Transfer

Transfer Admissions Requirements

Application Deadlines

Fall:  February 1

Spring:  October 1. International applicants are asked to apply by September 1 if possible.  Check below to see which programs are accepting applications for spring.

Submit your application online by the deadline above. . 

 

Submit all your other required documents at https://pratt.slideroom.com if possible except your transcripts. Please have your official transcripts mailed within a week or twoof the application deadline.We will accept applications and materials after the deadline dates dates if there is still room in the program the student is applying, but we cannot guarantee consideration for applications and/or materials submitted late.

Pratt accepts transfer applications for most undergraduate programs for the fall and spring terms although acceptance to the spring term depends on available space and the evaluation of credits and placement. See below for list of specific majors Pratt will accept for spring 2013.

Spring 2013 Applications: Pratt accepts transfer applications for spring regardless of your placement (first semester, second semester) for the following majors:  construction management, art history, and critical and visual studies as well as the associate degrees.   Pratt will  accept for all majors students who place as second semester of any year based on studio credits.  

Fall 2013 Applications: Pratt accepts transfer applications for fall for all majors.   

Who is a Transfer Applicant?  If you have attended a post secondary institution full time (twelve semester hours or the equivalent) for at least one semester or term or will do so prior to enrollment, you are considered a transfer student. If you have or will accumulate at least twelve semester hours (or the equivalent) after graduating from high school and prior to enrollment, you are also considered a transfer student. Applicants who are transfers but apply as freshmen may have their offer of admission rescinded because of different criteria for acceptance.  The scholarship will be rescinded and the applicant will be reconsidered for a transfer scholarship.  If you earned college credit while still enrolled in high school (summer school, pre-college programs, advanced placement, dual enrollment between your high school and a university or community college, etc.) you will be considered a freshman applicant.

Student with College Degrees: if you are considering interior design, industrial design, or graphic design and you have a college degree, you should apply to the graduate programs in those fields.  All consider students without a background in the field. Some do require a portfolio. Interior design does not require a portfolio for the qualifying program for the graduate program.  See specific departmental requirements for more information.The interior design program has a Qualifying Program for students without a background in interior design as does the communications design program (graphic and package design). Students are drawn by way of the Qualifying Program from a variety of disciplines, creating an intellectually and aesthetically stimulating ambience in the studios. It should be noted that applicants to the Qualifying Program are not required to submit a portfolio when applying for admission.  Please read the departmental requirements listed under the Graduate program section.

DCAD Transfers: Up until fall 14 entrance to Pratt , DCAD students must have a 2.5 GPA to transfer to Pratt Institute. Beginning with fall 2014 entrance to Pratt, DCAD students must have a 2.7 GPA. DCAD students who apply to Pratt within the major they studied at DCAD will enter as juniors at Pratt.  DCAD students who apply to Pratt for a different major from the one they studied at DCAD will come in as sophomores for all majors but fashion design.  Fashion design students will enter as freshmen.

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Transfer Admissions Requirements

• Application (online recommended) and application fee ($50 for domestic applicants, $90 for international applicants) (fee waiver information found below under Application)
• Official college/university transcripts from all schools attended (no exceptions).  In addition, an official  transcript from high school(s) attended with date of graduation is required unless you possess a four-year college degree.  If you attended college in the US, please request your college transcripts online at the National Student Clearinghouse and have them sent electronically to Pratt.  Most US schools are now listed at the National Student Clearinghouse.  
• Letter of recommendation (optional)  may be requested on Slideroom at https://pratt.slideroom.com  They may also  be mailed to Pratt's Office of Admissions. See address below. Because they are no longer required, they will not show up as missing or complete on our checklist.
• Visual or writing portfolio  uploaded at https://pratt.slideroom.com  (not required for construction management applicants); see portfolio requirements below for more information
• Copy of alien registration card (permanent residents/alien residents only)
• TOEFLor IELTS test score (international applicants whose first language is not English only). See International Requirements.
• Essay: the essay question is part of the application.  Describe when and how you became interested in art, design, writing, architecture, or the particular major to which you are applying. Describe how this interested has manifested itself in your daily life.

