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Complete Your Degree

Transfer Students

Cornish College offers transfer students the chance to complete their college education in our tight-knit, mentor-focused, and innovative arts community. Small classes, individual attention, and hand-ons experience are vital parts of the experience for students at Cornish.

Our departments offer majors with various pathways for students interested in focusing on a particular element of their artistic practice, as well as opportunities to explore approaches to art. Take some time to explore the programs, majors, and pathways within.

Explore Cornish Programs, Majors, + Pathways How to Apply Schedule Transfer Advising Appointment

Contact Admission

If you’re interested in completing your arts degree at Cornish, start by talking to Admissions. A counselor will walk you through the process of applying and transitioning into the Cornish community.

Contact Admission
You can also call a counselor: 206.726.ARTS

Scroll below for questions about transferring credits, procedures, and process for transferring to Cornish.

Important Information for Transfer Students

Registration + Records’ staff, department chair, and/or academic advisor will evaluate all transfer work and assign Cornish course equivalencies and credits. Credits from quarter-based institutions transfer to Cornish at a 3:2 ratio. No more than 60 transfer credits (including AP/CBE/PLE credits detailed below) can be applied toward a student’s degree. All students must complete at least 60 credits in residence at Cornish.

Transfer credit may be awarded for college-level, non-remedial coursework with a grade of C or better from regionally-accredited colleges or universities.

Students Entering the Performing Arts Departments:

Students who have earned a BFA or BA degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. institution prior to admission to Cornish will automatically transfer in a minimum of 30 credits, and thus satisfy the Humanities and Sciences requirement. Students who have earned a BS from a regionally accredited U.S. institution prior to admission to Cornish will automatically transfer in a minimum of 12 credits in satisfaction of the First-Year Studies requirement.

Students who have earned an AA transfer degree from a Washington State community college under the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) program prior to admission to Cornish will automatically transfer in a minimum of 30 credits, and thus satisfy the Humanities and Sciences requirement.  In-major transfer credit awards are determined by the departments on a course-by-course basis.

Students Entering the Foundations Program or Visual Arts Departments

Students entering the Foundations program will complete, as part of the four-year visual arts program, two years of integrated Humanities & Sciences coursework. For Foundation students, transfer credit will be awarded for eligible coursework only towards the junior- and senior-year Humanities & Sciences requirements and the College Elective requirement.  Students entering the visual arts departments as sophomores or juniors will have their transfer credit evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

Advanced Placement (AP)

Cornish awards college credit based on test scores earned on the College Entrance Examination Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) tests. You may be granted no more than 6 semester credits through AP tests. You must submit official score reports to the Office of Admission before enrolling at Cornish. Your score reports must be no more than five years old at the time of your application. The College does not award transfer credit on the basis of placement exams taken at other institutions.

Advanced Placement Credit

Advanced Placement test scores of 5, 4 and 3 are accepted for college credit by Cornish. Studio Art examinations are not accepted. Cornish grants credit for AP tests in the following subjects only:

Art History

AP Score 5 = 6 credits Visual Art History I & II

AP Score 3–4 = 3 credits Visual Art History I

Economics: Macro/Micro

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S in Social Science

English: Language

AP Score 5 = 6 credits H&S in English Composition

AP Score 3–4 = 3 credits H&S in English Composition

English: Literature

AP Score 5 = 3 credits H&S English Composition AND 3 credits H&S Humanities

AP Score 3–4 = 3 credits H&S English Composition OR 3 credits H&S Humanities

Government Politics: Comparative/U.S.

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

History: U.S./European/World

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Humanities

Human Geography

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

Languages: Chinese/French/German/Italian/Japanese/Latin/Spanish

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Electives

Literature: French/Spanish

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Electives

Music: Theory

AP Score 3– 5: See Music Department Chair for credit and placement.

Psychology

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

Science and Mathematics: Biology/Calculus AB or BC/Chemistry/Computer Science/Physics B or C/Statistics

AP Score 3–5 = 3 credits H&S Science

International Baccalaureate (IB)

You may receive 3 semester credits (or more) for Higher Level (HL) Subject Exams with a score of 5, 6, or 7. Standard Level (SL) scores are not accepted. Official copies of your test results must be submitted to the Office of Admission as part of your admission process. Your score reports may be no more than five years old at the time of your application to a degree program. You may use IB to satisfy up to 6 credits. Cornish grants credit for IB scores as follows:

Anthropology

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

Biology

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Science

Chemistry

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Science

Computer Science and Engineering

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Science

Economics

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

English

IB Score 5–6 = 3 credits H&S English Composition

IB Score 7 = 6 credits H&S English Composition

Geography

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

History: African/American/East & Southeast Asia/Oceanic/European

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Humanities

Language: Arabic/Chinese/Classical Greek/French/Germanics/Italian/Japanese/Latin/Russian/Spanish/Swahili

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Electives

Mathematics

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Science

Philosophy

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Humanities

Physics

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Science

Psychology

IB Score 5–7 = 3 credits H&S Social Science

CLEP Credit

Cornish accepts credits for the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) subject examinations for students who have scored at the 50th percentile or higher. You may be granted no more than 6 credits through CLEP subject exams. You will not be granted credit for the general CLEP examination. Your score reports may be no more than five years old at the time of your application to a degree program.

Credit By Examination (CBE)

If you are a currently enrolled student, you may challenge courses in your major by taking an examination and paying a fee of $30 per credit challenged. You will not be awarded more than 30 semester credits combined for Prior Learning Experience (PLE) and Credit by Examination (CBE). PLE/CBE forms may be picked up from the Registration & Records Office.

 

PRIOR LEARNING EXPERIENCE (PLE)

You may receive credit for Prior Learning Experience (PLE). Prior Learning Experience is documented experience you have gained prior to enrolling in a Cornish degree program. Common PLE credit includes credit for instruction in student’s major from a non-accredited institution (i.e., a technical school) or extensive work or study with a professional or professional organization prior to entering your Cornish degree program.

For a fee of $30 per credit, you may petition for a maximum of 30 semester credits of Prior Learning Experience credit. The College awards PLE credits for in-major and College Elective courses. At the time of admission, you will be informed of possible Prior Learning Experience credits. Please note: We require specific documentation for an assessment and granting of PLE credits. Your Department Chair and/or the Registration & Records Office can discuss the necessary materials with you.

Residency Policy

You must complete at least 60 credits and your final two semesters as a matriculated student-in-residence at Cornish. Please note: Credit by Exam, Prior Learning Experience, AP/CLEP/IB, and transfer credit are not considered credits completed in residence.

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