Transfer Students
External Transfers and Internal Changes of Major
- Admissions – If you have completed at least 12 credits of college coursework after graduating high school and are interested in applying to Virginia Tech as a transfer student, please visit our University Admissions page.
- Visiting Campus – Visit the beautiful Virginia Tech campus and picture yourself as a Virginia Tech Hokie! The Computer Science Department offers in-person and virtual prospective student information sessions.
You will be assigned an academic advisor who will be your primary point of contact during your academic journey at VT. As we get closer to the beginning of the orientation dates, you will receive instructions from your academic advisor about how to schedule an appointment during new student orientation. During this meeting, you will discuss your schedule for the upcoming semester. Long-term academic plans and plans of study will not be discussed during orientation, but you will be able to schedule an appointment with your advisor during the semester to review your plans.
College of Engineering (COE) Transfer Direct Admit Pilot Program:
In previous years, COE transfer students would be in General Engineering until they completed all of the change of major requirements, and they would apply to a degree-granting major. Applications were reviewed based on a student's overall VT GPA.
New this year, COE transfer students admitted to the 2022-2023 academic year that indicated CS on their admissions application will be placed directly into the program.
The Engineering Education Department at Virginia Tech has developed materials for new students to assist them in their transition to VT. Please review the information below and the new student checklist as you prepare to meet with your academic advisor.
- How to schedule an appointment with your advisor (Navigate)
- How to self-evaluate your transfer credits
- How to read a checksheet
- How to drop and add courses (video)
- How to read DARS
The Transfer Student Advising Initiatives Office has also curated a number of resources for our new transfer students to get you started at Virginia Tech.
Advising
- All CS students are assigned an academic advisor.
- Advisors meet with students by appointment only, and students can schedule appointments through Navigate.
Course Equivalencies
- If you attended a VCCS school, you can check Virginia Tech course equivalencies using the VCCS transfer course guide.
- If you attended a four-year institution or a non-VCCS two-year school, you can check for course equivalencies using the transfer equivalency database. If you do not see a particular institution listed, that means that courses have not been previously evaluated from that institution. Instructions on how to have a course evaluated that is not in the guide will be displayed on your transfer credit page in HokieSPA.
- Equivalencies for AP, IB, or CLEP credits can be viewed in the Advanced Standing and Transferable Credit tables
Tutoring
- The Student Success Center offers individual and group tutoring for certain 1000 and 2000 level undergraduate courses. Tutoring services are free to all full-time registered students and are available throughout the fall and spring semesters.
- CS Peer Tutoring is available for select CS courses during the fall and spring semesters. These tutoring services are free and facilitated by undergraduate CS student volunteers.
Registration
- Course Request - VT uses Course Request prior to the opening of drop/add. In Hokie SPA, students submit the courses they would like to take the following semester. Students are placed into courses towards the end of the semester based on the courses that they previously requested. You are not guaranteed to be placed into every course that you requested. You can edit your schedule once drop/add opens later in the semester.
- Drop/Add - Following course request, students are able to add and drop courses to their schedule in real-time. Students can add courses to their schedule through the end of the first week of classes.
Force-Adds
- CS Courses: Students can submit a force-add request for CS specific courses that are at capacity. The force-add survey serves as a wait-list for the course. Students are not guaranteed placement into the course after submission of a force-add request, and students are encouraged to continue checking the timetable of classes and drop/add for available seats.
- Non-CS Courses: Students need to contact individual departments for force-add procedures for non-CS courses.
- Bursar’s Office Students Accounts, Tuition & Fees, Questions about your bill.
- Cook Counseling Counseling, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, coping skills.
- Cranwell International Center International student home-away-from home with conversation groups, Global Ambassador Program, International Stree Fair and International Week.
- Dean of Students Student advocacy and support including academic relief requests, class absence verification and student conduct advising.
- Dining Services Dining centers, dining plans and policies, menus and nutrition.
- Housing and Residence Life Resident halls, housing contracts, living/learning communities.
- Office of Veteran Services Veteran and military-dependent support services.