All materials must be submitted within a few weeks after the submission of the application on February 1 if applying for the fall term and October 1 if applying for the spring term. 

All materials must be sent to:

 Pratt Institute
 Office of Undergraduate Admissions
 200 Willoughby Avenue
 Brooklyn, NY 11205

1. Application Form with Fee: We strongly encourage all applicants to apply online in order to expedite processing of your application. All applicants to undergraduate degree programs must complete a basic application form, either online or in print form. Print copies may be downloaded in pdf format. The completed basic application form should be returned to the Office of Admissions with a non-refundable $50 application fee or $90 for international applicants.

Fee Waiver: In cases of extreme financial hardship, the applicant's transfer counselor may request that this fee be waived. The applicant may submit the NACAC, SAT or ACT fee waiver form signed by the counselor. Please fax it in to 718 636-3670, email it to apphelp@pratt.edu, and submit the online admissions application.  Once we have the waiver, we will download your application.

2. College Transcripts: Students who have enrolled in other institutions of higher education should request that official mid-year transcripts from each college or university be sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions using the National Student Clearinghouse if you attended college in the US. Transfer applicants are required to submit the high school record as well. Transfer applicants with a college degree are not required to submit high school records. If you have completed a four-year degree and are applying as an undergraduate for another program, you must submit your final official transcript with the degree and date of degree noted. Note: Pratt offers several career change master's programs that encourage students without a background in art and design to apply. These are: Interior Design, Industrial Design, Communications Design, and the M.Arch first professional degree. If you have a four-year degree, you should apply to the graduate program in these areas rather than the undergraduate program.  If you are a first-semester college student and do not have grades yet, please request that  your fall grades be sent  as soon as they are available.

International Students Only: International transcripts must be translated.  All international transfer students but those from Korea and Japan must submit their transcripts for evaluation by WES (http://www.wes.org) to receive transfer credits.  Pratt will not be able to review your transcript for acceptance unless we have the WES evaluation.  Please have your transcript translated before submitting to WES

3. Letter(s) of Recommendation (optional): If applicants choose to submit the optional letter of recommendation,  if possible, this letter should come from a teacher or employer in a field related to the applicant's professional goal. These may be requested online at https://pratt.slideroom.com  Pratt provides an optional special form for the letter of recommendation online. A letter is acceptable as well. This item will no longer show up in the checklist as a required item.  

4.  Visual or Writing Portfolio: The transfer portfolio requirements are the same as the freshman requirements if you have not taken art courses in your previous college or have not taken the foundation year and will enter as a freshman. Instructions for submissions are listed below.  Transfer applicants who have taken art courses should include examples of work that reflect all studio experiences at their previous college in order to be reviewed for credit.

Art and Design: All art, design and architecture applicants except Art History BA applicants and film/video applicants must submit a visual portfolio consisting of a minimum of 12-25 pieces but no more than 45 of two-or three-dimensional work reflecting as much as possible your courses taken in college. Film/video applicants may opt to choose Option 2 below instead of submitting an art portfolio for fall 13.   (Art history BA applicants must submit a writing portfolio. See section below.)

Film/video applicants must choose from either Option 1 or Option 2, but all film/video applicants must submit the writing sample in C below.

Option 1:
A visual portfolio consisting of a minimum of 12-40 examples of two-or three-dimensional work reflecting as much as possible all your studio or film courses taken in college.  The work should consist of a variety of media and approaches and may include a three-minute-maximum video. Work may include assignment-based projects, self-directed work or pieces of a collaborative nature. The portfolio does not need to be discipline-specific. The portfolio must include at least three to five pieces of work showing observational drawing; examples might include a landscape, still-life, self-portrait, life drawings, etc.  Applicants should avoid including work that copies photographs, uses the grid system, or directly replicates any other artist’s work (including replicating anime drawings, cartoons, or video game character designs). 

