Incoming Transfer Students
As a member of Duke’s advising network, Dean Claire Siburt will be your initial contact as you as you settle into your academic life at Duke. You should contact Dean Siburt in early June to begin the transition process. Before any of your previous coursework can be evaluated, you will need to have an official transcript from your previous university sent to Dean Siburt. When she has received this, she will evaluate your courses for their Duke transfer equivalents, and provide information about what curricular requirements those courses fulfill at Duke. You will also be assigned a college advisor who will answer questions, and help you as you plan courses and select a major. You should plan to enroll in courses in June, no later than the first week of July. You can reach Dean Siburt at transferstudents@duke.edu.
- 3-hour or 4-hour courses that you have taken on a semester basis, or 5-hour courses on a quarter basis, usually transfer to Duke if there is a department here that offers similar courses. You must have a grade of C- or better for a course to transfer. Transfer courses can be used to fulfill curriculum and major requirements at Duke.
- No credit is given for physical education, orchestra, dance, military science or music lessons. Duke does not accept courses that have been taken online. A half-credit may be given for 2-hour academic courses taken on the semester system.
- In order to transfer to Duke, a course must be taken in person and with a letter grade awarded. In other words, online coursework and courses taken under a pass/fail (or sat/unsat) grading scheme can not be transferred.
- If you have a syllabi for your courses, let Dean Siburt know, as these may help with evaluation of your courses.
- A normal course load at Duke is four 1.0-credit courses per semester. 34 credits are needed to graduate.
- All students must take 17 Duke credits to graduate. If you have more than 17 courses/credits approved for transfer, all will be listed on your transcript and all can apply to curriculum and major requirements, but only 17 will count toward the 34 credits.
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Duke accepts Advanced Placement (AP), international placement credit (IPC) and prematriculation credit (PMC; college courses you took while you were in high school), with certain restrictions. Visit the Trinity College website to learn more.
All incoming transfer students who matriculate after Spring semester 2025 will be subject to the new Arts & Sciences Curriculum. Details and updates are coming soon but please note that the new curriculum includes writing and language expectations that are similar to those listed below, but not exactly the same. - All first-year students are required to take WRITING 101, the university writing course. If you have taken a writing-intensive course that focuses on skills and techniques of writing, including revisions, we may give you credit for Writing 101. If you have completed three or more semesters of study elsewhere, we may waive Writing 101. If you have not completed three semesters of study elsewhere and have not taken an equivalent writing course, you will be required to enroll in Writing 101 in your first year at Duke.
- All first-year students are also required to take a seminar course. A seminar is a course that emphasizes discussion, analysis and communication among students; it is limited to an enrollment of 18 or fewer students. If you have taken a seminar course (clearly listed as a seminar in the title or course description), we may give you credit for a seminar by transfer. If you have completed three or more semesters of study elsewhere, the seminar requirement may be waived. A course that has fewer than 18 students but which is not labeled a seminar in the title or course description would not fulfill this requirement. If you are required to take a seminar, you can enroll in the fall or spring.
- There is a foreign language requirement at Duke. Foreign language courses that you have taken at your previous institution may be given FL credit at Duke if the courses were taught entirely in the foreign language and by instructors in a foreign language department. The foreign language requirement is never waived.
Pratt to Trinity Or Trinity to Pratt Transfer Students
After completing at least one semester in the college or school into which they matriculated, Trinity College and Pratt School of Engineering students may apply to transfer between the two schools. Until their transfer has been approved, students wishing to transfer between Trinity and Pratt should complete all applicable academic requirements of their original college or school.
If you are considering a Trinity/Pratt transfer, please review the deadlines and steps you need to follow.