Transfer from within the UMN Twin Cities

Are you currently or have you ever been enrolled* as a degree-seeking student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities? Learn more about the admission requirements for students transferring to the College of Science and Engineering from within the Twin Cities campus.

Students are encouraged to carefully explore CSE majors before applying. Transfer students are reviewed and admitted for a specific major and are expected to complete the degree to which they are admitted.

*Enrollment includes the Twin Cities and Rochester campuses, but excludes Post Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) and non-degree seeking students taking coursework through the College of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Eligibility and review criteria

Admission to the College of Science and Engineering is competitive and based on an assessment of the applicant's academic record and potential for success in the designated major. Primary review factors include completion of appropriate prerequisite courses and the applicant’s technical grade point average. Other factors include the applicant’s progress toward the intended degree, cumulative grade point average, and grade trends. 

University of Minnesota Twin Cities students will be considered for admission to the College of Science and Engineering having met the following criteria prior to applying:

• The minimum course prerequisites for a student’s intended major or equivalent courses must be completed or in progress by the time of application. AP/IB credit, test credit, etc. as well as courses in progress are considered to fulfill this criterion. These minimum prerequisites are required for admission to the College of Science and Engineering but not yet into the major. Direct admission to the major (upper division) requires additional sophomore level coursework which is identified with a diamond on the four year plan.
• A minimum of three of the required prerequisite courses must be completed at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with grades posted.
• At least one semester (12+ credits) of major-specific coursework remaining to be completed once admitted to CSE. However, the preference is to have two or more semesters remaining.

Effective for Fall 2023 admission
Additional requirements for students applying to a major in which both a Bachelor of Arts (College of Liberal Arts) and Bachelor of Science (College of Science and Engineering) are available, including astrophysics, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, environmental geoscience, mathematics, and physics:

• Students with 60 or more credits completed by the application deadline, in addition to the requirements above, must have a 3.5 technical GPA and one year (24+ credits) of major-specific coursework remaining.

Review the four-year plan for your major to see the best time to transfer, taking into consideration the course prerequisites and sequences.

Technical courses and technical GPA

What are technical courses?

Technical courses are all math and science-based courses beginning with the required prerequisite courses. These courses include, but are not limited to, calculus, calculus-based physics, general chemistry principles, higher-level math and science, engineering, and computer science courses. 

What should I know about technical courses?

• A transfer applicant’s technical GPA is calculated using all grades of technical courses including original and repeated attempts (referred to as an "unbracketed technical GPA").
• The University of Minnesota Twin Cities technical GPA only consists of courses taken at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. An unbracketed technical GPA is used in the admission to the major process, meaning that all attempts at a course (which resulted in a letter grade of A-F) are factored into the GPA.
• Most successful applicants to the College of Science and Engineering have a 3.2 or higher technical grade point average (GPA). However, the required technical GPA for admission varies by major and is dependent on how much of the curriculum the student has completed. Students who have completed more major coursework may be admitted with a lower technical GPA as they have demonstrated success in the curriculum and/or are admissible directly to the major.
• Current University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus students will be considered for transfer admission based primarily on their grades earned at the Twin Cities campus.This means that students must have at least one semester of graded coursework from the UM -Twin Cities campus completed at the time of application.
• Students who have been unsuccessful in completing a course needed for the major will not be admitted until they have successfully completed the course/requirement.

You can use Transferology to determine how courses completed at another domestic institution may meet degree requirements at the University of Minnesota.

How to apply

Complete and submit one of the following:

• If you no longer wish to remain in your current college and only pursue a College of Science and Engineering degree, please complete and submit the Change of College Form.
• If you wish to remain in your current college and add the College of Science and Engineering as a second college and degree, please complete and submit the Additional Undergraduate Degree Application (PDF).

Deadlines

Fall admission

• Priority deadline: March 1
• Final deadline: May 1

Spring Admission - Available only to students who are eligible for direct admission to their major (see courses designated with a ◊ on the four-year plan).

• Priority deadline: Oct. 1
• Final deadline: Dec. 1

To be sure your application is given full consideration, please submit it by the priority deadline. If your application is received after the priority deadline, it will be considered on a space-available basis.

Applications received after the final deadline will not be considered.