OR

Option 2:
Film/Video Portfolio

Visual Sample (Applicants submit either A or B below)

A)  Video: A brief three to five minute video in which you had primary creative control.  This may be fiction, documentary, or experimental in approach, and it may be silent or include sound, but it must reflect your aesthetic, intellectual, and emotional interests. May be uploaded at Slideroom (https://pratt.slideroom.com) under Media

OR

B)  Graphic Series: A series of photographs you have taken or drawings you have made which, when viewed in a sequence, tells a simple story or portrays an original character or place.  Include a brief (less than one page) written narrative about the character, place, or story you’ve created. May be uploaded at Slidroom under Media.

AND

C. Writing Sample (All applicants submit the writing sample below)

 A one- to two-page descriptive treatment for a short film ..  This film contains no dialogue or voiceover but is all communicated through visual images, sound, and character behavior and action.  Your film treatment must include at least two locations, one of which is a kitchen.  It must also include at least two props, a pen and a jar of peanut butter.All else is up to you. (May be uploaded at https://pratt.slideroom.com under Media as a pdf. Converting Word to pdf format.

Architecture: All architecture transfer applicants must submit a visual portfolio. Applicants who have not taken architecture design studio courses in their previous post-secondary school should submit a portfolio according to the freshman requirements and will automatically be placed into the first year of design. Transfer applicants who have taken architecture design courses should include examples of work that reflect all design projects at their previous schools. The number of images in the architecture portfolio will reflect the number of projects completed. The architecture students seeking the transfer of studio credit must use slideroom to upload their images at https://pratt.slideroom.comArchitecture Applicants : All architecture transfer applicants must submit a visual portfolio.  Applicants who have not taken architecture design studio courses in their previous post-secondary school should submit a portfolio according to the freshman requirements and will automatically be placed into the first year of design. Transfer applicants who have taken architecture design courses should include examples of work that reflect  all design projects at their previous schools. The number of images in the architecture portfolio will reflect the number of projects completed. The architecture students seeking the transfer of studio credit must use slideroom to upload their images at https://pratt.slideroom.com

Writing, Critical and Visual Studies and Art History B.A. Applicants: Applicants are required to submit a writing portfolio of recent writing (no more than ten pages)at https://pratt.slideroom.com in the Add Media section.  Writing applicants may submit poetry, short stories, and excerpts from novels, articles, and essays. Please submit at least one sample of analytical writing. We encourage you to submit several examples of your writing in different styles. If you submit poetry, you must also submit some prose. Critical and Visual Studies and B.A. in Art History BA applicants should submit examples of analytical writing. At this time feedback on writing portfolios is unavailable through the admissions office. Converting Word to pdf format.

VISUAL PORTFOLIOS:  The work should consist of a variety of media and approaches. This may include assignment-based projects, self-directed work or pieces of a collaborative nature. The portfolio does not need to be discipline-specific. The portfolio must include at least three to five pieces of work showing the observational drawing (exampes could include a self-portrait, life drawings, still-life, landscape (see description of observational process below). Applicants should avoid including work that copies photographs, uses the grid system, or directly replicates any other artist’s work (including replicating anime drawings, cartoons, or video game character designs).  The admissions portfolio is used for placement and evaluation of transfer credits.  Students intending to transfer studio credit are encouraged to submit at least five to six examples from each type of studio course.  In this situation, a transfer student could submit up to 40 images. 

Portfolios should be uploaded using Slideroom.   Admissions advisement sessions and reviews  during National Portfolio Days or by appointment off-campus do not fulfill the applicant’s visual requirement. They are for guidance only. You may submit up to and including the day application documents are due (February 1 for fall and October 1 for spring).

Portfolio Format:

Upload digital images at https://pratt.slideroom.com/ following instructions at site. This is the least expensive, quickest, and easiest way to submit and is Pratt's preferred method. You will receive an immediate confirmation that your work has been received.  You may edit your images up until you hit the "submit" button. 
 

