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.

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 test scores of 5, 4 and 3 are accepted for college credit by Cornish. 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

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

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.

If you are a currently enrolled student, you may challenge courses in your major by taking an examination and paying a fee of $95 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.

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 $95 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.

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.