Admission Regulation 5: Admission by Transfer

5.1 – General Requirements

The Faculty of Arts and Science has limited capacity to accommodate transfer students from other accredited post-secondary institutions and from other Faculties and Schools at Queen's. Consequently, the admission process is highly competitive and preference is given to those applicants with the strongest qualifications.

Due to enrolment pressure, not all Arts and Science departments are able to accommodate upper-year transfer students. Some may have admission criteria that exceed the minimum stated below. Applicants should consult Undergraduate Admission for a list of departments currently accepting upper-year transfer students. Note that once admitted, upper-year transfer students will not be permitted to transfer in subsequent years into a Plan that was closed to transfer students at the time of admission or that closes subsequently.

Transfer students with the equivalent of at least 8 one-term courses (where a one-term course is equivalent to a typical 3.0-unit course in Arts and Science) from an accredited post-secondary institution are considered for upper-year admission. Normally it is not possible to be admitted directly into Level 3 or 4 of an Arts and Science Degree Program.

Applicants with fewer than the equivalent of 8 one-term post-secondary courses (where a one-term course is equivalent to a typical 3.0- unit course in Arts and Science) may be considered for admission to first year and should consult Admission Regulations 2-4 to learn secondary school requirements. Students' post-secondary and high school marks will be considered in the admissions assessment.

Students wishing to transfer from Distance Studies to studies on campus in the Faculty of Arts and Science will be considered for upper-year admission only.

Applicants wishing to complete a second undergraduate degree within the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s should refer to Admission Regulation 7 as well as the Dual and Second Degrees section of this Calendar.

5.2 –Transfer from Another Accredited Post-Secondary Institution

All applicants should note the general requirements and limitations in section 5.1 above. Applicants who have not completed a degree and wish to transfer to the Faculty of Arts and Science from another accredited post-secondary institution must, as a minimum, have the equivalent of a Queen’s Cumulative GPA of 3.20 to be considered for Full-Time admission, or the equivalent of a Queen’s Cumulative GPA of 2.60 to be considered for Part-Time admission. In addition, applicants must satisfy appropriate departmental criteria that may exceed these minimums. Enrolment limitations or lack of prerequisites may result in the denial of an application to transfer.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their registration in the appropriate courses for the completion of the Degree Program to which they have been admitted.

Note that the B.F.A.(Hons.) and B.Mus. Programs have specialized entry requirements as outlined below.

5.2.1 – Transfer to the B.F.A (Hons.) Program from Another Accredited Post-Secondary Institution

Applicants who wish to transfer to the B.F.A.(Hons.) Program must have the equivalent of a minimum Queen's Cumulative GPA of 2.60 and must submit, for review, a portfolio and accompanying letter of art experience and goals. Program entry level will be based on the applicant’s transfer credits and portfolio. Due to course sequencing, transfer into second year is extremely rare.

5.2.2 – Transfer to the B.Mus. Program from Another Accredited Post-Secondary Institution

Applicants who wish to transfer to the B.Mus. Program must have the equivalent of a minimum Queen’s Cumulative GPA of 1.90 to be considered, and will be required to audition if they have not successfully completed a minimum of one year of applied study at another accredited post-secondary institution. They should also have completed the equivalent of MUSC 191/6.0 with a minimum grade of C-. Academically strong students entering the second year of the B.Mus. Program without this prerequisite may be permitted to take MUSC 191/6.0 in their entering year.

5.2.3–Transfer to the B.Cmp.(Hons.) or B.P.H.E.(Hons.) Programs or the B.Sc.(Hons.) Program – Kinesiology Plan from Another Accredited Post-Secondary Institution

Applicants who wish to transfer into the B.Cmp.(Hons.) or B.P.H.E.(Hons.) Programs or the B.Sc.(Hons.) Program – Kinesiology Plan from another accredited post-secondary institution do not need to meet any specialized entry requirements, but should meet the minimum Cumulative GPA and departmental requirements. Candidates should also have the relevant specific high school prerequisites stated in Admission Regulation 2.2.

5.2.4 – Concurrent B.Ed. Program Closed to Transfer

The Queen’s Concurrent Education Program is not available to transfer applicants from other post-secondary institutions.

For admission procedures see Admission Regulations 12.1, 12.2 and 13.1.

5.3 – Transfer from Another Faculty or School at Queen’s

All applicants should note the general requirements and limitations in section 5.1 above. Applicants who wish to transfer to the Faculty of Arts and Science from another Faculty or School at Queen’s University must, as a minimum, must have a Cumulative GPA of 1.60. In addition, applicants must satisfy appropriate departmental criteria that may exceed these minimums. Applicants should note that having a Cumulative GPA of less than 1.90 will make them ineligible for graduation with an Honours degree (see Academic Regulation 13.8). Enrolment limitations or lack of prerequisites may result in the denial of an application to transfer.

