Admission & Aid

A transfer candidate is anyone who has taken a college class or classes after high school graduation at a college, university, or 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.

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 look at not only your grades but also the difficulty of the courses you took.

Your transfer essay also is an important part of your application because it gives you an opportunity to tell us about yourself and it provides us with a glimpse of your writing style. The essay also is 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 in your essay what happened. 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 in the past, withdrew and would like to reenter, please complete this this form.

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

The application deadline for readmission is August 1 for fall semester and December 1 for Winter Term or spring semester.

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

Upon your acceptance to Eckerd, 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 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 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 two- or four-year Florida public institution, you can see how they apply to a major at Eckerd. You may also submit a transfer credit inquiry.

Class standing generally 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 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), 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. The number of College Program Series events and the amount of Reflective Service Learning hours required of transfer students are 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.

To help you acclimate to Eckerd College, we have created a few 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 first-years take part in a three-week program known as Autumn Term before the start of fall semester, where they take their first Eckerd course for credit and participate in orientation activities. First-year transfer students will be able to choose the course they would like to take.
• Incoming transfer students with sophomore or junior class standing will be given the option to participate in either 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 semester commences.

Living on campus is a major part of Eckerd student life. With over 1,750 of our students living in the residence halls, Eckerd College is proud to offer several options when it comes to on-campus living. Housed in 12 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
• 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 into consideration your lifestyle preferences indicated in your submitted Housing Application in order to assign your room. Please note that housing is not guaranteed.

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