Transfer Frequently Asked Questions

Fall applications for the following year will open late in the fall term. Applications for the spring open in September of the prior fall term. You can apply any time before the deadline. There are two deadlines for fall applications: the priority deadline of March 1 for scholarship consideration and Honors College applicants, and the regular deadline of June 1. The deadline for spring applications is November 15 (extended to December 13).

Our application may remain open on a space-available basis after the deadline has passed. Priority consideration is given to students who apply before the deadline.

Any student who has completed college credits after completing high school is considered a transfer student here at TU. In order to be a competitive applicant, we strongly encourage that you have completed at least 24 completed college credits before applying. This does not include coursework that is in-progress at the time of your application. When applying, you must submit official transcripts from all colleges you have attended since completing high school, even if you only took a small number of classes at a particular college or university.

Depending on the number of credits you have completed already, we will review your application using different academic criteria. If applying with fewer than 24 completed credits, in addition to all college transcripts, you must also submit an official high school transcript that indicates your completion/graduation date. Your academic performance in high school will factor into our review of your application along with your college-level coursework and performance. If you have completed 24 college credits at the time of application, then we do not require your high school transcript and will evaluate your application based on solely on your college performance.

An essay is not required for transfer applicants. Because the essay is optional, there is no assigned topic. 

To view your application status, log in to your TU Admissions Portal account using the email address and password you created after submitting your application. If you have not created an account, please refer to the email from Towson University confirming your application was submitted and follow the steps to enter your PIN and create a password. If you are unable to access your account, please contact Towson University Admissions at 410-704-2113 or admissions AT_TOWSON. 

Once your application is complete, a decision will typically be made and released to you in three to four weeks. Early fall applicants may expect a slightly longer wait since we begin releasing decisions on December 1. 

Our application review process is major blind. You must indicate your intended major on your application, but we do not consider it as a factor in our decision. Some of our majors have additional screening requirements, which means admission to the university does not guarantee admission to that major. If you select a screened major on your application, we would admit you as a pre-major student. 

Transfer credits will be awarded for most academic courses completed at a regionally accredited two- or four-year college or university. You can visit the Transfer Credit page to read about our transfer credit policies and evaluation procedures.

Coursework completed at institutions that are not regionally accredited but hold national or specialized accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be considered for transfer credit in consultation with the academic department on a case-by-case basis. Coursework completed at an international institution may also be considered for transfer credit on a case-by-case basis. See Non-traditional Credit and Experiences for more information.

We will accept up to 64 credits from a two-year college and up to 90 from a four-year institution (or from a combination of two- and four-year institutions). 

We have many resources to help you understand your transfer credit evaluation even before you apply. Visit our transfer credit page to read about our transfer credit evaluation process. You can use TES to see if your courses already have transfer equivalencies. And most importantly, Transfer Admissions offers pre-transfer advising via phone, email, walk-in visits and appointments.

Transfer students must apply to live on campus, and housing is awarded on a space-available basis. Space for transfer students is very limited. There are also a variety of off-campus housing options. Many of our students choose to live in apartments near campus or in surrounding communities. We offer a helpful Off-Campus Housing page with information and tools to help with your search.

A parking permit is only required if you want to drive to and park on campus. Many students who live off-campus use our free shuttle service, which offers eight off-campus routes for traveling between campus and the surrounding community. TU also partners with the Collegetown Shuttle service for free transportation between the TU campus, other Baltimore area colleges, and select local destinations.

• Learn More about Our Off-Campus Transportation Options

Once you enroll at TU, you would have full access to the same campus resources and activities that current TU students have. Being a transfer student is an important part of how you get here, but once you're on campus, you're a Towson University Tiger like everyone else.