The previous academic record of a cross-faculty transfer student from another Faculty or School at Queen's continues to be relevant in assessing his or her performance in Arts and Science. In particular, the Cumulative GPA will be calculated on all courses attempted during the student’s Undergraduate Career at Queen’s (see Academic Regulation 10) and will be utilized when assessing academic progression (see Academic Regulation 13), prerequisites and any other purpose specified under the Academic Regulations.

Students of other Queen's Faculties and Schools who have a Cumulative GPA of less than 1.60 are not eligible to be considered for admission to the Faculty of Arts and Science for a minimum of one year, after which time they must apply to be considered for part-time admission on probation (see Admission Regulation 10). Students who have a Cumulative GPA of less than 0.70 are not eligible to be considered for admission to the Faculty of Arts and Science for a minimum of three years, after which time they may apply to be considered for Part-Time admission on probation (see Admission Regulation 10).

It is the students’ responsibility to ensure their registration in the appropriate courses for the completion of the Degree Program to which they have been admitted.

Note that the B.F.A.(Hons.) and B.Mus. Programs have specialized entry requirements as outlined below.

5.3.1 – Transfer to the B.F.A.(Hons.) Program from Within Queen's

Applicants who wish to transfer to the B.F.A.(Hons.) Program must submit, for review, a portfolio and an accompanying letter of art experience and goals. Applicants who have successfully completed ARTF 105/12.0 and ARTF 110/12.0 will be considered for upper-year admission. If admitted to first year, students must complete ARTF 127/12.0 and ARTF 128/12.0. Note that as these courses are exclusions to ARTF 105/12.0 and ARTF 110/12.0, students shall lose credit for ARTF 105/12.0 and ARTF 110/12.0. If admitted to the second year of the Program, with successful completion of the technical skills and the WHMIS training components of ARTF127, ARTF 105/12.0 and ARTF 110/12.0 will be used in lieu of ARTF 127/12.0 and ARTF 128/12.0 in the Fine Art Major Plan requirements. Transfer into second year is extremely rare.

5.3.2 – Transfer to the B.Mus. Program from Within Queen's

Applicants who wish to transfer to the B.Mus. Program who have not completed MUSC 121/12.0 or MUSC 124/12.0 will be expected to pass an audition in addition to meeting academic requirements. Applied Study courses MUSC 124/12.0, MUSC 224/12.0, MUSC 324/12.0, MUSC 424/12.0 will be used in lieu of MUSC 121/12.0, MUSC 221/12.0, MUSC 321/12.0, MUSC 421/12.0 in the Music Specialization Plan requirements. A minimum of two ensembles must be completed while registered in the B.Mus. Program. Students may apply to receive credit for up to two ensembles participated in while not registered in the B.Mus. Program by appealing to the Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the School of Music.

5.3.3 – Transfer to the B.Cmp.(Hons.) or B.P.H.E.(Hons.) Programs or the B.Sc.(Hons.) Program – Kinesiology Plan from Within Queen’s

5.3.4 – Concurrent B.Ed. Program Closed to Transfer

The Queen’s Concurrent Education Program is not available to transfer applicants from other Faculties or Schools at Queen’s. However, students registered in the Concurrent Education Program wishing to withdraw from the Bachelor of Education yet continue with their studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science may request this change through the Education Registrar's Office.

For admission procedures see Admission Regulations 12.1, 12.2 and 13.1.

5.4 – Transfer Between Distance and On Campus Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science

Current Distance students wishing to transfer to studies on campus in the Faculty of Arts and Science will be considered for upper-year admission only. They must meet the entry requirements outlined above in Regulation 5.3, and will be subject to the same enrolment limitations.

Current on-campus Arts and Science students wishing to transfer to Distance Studies must, as a minimum, have a Cumulative GPA of 1.60. Note that all current on-campus Queen’s students can take online courses without transferring to Distance Studies.

5.5 – Transfer Between Programs within the Faculty of Arts and Science

For admission procedures for applicants currently enrolled in any Program or Plan in the Faculty of Arts and Science who wish to transfer from that Program/Plan to another Program/Plan in the Faculty, see Admission Regulation 12.5.

Current Arts and Science students who wish to transfer to the B.F.A.(Hons.) or B.Mus. Programs, including those who were originally admitted to one of these Programs and subsequently withdrew, must meet the specialized entry requirements outlined above in Admission Regulation 5.3.

Students registered in the Concurrent Education Program wishing to withdraw from the Bachelor of Education yet continue with their studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science may request this change through the Education Registrar's Office.

5.6 – Counting of Transfer Credit

Students who once registered in the Faculty of Arts and Science and then subsequently transferred to another post-secondary institution should note that the number of units in transfer credits that they may receive upon readmission to the Faculty of Arts and Science is limited. Units cannot be counted twice. Thus, the number of units in transfer credits granted may be reduced by the number of Queen’s units completed and transferred to the Program at the other post-secondary institution.

Academic Calendars

Admission Regulation 5: Admission by Transfer