- Schiffert Health Center Medical clinic, nutrition services, Pharmacy, Women's clinic, Class absence verification.
- Services for Students with Disabilities Support services, Accommodations, Physical Access, Temporary injury and wellness.
- Student Affairs All things student life including student organizations, new student orientations, Welcome Week, Recreational Sports, Center for Leadership and Service, and so much more.
- Student Success Center Group and individual tutoring, student success skills seminars, academic recovery support.
- University Registrar Course registration, Academic dates and deadlines, Graduation requiements (official checksheets)
- University Scholarships and Financial Aid Financial aid, scholarships, work/study
- VT 4-HELP IT Support Services for setting up and resetting email, TwoFactor/DuoMobile setup, computer help.
- The Women’s Center Counseling and advocacy, educational programming, outreach, violence against women awareness, student engagement through volunteerism.
1. I just got accepted into VT as a transfer student, can I speak with an advisor about planning my course schedule?
You will receive communication directly from your assigned advisor with instructions on how to schedule a new transfer student orientation advising meeting. During this meeting, you and your advisor will review your transfer credits and discuss an appropriate slate of courses for your upcoming semester’s schedule.
2. As a new transfer student, can I speak with an advisor to see what credits will transfer?
As part of your orientation process, you will be required to complete an Orientation Form and include information about any transfer credits you have taken previously. These courses will be reviewed and any courses without direct equivalencies will be reviewed to determine what, if any, Virginia Tech credit will be approved. You will also complete a self-evaluation of your transfer credits. In the meantime, you can review the VCCS transfer course guide for course equivalencies from VCCS schools and/or the transfer equivalency database for equivalencies from a four-year institution or a non-VCCS two-year school. You can also periodically check the status of your transfer credit evaluation in HokieSPA (HokieSPA > Grades Menu > Transfer and Other Additional Credit).
During your transfer orientation session with your advisor, you will have an opporunity to review and discuss your transfer credits and the University's approved equivalencies.
3. How do I find out who my assigned academic advisor is?
- Log into HokieSpa
- Select Hokie SPA tab at top of page
- Click on "View Your General Student Information"
- Your advisor's name is listed under Primary Advisor
4. When will my transfer credits be articulated?
The Registrar regularly reviews transcripts and articulates transfer credits as transcripts are received. You can check the status of your transfer credit evaluation by going to HokieSPA, Grades Menu, Transfer and Other Additional Credit. All articulated and applied transfer credit will appear on this page.
5. Do I need to submit my AP and/or IB scores if they appear on a previous institution’s transcript as awarded credit for that institution?
Yes. You will need to have your official scores sent from the College Board for credit to be evaluated and awarded, if appropriate.
6. Does my GPA from my previous institution transfer to Virginia Tech?
No, your GPA does not transfer. Only credits will transfer for courses for which you earned a C or better.
7. In HokieSpa and on my DARS report it indicates that I have not fulfilled my foreign language requirement. I took 3 years of Spanish in high school, what should I do?
Send your Official High School transcript to the Registrar’s office. The foreign language requirement is pulled from the high school transcript.
8. I am an international student and I speak another language fluently. How do I clear my foreign language requirement?
From your Hokie Email account, email Robin Lucas, ralucs@vt.edu in the Registrar’s office for more information on how to clear your requirement.
9. I am struggling in a course. How do I find assistance with this course?
Review your course syllabus for contact information and office hours for your Professor and the Teaching Assistant/s (TAs). They are your first best point of contact for help. You can also reach out to your academic advisor to connect you with department and campus resources.
10. How can my academic advisor help me?
Your academic advisor is an important source of support as you move along your educational journey. At the most basic level, your advisor can help you with which classes to take and how to organize your schedule. Professionally, your advisor can also help you navigate student involvement, career development, scholarships, graduate school applications, research and independent study, internships, etc. Personally, if you need a little extra support, your advisor is a great listener and can connect you with the many people and resources across our campuses to best support you. When in doubt, reach out to your academic advisor!