It’s time to make a change. Whether you are transferring from a large university or another small institution, Hampshire College offers transfer students the opportunity to build a customized program of study drawing upon coursework they have already completed. Transfer students are eligible for merit scholarships and will be automatically considered when they apply to Hampshire.
To be considered eligible to apply as a transfer student, you must have completed at least 15 transferable college credits with a grade of C or better. These courses cannot have been recorded for credit on your high school diploma. Hampshire College accepts transfer credits for courses taken at a regionally accredited college or university if the courses are comparable in content, nature, and intensity to courses offered at Hampshire College. The minimum residency requirement for graduation is three semesters, regardless of how many credits are transferable. Students receiving financial aid should consult with the financial aid office regarding the number of semesters of financial aid eligibility.
Hampshire has negotiated articulation agreements with Holyoke Community College and Palm Beach Community College. Students who earn the associate of arts degree at either institution will receive additional faculty assistance in setting up their concentration of study at Hampshire. Please submit the form on the last page of the pdf document below to the admissions office to take full advantage of the benefits of the articulation agreement.
Questions? Contact admissions@hampshire.edu
Spring 2020 |
Deadline | Notification |
| Domestic Transfer Students | November 15 | December 1 |
| International Transfer Students | November 1 | November 15 |
Fall 2020 |
Deadline | Notification |
| Domestic Transfer Students | March 15 | April 15 |
| International Transfer Students | March 15 | April 15 |
We do a holistic read of your application, meaning we look at everything. To apply, submit the following materials:
In addition to the above materials, international students will need to submit:
Some optional application materials can be submitted through the Common Application. You will also have the opportunity, after applying, to submit additional optional materials such as photos, videos, PDFs, Word documents, and music files through your online application portal with Hampshire College.
We also highly recommend an interview (must occur prior to the application completion deadline).
We like to geek out here at Hampshire, and our essay questions give you a chance to do the same. So here's a sneak peek at the questions you'll find on the Common App. We can't wait to read what you come up with.
Proposed Program of Study. Please describe your academic interests and goals in one to three paragraphs. You might include the types of courses you wish to take (although a listing of course titles alone is insufficient) and any independent projects, internships, or field studies you envision yourself doing. The Proposed Program of Study is not a contract; it is intended to help determine whether Hampshire is an appropriate place for you to continue your academic studies.
The following questions get at some of our core values: inquiry, interdisciplinarity, and growth. Choose one prompt from the list below and respond (500 words max):
1. Hampshire’s motto is “to know is not enough.” People interpret this motto in different ways. What does it mean to you?
2. Tell us about something you recently learned and found fascinating. What else do you want to learn about it and how would you like to learn about it?
3. Describe a time when you received feedback, academic or otherwise, that changed your thinking or behavior for the better.
Hampshire's academic program is organized into three stages, or Divisions, of study. Each Division has a discrete set of requirements that transfer credit can be applied to. Most students transfer into Hampshire after their first or second year of college elsewhere and start their journey at Hampshire in Division II.
Faculty advisors can guide students in planning a curriculum that takes advantage of as much prior college work as possible. The number of courses and learning activities necessary to complete Division II will be determined by the individual student's Division II committee. Each student's program is individually designed and rates of progress vary.
We conduct a course-by-course evaluation of college work to determine how each transfer course fits into Division I, which requires that students take one course in four out of the five following areas listed below. To illustrate how transfer courses may be applied toward the Division I distribution requirement, the following list of subject areas is provided as a representative sample of the array of courses offered by each area:
Mind, Brain, and Information: Animal Behavior, Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Philosophy, Education, and Psychology
Arts, Design, and Media: Digital Design, Poetry, Creative Writing, Studio Arts, Literary Nonfiction, Theater, Playwrighting, and Visual Media
Culture, Humanities, and Language: Architecture, Film, Video, Photography, Ecological Design, Philosophy, Art/Art History, Dance, Religion, and English
Physical and Biological Sciences: Agriculture, Chemistry, Ecology, Astronomy, Biology, Physics, Zoology, and Mathematics
Power, Community, and Social Justice: Anthropology, Peace Studies, Community Studies, Political Economy, Environmental Policy, Psychology, Feminist Studies, and Sociology
Once we process your application, we will send an acknowledgment email that includes a username and password for you to check the completeness of your admissions file online. To make sure that you receive your decision, we recommend not opting out of email communications.
The U.S. State Department and the Chronicle of Higher Education named Hampshire College a top producer of Fulbright Scholars for 2016-17.
"There are two reasons why Hampshire graduates achieve so much. One is the kind of person the college attracts. The other is what the college does for them by equipping them to become their own wide-ranging explorers and connection-seekers."Loren Pope, Colleges that Change Lives (2006)
Hampshire College is a member of Colleges that Change Lives, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.