  Courses not included may still be awarded transfer credit but require a course description or syllabus be attached to the transfer credit permission form.  Post-matriculation transfer courses may not meet some requirements for the major, minor, and/or liberal arts credit requirements. Students must complete a Pre-Approval to Transfer Credit Form prior to registering for the class to ensure the course can be transferred to Purchase College.

If you want to take a course at another college please follow these steps:

  1. Verify that you have NOT reached the maximum limit of transferable credits. (Liberal arts and science majors: Maximum number of credits from another college(s) is 90 Maximum number of lower-level credits applicable to the degree is 75)
  2. Verify that you are not repeating a course. (Review your Purchase College advising transcript and previous transfer coursework.)
  3. Complete and return a “Pre-Approval to Transfer Credit” form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office along with descriptions of the courses you wish to take.
  4. After completion of the course, have an official transcript of the work sent to the Registrar’s Office.

NOTE:  Transfer courses do not meet the residence requirement at Purchase College.

Course to Course Equivalencies

Find out how your previous college coursework and credits may transfer to Purchase College by exploring the Course to Course Equivalencies.

Liberal Studies

Find out more about our Liberal Studies B.A. degree completion program, specially designed for adults and transfer students, or enroll as a non-degree student.

  • Transfer up to 90 credits.
  • Take day or evening classes year-round,on or off-campus or online, all at affordable SUNY tuition.

For more information, please visit the School of Liberal Studies & Continuing Education.

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Majors in the Liberal Studies B.A. Degree Completion Program:

Liberal Studies

Liberal Studies: Arts

Liberal Studies:
Communications/
Media Studies

Liberal Studies:
Legal Studies

INTERVIEW POLICY
Purchase College does not offer evaluative interviews for admissions except for select programs in the visual and performing arts. These interviews occur during the application process by invitation only.

However, if you are interested in speaking with an admissions counselor, you can arrange an informational interview. These interviews must be scheduled in advance on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by calling the Office of Admissions at (914) 251-6300.

The lack of an interview will not have an adverse impact on your admissions decision.