Admission & Aid

A transfer candidate is anyone who has taken a college class or classes post high school graduation at a college, university, junior or community college that has earned full regional accreditation. Applicants are expected to be in good standing at the institution last attended and eligible to return to that institution.

High School students taking dual enrollment courses are not considered transfer students in the application process. However, the completed coursework will be considered for academic credit and advanced standing at Eckerd. Students also taking a gap year that has been approved by Eckerd’s Admission Office and who have earned fewer than 12 hours of college credit will not be considered transfer students.

Eckerd College has a rolling transfer admission process. This means that we accept and deliver decisions on applications throughout the year without a true deadline.

However, we recommend that you begin the application process in:

• January for the Autumn/Fall Terms (August start date).
• September for the Winter/Spring Terms (January start date).

Once your application is complete, we will review it and return a decision to you within four weeks. Students who are accepted after November 15th for mid-year entry or after April 15th for fall entry will be expected to reply within three weeks of acceptance with a $400 non-refundable deposit.

While we carefully consider all the information you provide us, your college academic history is the most important part of your application. We want to ensure your success at Eckerd and we need to be able to gauge your ability to succeed in college courses. We not only look at your grades, but also the difficulty of the courses you took.

Your transfer essay is also an important part of your application because it not only gives you an opportunity to tell us about yourself, but it also provides us with a glimpse of your writing style. The essay is also an opportunity for you to explain any “blips” in your academic history. For example, if you had a low GPA one semester, or you received a poor grade in a class, it is a good idea to explain what happened in your essay. Students who have taken some time off should explain what they have been doing since leaving school.

If you have not been enrolled in academic coursework for several years or did not do well academically at your last institution, we strongly encourage you to successfully complete several courses at a local state or community college before applying to Eckerd.

If you applied to Eckerd College during the past year, but chose to attend school elsewhere, you may have your old application reactivated. Please contact us for details and reactivation instructions.

If you attended Eckerd College in the past, withdrew, and would like to re-enter, please complete this form.

Readmission is not guaranteed, and the decision ultimately rests with the Center for Academic Excellence.

The application deadline for readmission is August 1 for fall semester and December 1 for winter/spring semesters.

Transfer applicants are eligible for renewable merit-based scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $17,000 annually. Scholarships are awarded at the time of admission and are based on the student’s college academic record.

Phi Theta Kappa members are also eligible for a renewable $1,000 scholarship. You should provide proof, such as a letter from your Phi Theta Kappa adviser or other official documentation indicating your membership, in your application.

Transfer students who will be entering Fall Term are also eligible for Eckerd’s Artistic Achievement award. Eckerd College recognizes artistic achievement in Music, Theatre, Film Studies, Visual Arts and Creative Writing. You need to have already been admitted to the College before you apply and all materials must be postmarked by February 1. Learn more about scholarships and aid.

If you are considering transferring to Eckerd College and are curious about credit for courses at other schools, please fill out the Transfer Course Credit Inquiry Form.

Upon your acceptance to Eckerd College, all official transcripts received will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar for evaluation. We will provide you with an initial evaluation showing the number of credits accepted, your class standing, and the remaining number of Eckerd College courses to be completed.

Once you have decided to attend Eckerd, ensure that we have the most up-to-date and final official college transcripts. Shortly before the semester begins, a member of the Registrar’s Office will contact you to register you for your courses. Upon arrival at Eckerd, you will meet with your mentor to review and make any desired adjustments to your schedule.

Transfer students who have earned an Associate of Arts (AA) degree from a regionally accredited institution and have been admitted to Eckerd College will be awarded first semester junior standing.

If you are transferring courses from a Florida public (2 or 4 year), you can see how they they apply to a major at Eckerd. You may also submit a transfer credit inquiry.

Generally speaking, class standing can be estimated as follows:

*Eckerd College courses are worth 3.5 traditional credit hours.

* Eckerd will accept a maximum of 63 credit hours.

In order to graduate from Eckerd College, a transfer student must spend at least four semesters and two short terms, including the senior year, in the College or in an approved off campus program, for a minimum of 18 Eckerd College course credits and 63 credit hours.

Students transferring to Eckerd College with sophomore standing are considered exempt from Human Experience and the world language component.

All transfer students must meet the following general education requirements: composition competency (i.e. writing intensive course and writing portfolio), oral communication competency in their major or concentration and Imagining Justice. Transfer students may count transfer credits toward fulfilling academic area requirements and quantitative requirements but must complete Environmental and Global perspective courses at Eckerd College. The number of College Program Series events and reflective service-learning hours required of transfer students is determined by the student’s class standing at the time of entry.

Please refer to our course catalog for greater details on Eckerd graduation requirements.

In order to help you acclimate to Eckerd College, we have created several transfer orientation options, depending on your class standing. Orientation is required and will give you an opportunity to learn more about the College and how to best utilize our many resources.

• Incoming transfer students with first-year class standing will be treated as a traditional first-year student at the College for the purpose of orientation. Eckerd College first-years take part in a three week program known as Autumn Term before the start of Fall Term where they take their first Eckerd College course and participate in orientation activities. First-year transfer students will be able to choose which course they would like to take.
• Incoming transfer students with sophomore or junior class standing will be given the option to either participate in an Autumn Term course specifically designed for transfer students, or a condensed two-day transfer orientation. The transfer Autumn Term course will include only transfer students and cover academic topics relevant to the liberal arts transfer student experience. The two-day orientation will cover the resources available at the College before Fall Term commences.

Official visits include a student guided 90 minute walking tour and the option to include the following, based on availability:

• A face-to-face interview with an admission representative
• A classroom visit
• A professor meeting
• Lunch at the cafeteria with your tour guide
• A boat ride around Boca Ciega Bay to get a waterfront view of Eckerd

You can schedule your visit online.

Living on campus is a major part of Eckerd’s student life. With over 1750 of our students living in the residence halls, Eckerd College is proud to offer several options when it comes to on-campus living. With twelve residential complexes, our residence halls range from traditional rooms with a shared common area to apartment style suites with incredible views of Boca Ciega Bay.

All residence hall rooms have:

• air-conditioning
• cable television hookup (included in room rates)
• a bed and extra long twin mattress (36” wide x 80” long), a desk, a chair, a closet/wardrobe and a dresser for each student
• free internet access

Transfer students can request on-campus housing on their application for admission, and will file a Housing Application upon submitting an enrollment deposit. The Housing Office will take your lifestyle preferences indicated in your submitted housing application in order to assign your room. Please note, housing is not guaranteed.  For more information on on-campus housing visit the Housing website

Contact us any time you need assistance or have some questions. We can also put you in contact with current students and faculty. Simply let us know how we can help.