Transfer Students

Transfer applicants to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Programs (BFA) are considered based on a comprehensive review of all aspects of the application, including the Parsons Challenge, the portfolio, essays, and previous academic work. The total number of credits accrued at a previous institution(s) alone does not determine a student’s level of placement.

Fall
Students who have completed fewer than 12 transferable studio or business courses will be considered for first year and should follow the portfolio guidelines for that level.

Sophomore transfer students with a strong portfolio coupled with a minimum of 15 credits in Studio Art coursework and 9 credits in Liberal Arts coursework can begin the sophomore track (minimum of 24 credits). Coursework should preferably be equivalent to the First Year at Parsons.

Junior transfer students seeking junior entry should refer to the curriculum of their program of interest. Applicants must have completed comparable coursework in order to be considered for junior entry. Curriculum information can be found by selecting your program of interest on our Academics page. Junior entry requires a minimum of 52 transferable credits, including 34 studio art semester credits and 18 liberal arts credits. However, we prefer that junior transfers have 60 transferable credits. Please refer to the curriculum page as a guide.

Sophomore transfer students with a strong application coupled with a minimum of 15 credits in Studio Art or Business coursework and 9 credits of Liberal Arts coursework can begin the sophomore track (minimum of 24 credits). Coursework should preferably be equivalent to the First Year at Parsons. Students who seek sophomore status are encouraged to take Liberal Arts courses equivalent to our First Year Program, including Studio Art Coursework, Environmental Science (Sustainable Systems), Macroeconomics and Microeconomics, a Quantitative Reasoning course, English Composition I, and English Composition II.

Junior transfer students seeking junior entry should refer to the curriculum page of the Strategic Design and Management program. Applicants interested in junior entry should have coursework comparable to our freshman and sophomore class. Junior entry requires a minimum of 52 transferable credits, including 34 studio art/business semester credits and 18 liberal arts credits. However, we prefer that junior transfers have 60 transferable credits.

Transfer Applicants

• Have graduated from high school and are attending college currently or have attended college in the past and earned credits from the current or previous institution(s)
• Have graduated from high school, attended a degree-granting program in college or university, and earned credits but want to start over in a new discipline or major
• Have graduated from high school and attend or attended an art and design foundation year in the UK system

First-Time Freshman Applicants

• Are graduating or have graduated from high school and have not attended college at any time
• Are dual enrolled, taking high school and college courses at the same time, or are graduating from high school while earning their associate’s degree
• Have graduated from high school and taken college coursework after graduation but were not enrolled in a full-time, degree-granting, or credit-bearing program
• Have graduated from high school and attended part of a first semester of college (full-time, matriculated) but did not earn grades because of withdrawal before the end of that semester
• Are currently enrolled in the CEGEP or have completed the CEGEP with no additional college coursework after completion of the CEGEP

Yes. All transfer credits will be finalized by the end of the first semester. Students are responsible for submitting official transcripts, which must be received by October 15 for fall start students and by March 1 for spring start students. Parsons Paris does not offer a spring intake. Please alert your advisor of any transcripts or transfer credits in question during the first advising meeting. Transfer credits from previously attended universities will not be evaluated after the first semester.

Transcripts sent directly from your previous institution(s) to the Office of Admission, as well as transcripts sent directly to you and forwarded to the Office of Admission office in an original sealed envelope, are considered official. Only official transcripts will be used to transfer credit.

A Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) is the process through which admission counselors evaluate credit from a previously attended university (or AP or IB coursework) in order to determine whether and how it may be transferred into a specific Parsons Paris program.

A Credit Summary is prepared upon your acceptance to Parsons Paris. This document provides you with a tentative overview of the credit that is likely to be transferred should you choose to attend Parsons Paris.

A Transfer Credit Evaluation will be processed after you accept our offer of admission by submitting the Reply Form along with your tuition deposit.

