Transfer Applicants

Students must apply online through the Transfer Common Application. Applicants must also complete the Sarah Lawrence member page of the Common Application.

The College Official’s Report can be downloaded from the Common Application. It is located in the “Supporting Information” section on the “Documents” tab. Download the document and present it to the dean or registrar at your most recent college or university.

The College Official’s Report should be sent to the Office of Admission via postal mail or e-mail. If you feel that your high school counselor can provide a more useful evaluation, you may also file a Secondary School Report online via the Common Application.

One teacher/faculty evaluations submitted online via the Common Application. These should be completed by college faculty in academic subjects.

A final high school transcript must be submitted to the admission office as well as transcripts of all college work through the term most recently completed.

Applicants for whom English is not their first language and who have not studied in an English language curriculum for the past two years should take one of the following tests:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• Duolingo English Test

Most competitive applicants to Sarah Lawrence College have a TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), or 100 (Internet-based); an IELTS score of 7 or higher; or a Duolingo score of at least 120.

Note: international students transferring from universities in the United States are exempt from language testing.

Learn more about the application process for international students»

The submission of standardized test scores is optional. You may choose to submit test scores if you feel they will strengthen and enhance your other application credentials. However, you will not be at a disadvantage should you choose not to submit your scores.

The Transfer Mid-Term Report can be downloaded from the Common Application and completed individually by your professors. If you are not currently enrolled in academic courses, you may submit a Word document outlining your current activities instead. Documents should be sent to the Office of Admission via postal mail or e-mail.

As part of your application, you’ll submit a Personal Statement based on the prompts provided by the Common ​Application. For applicants who might wish to share a little more about how Sarah Lawrence fits into the next stage of their education, we invite you to respond to one of the following three essay prompts:​

• Sarah Lawrence students are often described as hyphenates: filmmaker-sociologist-historian, environmentalist-photographer, psychologist-novelist, economist-poet. In 250-500 words, tell us about seemingly disparate interests you have brought together, or hope to bring together at Sarah Lawrence.
• Students at Sarah Lawrence are asked to design their own research questions directly with faculty, and then answer them through intensive semester-long projects that frequently inspire a blend of intellectual rigor and creativity. In 250-500 words, tell us about a text, problem, or topic you would love to explore over a semester or a year, and what you would hope to achieve through that work.
• In a 2023 majority decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, "Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university." Drawing upon examples from your life, a quality of your character, and/or a unique ability you possess, describe how you believe your goals for a college education might be impacted, influenced, or affected by the Court's decision.

Sarah Lawrence College is offering online admission interviews as a way for applicants to share their story and get to know SLC. Interviews are conducted by senior ambassadors and admission counselors; you can read more about what to expect during an interview and why an applicant might consider one here.

The interview deadline for Spring Transfer applicants is November 10; the deadline Fall Transfer applicants is March 15. Fall applicants can schedule an interview through the Office of Admission.

Art portfolios are optional and the absence of one will in no way harm or detract from your application. Any student admitted to Sarah Lawrence may study the creative or performing arts, regardless of whether a portfolio was submitted.

If you would like to submit creative materials in the areas of dance, filmmaking, music, theatre, or visual arts as part of a holistic review of your application for admission, please select “Yes” to the art portfolio question on the Sarah Lawrence page of the Common Application. Upon submission of the Common Application, a link will be e-mailed to the applicant with instructions for submitting the art portfolio.

Students who wish to submit creative writing samples may upload materials through the Sarah Lawrence admission portal after the Common Application has been submitted.

Individual courses acceptable for transfer must meet the following conditions:

• Courses must have been completed at a college or university accredited by the Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, or Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or foreign schools of comparable accreditation.
• Courses must be liberal arts courses in disciplines offered for credit at Sarah Lawrence. Courses within the traditional definition of the liberal arts though not offered at Sarah Lawrence, e.g., astronomy or geology, are also acceptable.
• A final grade of “C” (not “C-”) or higher must have been earned.
• Courses taken at a two-year college can be accepted as first-year or sophomore courses, but cannot be posted toward a junior or senior year.
• We are unable to grant transfer credit for courses that fall outside of a traditionally defined liberal arts and sciences program, including: accounting, business administration, home economics, physical education, real estate, speech, typing or word processing courses, and technical courses in pre-professional or vocational fields such as dentistry, engineering, etc.
• Courses may not have been used to satisfy high school diploma requirements.
• Beginning with courses taken Spring 2020, online courses will be considered for transfer if, in addition to the conditions noted above, they are offered during a defined term/session, with clear beginning and end dates, contain a structured progression through course material, and include student-faculty interaction, as well as required assignments and teacher feedback.

• Sarah Lawrence College will accept a maximum of 60 transfer credits (a maximum of 75 for students matriculating from the Center for Continuing Education). All remaining credits for the degree must be completed at Sarah Lawrence.
• A maximum of 36 credits will be accepted for one year of study; a maximum of 18 credits for one semester.
• A maximum of eight credits may be earned in one summer (10 if the summer session(s) extend to ten weeks or longer). No more than 16 total summer credits may be applied to the minimum 120 credits required for the degree.
• Courses accepted from institutions operating on a quarter system are transferred at 2/3 value.

In principle, Sarah Lawrence accepts the Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, granting a full 60 credits (two years’ credits). Transfer credit for associate degrees in non-liberal arts fields are evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

The creative arts have long held a prominent place in the life of the College. Transfer credit is available for courses completed in Dance, Music, Theatre, Film/New Media, and the Studio Arts, and is determined after review by Sarah Lawrence faculty in those programs. Faculty may wish to review course descriptions, syllabi, worksheets, and/or portfolios, so it is wise to retain any course material you may have. For music and dance, credit is typically given for performance courses only when they have been accompanied by formal study of theory/history/composition.