Transfer Student Academic Requirements

Every year, more than 200 transfer students join our community as Rensselaer welcomes transfer students from accredited two- and four-year colleges in the United States and around the world. Admission to Rensselaer is competitive and based on academic performance.

To be considered, transfer applicants should have completed 12 or more transferable college credits, and must be in good academic standing at the institution(s) they are attending or have attended. Transfer students can be accepted into all but our accelerated programs.

You must complete at least a pre-calculus level mathematics course before you enroll at Rensselaer. Although there are no specific course requirements beyond pre-calculus, you are strongly encouraged to pursue courses related to your intended area of study.

In general, Rensselaer looks for transfer students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. However, it’s also important that you be taking courses appropriate to your intended major. The 3.0 GPA should be seen as a guide and not a hard cutoff. Students with GPAs below 3.0 may be considered for admission.

If you are seeking a second bachelor’s degree, please contact the admissions office before applying.

Students who graduate with an A.S. degree from a two-year college, a community college, or students currently attending a four-year college or university affiliated with Rensselaer may transfer to Rensselaer with full junior status if accepted for admission.

3:2 Engineering Program

This program is designed for students at select liberal arts colleges who decide to enter the field of engineering, and who, after completing three years (through the junior year) at their liberal arts college, transfer to Rensselaer’s School of Engineering. Most students accepted for this program have achieved at least a B average, with grades of A or B in their calculus, calculus-based physics, and chemistry courses.

Two years of carefully planned study at Rensselaer complete the requirements for the bachelor’s program of the liberal arts college and the BS degree with a major in engineering at Rensselaer, with students receiving degrees from both Rensselaer and the liberal arts college. 

Although it is the intention of this program and every effort will be made on the part of both institutions to follow the 3-2 format, certain situations, including selection of courses and engineering major, may necessitate the requirement of the student to spend either an additional semester(s) of study beyond two years at Rensselaer and/or overload the number of credits normally taken by an engineering student at Rensselaer for one or more semesters to meet the engineering degree requirements at Rensselaer.

Interested students apply for the program during the fall or spring of their junior year. Students must send an official college transcript and a letter of recommendation from their university’s pre-engineering committee with the completed application.

3:2 Engineering Program Participating Colleges and Universities

2:2 Engineering Program

If you graduate with an A.S. degree from a two-year or community college affiliated with Rensselaer, you may transfer at the end of two years with full junior status if accepted for admission to Rensselaer.

2:2 Engineering Program Participating Colleges and Universities

2:2 Program in Science Only

Schenectady County Community College, NY has an agreement with Rensselaer for programs in Science.