Do not send work to the office.  All work must be subbmitted on slideroom.  . All submitted materials, including the portfolio, become the property of Pratt Institute. Portfolios in any format will not be returned or held for pickup.

 

The Visual Portfolio

The most frequent question we receive is what should be included in the portfolio.  We leave a lot of the decision making up to the applicant.  Here are a few questions to think about as you edit your work for submission to Pratt Institute.

Am I meeting the requirements asked for in the application? 
This may seem simple but you might be surprised by how many applications and portfolios we receive that do not follow the directions laid out in the application instructions.  Sending five pieces of work just isn’t enough to see the scope of your work.  Sending fifty pieces may suggest a lack of ability to edit your work.    The portfolios that stand out are the ones that are well edited and show the strength of the applicants’ talent.

Am I showing some form of the observational process?
With very few exceptions, the observational process is required in some form for all specialized art and design schools.  Pratt is no exception.  The observational process is the foundation for almost every discipline taught at Pratt.  It refers to the visual and psychological process of looking at the world around you, making decisions about how you want to interpret what you see, and then replicating that which you observe. This process is fundamental to creating and understanding all things visual. For the portfolio requirements, demonstrate that you are able to go through this observational process.  The medium you use and subject to which you choose to apply the observational process is up to you.  Technical studies in various mediums are adequate (still life, figure, interior, etc.), but try to move beyond technical studies and use the observational process to express something that is connected to who you are and what you are thinking about.

What does my work say about me?
Is the work you are submitting telling us about who you are, what you’ve been doing, what your opinion is, where you want to go?  Many applicants limit addressing these questions to their essay.  Use your creativity and skills to address these questions visually. We want to see that you are willing to take some risks, go beyond what is asked of you, and that you are asking big questions.

Am I showing a range of skills and approaches?
Diversity of work is a very important part of the portfolio.  It can include but is not limited to using different types of mediums, using different visual styles or making work about different subjects. It also includes visually approaching a single question 100 different ways and then showing us the three that you thought were the most, or sometimes least, successful in answering that question. Show us that you are open to all kinds of creative solutions to all kinds of questions.

Do not make work specifically for the admissions portfolio.  Just make work, and lots of it. When it is time to apply, it is simply a matter of editing what you have made to show us what you might accomplish while you are here at Pratt.

If you want additional advice on your work, please feel free to contact our Visit Coordinator at visit@pratt.edu or 718-626-3779 to set up an appointment with one of our admissions advisors. Our admissions advisors are all active artists and designers and are delighted to give potential applicants feedback on their work and their application portfolio.  They travel across the country starting in September and are available weekdays at our Brooklyn Admissions Office.

Applicants seeking portfolio feedback from admissions advisors should contact the office between March 15 and December 1 for an appointment. 

 

All mailed materials must be sent to:

Pratt Institute
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
DeKalb Hall, 2nd floor
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205 

Transfer of Credits

Residency Requirement:
Pratt requires that every student complete at least 48 semester credits at this institution and the last 32 credits must be taken in final sequence to earn any undergraduate degree.  This requirement limits the number of transfer credits allowed to transfer into any undergraduate program.  For instance the Bachelors of Fine Arts programs require 134 credits so the maximum number for credits allowed to transfer is 86.  The Bachelors of Architecture program requires 170 credits, so the maximum allowed to transfer into this program is 122.

Evaluation of Credit: In order to receive credit for the first year in your major, you must submit work from the courses in Pratt's first year program.  For example, in Art and Design: to place as a sophomore, you must have taken classes similar to the foundation year curriculum to receive credit and you must submit work from each studio.  To receive credit for the sophomore year, you must include examples from your major if you took major classes that reflect Pratt's second-year. Architecture portfolios should reflect work from Pratt's first year in order to place as a second year student.  The curriculum for each major is available online. The level of work in the transfer portfolio in addition to credits in courses taken are used to determine placement in Pratt's programs. Failure to show work from particular classes will affect the level of placement.  Submit up to 40 images on slideroom at https://pratt.slideroom.com  Your final credit evaluation will be completed when we have your final grades in your last semester.

