Current Cornell first- or second-year (i.e. rising second- and third-year) degree-seeking students currently enrolled outside the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business are eligible to apply for internal transfer.

• • Preference is given to current first-year applicants.

• • Students who are not eligible for internal transfer: Current third year and fourth year students; students who transferred to Cornell from another university or college; Cornell students who have already internally transferred.

Nolan School students are discouraged from applying to Dyson and will likely not be admitted. Nolan and Dyson share academic options, resources and outcomes within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, making internal transfer between the schools nonessential.

• Minimum Cornell GPA of 3.0
  • GPA of 3.3 or higher is competitive
• Full-time (12-credit-minimum) standing each semester, with few, if any, S/U graded courses
• Good standing in current college
• Successful completion of one First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS)
• Successful completion of ECON 1110
• Successful completion of one calculus course

Successful completion of one statistics course (students are encouraged take the statistics class housed within their current college or major)

Your internal transfer application is strengthened if you take at least one quantitative course each semester.

Courses available to first-year students that may fulfill AEM requirements and can inform your decision to transfer.

Note: Management, marketing, accounting and finance courses offered as part of the university minor in business do not fulfill Dyson major requirements and therefore should not be taken by students applying to transfer. 

Dyson will not accept AP or IB credit for calculus, microeconomics, or statistics. Students must take these courses at Cornell prior to enrolling in Dyson.

Management, marketing, accounting and finance courses offered as part of the university minor in business do not fulfill Dyson major requirements and therefore should not be taken by students applying to transfer.

Current curriculum requirements are subject to change and internal transfers will be held to the major requirements for the year in which they matriculate to Dyson.

The essay has a maximum word count of 650. Please consider elaborating on any or all of the questions below that help you explain why you are applying to internally transfer to the Dyson School:

• • How your interest in the AEM major or the SC Johnson College of Business has developed, and how you have explored it;

• • How the Dyson School provides you with the tools and instruction you desire to pursue at Cornell, compared to other options (i.e. minoring in business) you have considered;

• • Describe your professional goals/interests and why you feel Dyson will help you to attain these goals, compared to other academic paths.

• • Describe communities and formative activities that you engage in at Cornell (work/volunteer experiences, clubs, research) and how they have shaped you;

• • Share any additional information the Dyson School should know about you (e.g. personal/family situations, independent study, summer plans) that further clarifies your interest.

The TO allows us to continue to work with a select group of talented applicants whom we did not admit but who remain committed to Cornell and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

No. All decisions are final and there is no appeal process.

No. If you are not certain that you will want to transfer, we recommend that you complete the form now and withdraw later if you ultimately decide not to transfer. Saying “yes” to the transfer option is not binding and you can decide to withdraw from the transfer option at any time by communicating with the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business admissions office.

This offer is valid only for the school within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business that extended you the transfer option. Should your interests change, you must apply as an external transfer candidate to the Cornell program that best meets your current interests.

All incoming students, including transfer students, participate in required orientation programming. In addition, you are assigned an advisor in your school’s Office of Student Services to walk you through the onboarding process.

Students may fulfill a limited number of requirements during study abroad opportunities, with the majority of credits fulfilling free electives. Individual circumstances will determine the opportunity to study abroad. Some transfer students may be advised to consider a summer abroad versus a semester abroad. There are also international study opportunities available through select courses.

Students should take introductory business courses that are also first-year requirements for the Dyson School such as microeconomics, calculus, statistics, and a college writing course. These courses must be taken at college* before matriculating to the Dyson School.

We also recommend students take macroeconomics, an introductory biology course, chemistry, physics, or courses in the humanities to satisfy liberal arts requirements at the Dyson School.

*Note: College coursework taken in high school, before receiving your high school diploma, will not be considered as a requirement taken in college. If the course was taken in high school, and counted toward high school degree requirements, it will not transfer to the Dyson School.

We recommend you choose a school that is your next best fit and that will allow you the flexibility to take general-education and introductory-level business courses.

Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) has articulation agreements with 31 New York State colleges and universities. An articulation agreement matches coursework between schools and is designed to help students make a smooth transition when transferring to CALS. Admission to CALS is not limited to students attending an institution with an articulation agreement.

Transfer credits are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. View guidelines (PDF) on what credits may transfer to the Dyson School.

The Dyson School will only accept a maximum of 15 advanced standing test credits. To see what scores are accepted into the Dyson School curriculum, please refer to the Credit Placement Chart.

Note: The Dyson School does not accept advanced testing credit for calculus, statistics, microeconomics, or macroeconomics. Students applying to transfer to Dyson, must take these courses in college* before enrolling in the Dyson School.

*College coursework taken in high school, before receiving your high school diploma, will not be considered as a requirement taken in college. If the course was taken in high school, and counted toward high school degree requirements, it will not transfer to the Dyson School.

Earning a “B” or better will allow earned credits to transfer. Your GPA does not transfer and is not calculated in your Cornell GPA.

In your college catalog, there will be a paragraph on the school’s credit system, and it should also provide the conversion from that credit to semester hours. If not, you may want to contact the registrar of your college to ask how these credits will convert to the semester system.

For the quarter system, we generally calculate that 1 quarter-system credit = .666 semester credits. Please note that we do not round up (e.g., if the total number of credits towards graduation requirements = 15.9, you will receive 15 credits.)

Students who have not completed the TO requirements will still be considered for transfer admission, but will be reviewed with the regular transfer applicants.

The selection committee will evaluate each application on a case-by-case basis and take into account that the applicant was offered the TO.

We have found that students who attend institutions outside the U.S. often have a difficult time fulfilling the course requirements, because the content may vary greatly from what is offered at U.S. institutions.

Pass/fail grading or written evaluations will not satisfy the TO requirements. You will be required to submit grades to the admissions committee in order to demonstrate your academic performance in the courses you are taking.

Pass/fail grades will not count for credit. To be considered a transfer student, you must complete 12 or more college credits (post-high school graduation).

To reapply as a TO candidate, you must submit an abbreviated TO application and required supplemental documents. The TO application will be emailed in early December.

If you do not submit the Statement of Intent form accepting the transfer option or if you decline the transfer option, you are no longer a TO candidate. You may opt later to reapply to Cornell but will be required to apply as an external transfer student and your application will be reviewed accordingly.

Yes, you will need to resubmit your application for financial aid at the time of application. Please use the financial aid calculator to receive an estimated financial aid package or visit finaid.cornell.edu.