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Cornell University

New Transfer Undergraduates

Transfer Undergraduate Students

As an incoming transfer student, you are in a unique position at Cornell: you benefit from the same orientation programs as incoming first-year students, while your age and experience are more similar to those of Cornell's upper-level students. To help your transition into Cornell's community, transfer students are placed in residence halls for upper-level students. Residence halls for upper-level students include our Program Houses, South Campus residence halls and the West Campus House System. Whenever possible, transfer student rooms are grouped together to facilitate friendships with other new students. 

All Ithaca campus first- and second-year full-time students are required to live on campus through the spring semester of their second academic year of enrollment, beginning with first-year and transfer students arriving in fall 2022. All new transfer students are required to live on campus for one academic year. Spring transfers are required to live on campus for their incoming spring semester as well as the following academic year. All students living on campus in residence halls are required to enroll in a university meal plan.

Students transferring to Cornell who had two years of an on-campus residential experience at their previous institution, or who are matriculating as a junior or senior, will not be subject to the residency requirement.

South Campus Residence Halls

 

West Campus House System

Townhouse Apartments

 

Program Houses

Other transfer students choose to live in Program Houses (themed residence halls) for first-year and upper-level students, or in cooperative houses (co-ops), home to upper-level students only. 

Co-op Housing 

Cooperative houses are led and governed by their student residents, offering a more independent living environment.

 

Note: In limited situations, transfer students who qualify as first-year students are placed in first-year residences. 

Apply for Housing