Post- Matriculation: Once enrolled, students are expected to complete their undergraduate programs here at Pratt.  Students will sometimes be given special permission to take credits outside of the institution if equivalent courses are not offered at Pratt.  Students are only allowed to take a maximum of 6 credits outside of Pratt after enrolling, of which a maximum of 3 credits can be liberal arts.  Students can only take these additional courses if they will fit within Pratt's residency requirement.  Students wishing to petition to take outside credit can obtain the required form from the Office of the Registrar.  The form must have all of the required permissions and be submitted to the Office of the Registrar prior to the student enrolling in other institutions.

Pre-Matriculation: All students requesting transfer credit(s) must submit official transcript(s) from all colleges attended.  Credit evaluations will be completed only after acceptance.  Students seeking transfer credit for professional courses in art and design or architecture are required to submit a portfolio reflective of their coursework completed in prior college(s) as part of the admissions application.  After acceptance, the transfer student receives an estimate by the Office of Admissions of the credit that can be expected for work done at previous college(s).  Additional documents may be requested by the Office of Admissions (bulletin, course hours, syllabi, etc.) in order to complete the estimated evaluation; however additional transcripts for credit evaluation will not be accepted once the first semester begins. 

Transfer of studio credit and placement in the program is determined by what courses were previously taken, how those courses match to required courses in the program, and the strength of the student's portfolio.  The quality of the work in the student portfolio will be reviewed as well as the credits to award transfer credit.  It is important for applicants to show examples of work from all of their studio courses in their admissions portfolio.  Failure to do so may result in credit not being awarded for those courses without work. See section under Portfolio for more information on what to submit.

Transfer credit is only awarded for courses taken at regionally accredited colleges and universities or the international equivalent.  Courses taken at unaccredited or nationally accredited institutions will not be accepted with the exception of schools with which Pratt has articulation agreements.  Pratt also accepts credit for Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Equivalency Program (CLEP) tests with acceptable scores.  Official copies of score reports must be sent to Pratt so that a complete credit evaluation may be done at acceptance.

Credit may only be given for courses appropriate to the curriculum at Pratt.  A grade of C or better from domestic institutions and a numeric evaluation of 70 or better from international institutions will be considered acceptable for transfer to the Pratt record.  Grades lower than a C (including C–) or less than 70 are not acceptable for transfer credit evaluation.

The Pratt program is planned with the appropriate art and design academic advisor using the estimate as a guide for the required work to be completed.  After all final official transcripts have been received, a complete evaluation of transfer credit will be sent to the student.  (Transfer students in Interior Design are required to bring their portfolio to their academic advisor during registration.)  All final and official college and high school transcripts (indicating date of graduation) must be submitted to the institute prior to enrollment.  Failure to submit these documents on time may result in loss of transfer credit.  Transfer credit is not included in the scholastic index and grade point average.  If less than 50 percent of a student’s credits are earned at Pratt, the student will not be considered for honors.

Prelminary evaluations for transfer applicants are usually completed within a few weeks after the admissions decision has been made if the admissions office has all of the student's transcript and documentation.  As soon as the final transcript is received by the admissions office, it is sent over to the registrar's office for the final credit evaluation, which is mailed out to students (by end of July). The academic advisers receive copies of the final evaluation and adjust courses accordingly.  The applicant can contact the admissions office with questions about his or her evaluation after he or she has received the transfer credit evaluation in the mail. 

International students may be required to submit additional class hour documentation to determine an American semester hour equivalent or have their credentials evaluated or have their international credit hours evaluated by an official international credit evaluations services like World Education Services (WES). Pratt will accept international credit evaluations performed by any member of the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES).