Transfer students

Undergraduate transfer applicants

As a transfer applicant you must submit official transcripts of all of your previous college work. If you have not obtained an AA or BA degree, you must also submit official High School Transcripts and evidence of graduation or the equivalent. These records are needed to complete the admission process and to assist our faculty committee in their review of your application and in their determination of program-level placement.

Transfer Credit: Transfer credit will be considered toward a CalArts degree only if earned at a regionally accredited postsecondary institution (or at a foreign academic institution recognized by its government) and a grade of A, B, C, or Pass was received.

All transfer credit will be evaluated by the Registrar according to guidelines developed by the Institute's schools.

Transfer credits submitted to fulfill the Critical Studies requirement will be measured against the CalArts component of 46 semester units. Students with previous bachelors degrees do not have to fulfill the full 46-unit Critical Studies Undergraduate Requirements. They are required, however, to complete at least 12 Critical Studies units in order to obtain a BFA degree from CalArts. All students will be required to take at least 12 of the 46 credits total in Critical Studies at CalArts. Those students working toward a Certificate of Fine Arts are not subject to Critical Studies Undergraduate Requirements.

Transfer Articulation Agreements

CalArts has articulation agreements with Santa Monica College (calarts.smc_.pdf) and College of the Canyons (Cal Arts -COC.pdf). These guidelines are tools created to help students identify SMC and COC courses that are eligible for CalArts transfer credit. We are seeking future articulations with more local community colleges.

Please view our Transfer Credit Policy for more information.

Credit by exam

California Institute of the Arts grants Critical Studies credit toward the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree for successful completion of examinations in the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board and for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

Students presenting scores of 3 or better on the AP exam or a 4 of better on the IB exam are granted 4 semester units toward the Critical Studies requirement for each examination in the Humanities or Sciences as they relate to Critical Studies core curriculum requirements.