External Transfers

Admissions for the fall and spring semesters each have two deadlines—priority and regular. View application deadlines here.

Students applying to the College of Design apply directly to one of our seven undergraduate programs. Explore the programs here. Students cannot be admitted as undecided or undeclared. If you have questions about your four-year plan or other academic information contact the Transfer Admissions Counselor.

1. U of M Liberal Education Requirements: Use Transferology to see how transfer courses from other schools may fulfill U of M liberal education (general) requirements. For classes not listed in Transferology or on regional transfer guides, prospective and admitted students can submit course materials on the central University Transfer Credit Evaluation webpage to be reviewed by faculty in our academic departments. The Office of Admissions reviews your transfer courses to determine the transferability of credits to fulfill elective and/or liberal education requirements. You will receive a transfer credit report that outlines the outcome of that course review.
2. Design Studio Coursework: Separately, the College of Design will review your transcript to identify studio coursework taken outside of the U of M–Twin Cities that may possibly fulfill a major requirement(s). If you have such coursework, you will receive an email from [email protected] with instructions for submitting the coursework for faculty review. Please submit your coursework as promptly as possible. If you believe you have transferable studio-based courses but have not received an instructional email within two weeks of your admission notice, please contact [email protected].
   Note: It is not common for faculty to approve transfer studio courses to meet upper-division major requirements. Non-studio based major courses may be petitioned through your academic advisor once you begin your courses in the College of Design.
3. Review Transfer Guides: Review the University-wide Electronic Transfer Guides for all colleges/programs.

1. Application Checklist for Transfer Students
2. Application Deadlines

In CDES, Apparel Design students are admitted directly into their program and complete a foundation year of courses. ADES students are required to complete common first year courses consisting of DES 2701: Creative Design Methods, DES 2101:  Principles of Design, DES 1311: Visual Communication and DESI 1201: Design Justice, Ethics and Sustainability.

All new students will meet with your assigned academic advisor during orientation to discuss your interests and program specifics.  This meeting allows the advising staff to tell you about the opportunities within the major, which include internships, research, and scholarships, as well as to help you stay on track in the major.

Additionally, while we do admit students to all majors for both fall and spring semesters, we highly encourage students interested in Apparel Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Product Design, User Experience Design or Architecture to apply for a fall semester. These majors include a specific sequencing of courses, which only begin in the fall; therefore, if a student is admitted to an Apparel Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Product Design or Architecture major in spring, their course sequencing would not begin until the following fall semester.  

While we do admit students to all majors for both fall and spring semesters, we highly encourage students interested in Apparel Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Product Design, User Experience Design or Architecture to apply for a fall semester. These majors include a specific sequencing of courses, which only begin in the fall; therefore, if a student is admitted to an Apparel Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Product Design or Architecture major in spring, their course sequencing would not begin until the following fall semester.  

THE COURSES IN THE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMS ARE SEQUENCED OVER 3-4 YEARS, REGARDLESS OF COURSES COMPLETED BEFORE ADMISSION. (If all generals are completed, students register for a reduced load of credits consisting of specific major courses). With careful planning, students may be able to complete the BDA degree in three years (this would require admission to fall semester and the near completion of all Liberal Education Requirements). Please note, however, a BS degree requires four years of sequenced studios. A professional degree is a requirement for becoming a licensed architect in Minnesota. Both undergraduate degrees offer a path to a professional degree. At the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, qualified B.S. graduates enter the two-year Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree program and qualified B.D.A. students enter the three-year M.Arch program.

NOTE: The prerequisite courses (Arch 1281, ARCH 1621W, and Arch 2281) for admission to a full architecture degree are ONLY offered on the U of M Twin Cities campus. Students who are admitted will begin in the Pre-Architecture program in the College of Design to complete these courses before applying to the architecture degree of their choice.

Students who have completed a full year or more of coursework at another university’s architecture program may request to take part in the Spring application process for full major status into the Architecture Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Design in Architecture programs. Completed applications materials must be received by May 1 and consideration is limited by space.

While we do admit students to all majors for both fall and spring semesters, we highly encourage students interested in Interior Design to apply for a fall semester. The Interior Design major include a specific sequencing of courses, which only begin in the fall; therefore, if a student is admitted to Interior Design, their course sequencing would not begin until the following fall semester.  

Additionally, while we do admit students to all majors for both fall and spring semesters, we highly encourage students interested in Landscape Architecture to apply for a fall semester. The Landscape Architecture major includes a specific sequencing of courses, which only begin in the fall; therefore, if a student is admitted to Landscape Architecture in spring, their course sequencing would not begin until the following fall semester.

In CDES, Product Design students are admitted directly into a pre-major status and complete a foundation year of courses. PDES students are required to complete common first year courses consisting of DES 2701: Creative Design Methods, DES 2101:  Principles of Design, DES 1311: Visual Communication and DESI 1201: Design Justice, Ethics and Sustainability.

All new students will meet with your assigned academic advisor during orientation to discuss your interests and program specifics.  This meeting allows the advising staff to tell you about the opportunities within the major, which include internships, research, and scholarships, as well as to help you stay on track in the major.

Additionally, while we do admit students to all majors for both fall and spring semesters, we highly encourage students interested in Product Design to apply for a fall semester. The Product Design major includes a specific sequencing of courses, which only begin in the fall; therefore, if a student is admitted to Product Design, their course sequencing would not begin until the following fall semester. 

In CDES, Retail and Consumer Studies students are admitted directly into their major and complete a foundation year of courses. RCS students are required to complete common first year courses consisting of DES 2701: Creative Design Methods, DES 2101:  Principles of Design, DES 1311: Visual Communication and DESI 1201: Design Justice, Ethics and Sustainability.

All new students will meet with your assigned academic advisor during orientation to discuss your interests and program specifics.  This meeting allows the advising staff to tell you about the opportunities within the major, which include internships, research, and scholarships, as well as to help you stay on track in the major.

In CDES, User Experience Design students are admitted directly into a pre-major status and complete a foundation year of courses. UX students are required to complete common first year courses consisting of DES 2701: Creative Design Methods, DES 2101:  Principles of Design, DES 1311: Visual Communication and DESI 1201: Design Justice, Ethics and Sustainability.

All new students will meet with your assigned academic advisor during orientation to discuss your interests and program specifics.  This meeting allows the advising staff to tell you about the opportunities within the major, which include internships, research, and scholarships, as well as to help you stay on track in the major.

Additionally, while we do admit students to all majors for both fall and spring semesters, we highly encourage students interested in User Experience to apply to begin in the fall semester. User Experience includes a specific sequencing of courses, which only begin in the fall; therefore, if a student is admitted to the User Experience major in spring, their course sequencing would not begin until the following fall semester.