Prior coursework is evaluated in two ways — first to determine level equivalency and then to determine course-by-course applicability. In other words, your level of placement (freshman, sophomore, junior, etc.) is determined on the basis of a comprehensive review of your application materials. If your portfolio and challenge suggest a degree of proficiency commensurate with sophomore placement, you must also have accrued credit comparable to that earned in the first year at Parsons Paris. The total number of credits that you accrued at your previous institution(s) does not alone determine your level of placement. Further, if you have earned credit in a course that is relevant to the degree program to which you have been admitted, but did not complete a directly equivalent course, then that course credit may be transferred toward electives.

Since the level of placement at Parsons Paris is rarely dependent upon the total number of liberal arts credits (including art and design history and theory) that you previously earned, these courses are evaluated and transferred on a course-by-course basis.

In order for credits to be transferred, the courses must be applicable to the curriculum of the program to which you have been admitted at Parsons Paris and a minimum grade of "C" must have been earned in each course. While you may have already completed a freshman or a sophomore year at another university, it is possible that only some of the credits you earned are transferable.

In addition, the Admission Committee reviews application materials carefully to confirm that they demonstrate the requisite ability to perform at an advanced level. The goal of the Admission Committee is to place you in the proper courses at Parsons Paris in order to insure your continued academic success.

Year level is determined by the overall review of your application materials as well as a careful review of your prior coursework.

The number of credits that can be accepted for transfer depends on the degree program to which you have applied. For an associate's degree, the maximum number of transfer credits is 31 (10 credits toward program requirements and 21 credits toward liberal arts requirements). For a BBA, BFA, BA, or BS degree, the maximum number of transfer credits is 60.

No; your GPA does not transfer. Your Parsons Paris GPA will reflect only the grades you receive for courses taken at Parsons Paris.

If your application transcript reflects "in progress" courses that are eligible for transfer, those courses will be provisionally assessed pending receipt of a final transcript. Once the official final transcript has been received, it is assessed to determine that the final grades are sufficient. Then a revised Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) will be processed to award the remaining transfer credit towards your Parsons Paris degree.

Yes; all previously attended undergraduate institutions should be listed on your application and transcripts from all submitted for review by the Admission Committee. Any prior undergraduate program or coursework that is not indicated on your Parsons Paris application will not be considered for transfer credit.

Note: If you studied abroad while attending another school and those courses and grades are listed on your home university's transcript, you will not need to submit a transcript from the study-abroad institution.

Yes. All transfer credits will be finalized by the end of the first semester. Students are responsible for submitting official transcripts, which must be received by October 15 for fall start students and by March 1 for spring start students. Please alert your advisor of any transcripts or transfer credits in question during the first advising meeting. Transfer credits from previously attended universities will not be evaluated after the first semester.

Questions about number of credits accepted for transfer or about how transfer credit was distributed should be answered by your Parsons Paris Academic Advisor. If your query is about a particular course(s), course descriptions, syllabi, and examples of the coursework may be requested by the Academic Advisor to inform a final review.

Parsons Paris does not offer spring entry into any of its programs.

Only undergraduate credits are transferable to undergraduate programs.

Quarter credits will be converted to semester credits.

AP scores of 4 and higher are evaluated for up to four transfer credits toward applicable liberal arts or studio art coursework.

Yes. The Higher Level IB with a score of 5 or higher will be reviewed for transfer credit. We award 8 credits per exam when it is eligible.

You must have the official IB scores sent to the Office of Admission directly from International Baccalaureate. Scores cannot be sent from your high school. You can request IB scores here.

Yes. Official A Levels must be sent directly from the official awarding bodies. School-reported A Levels are not considered official.

Yes, but your transcript must be evaluated, course by course, by WES or another NACES evaluation service. A minimum score of 7 (B equivalent) is required for consideration.

French Baccalaureate subjects for which a student earned a score of 13 or higher may be awarded 8 advanced standing credits. For subjects with a score of 10-12, a student may receive 4 advanced standing credits. Each college will determine the type of requirement that will be fulfilled by the advanced standing credits (general elective, program, or other requirement). 

Official scores should arrive in a sealed envelope from the Ministry of Education or a certified copy and translation coming directly from the High School in a sealed envelope will also be considered official.