Transfer Applicants for the BA Programs

Application Deadlines

Application Plan	Application/Financial Aid Application Due	Notification	Deposit Due
Spring Transfer	October 15	December 1	December 10
Fall Transfer	February 15	April 1	May 1

Application Materials

All application materials should be in English or German, or should be submitted together with certified English translations.

Credit Transfer and Advising

All transfer students who are accepted into the college receive a preliminary credit transfer estimate with their letter of admission. This overview lays out an estimated number of credits that can be transferred from previous university study to a specific concentration at BCB. What’s more, virtually any course taken at a prior college or university can be counted towards a transfer student’s elective course credits, regardless of the subject matter. The credit transfer estimate helps many transfer students answer the crucial question of how long they will need to complete their BA degree at BCB. 

Because of the multidisciplinary nature of BCB’s core curriculum, many transfer students may wonder where they will "begin" in BCB’s core course sequence. All transfer students who enroll in the college take part in an individual advising meeting with BCB’s Registrar to discuss upcoming course selections and the overall outlook of their curriculum at BCB before the start of classes. After the meeting with the Registrar, the college’s examination board undertakes a final review of the transfer student’s past university coursework before officially transferring credits from another institution. The Registrar is there to answer any questions incoming students may have about the credit transfer process.

Housing

It is common for transfer students, especially those transferring in from abroad, to live in one of BCB’s on-campus residence halls. Incoming students who have not yet completed two years of university-level study are required to live in the residence halls until they have completed their second year of university. Students can opt to live on campus longer than is required of them, should they wish to do so. In addition, many exchange students with years of prior university experience join our campus each semester. This ensures that transfer students are part of a larger cohort of students with a similar level of university experience.

Student Life

Transfer students also take part in BCB’s vibrant and multifaceted campus life. Activities ranging from casual ping-pong and football matches to experimental theater festivals are some examples of activities that students have undertaken at BCB, all of which are open to both first-year and transfer students. Examples of student clubs founded or co-founded by transfer students include the life drawing club and the postdramatic performance collective. Students also participate in civic engagement projects, often with funding from BCB’s civic engagement grants for student initiatives. 

Senior Thesis and Research Colloquium

As the final component of a BCB student’s program of study, the senior thesis is just as crucial for transfer students as it is for four-year BA students at the college. Because transfer students can graduate in either the fall or spring semesters, the senior research colloquium is offered each semester. For example, if a transfer student is graduating in the fall semester, then they will be placed into the senior research colloquium in the previous spring semester. This ensures that transfer students are able to complete their thesis within their individual degree timeline.

Chat with a Current Student

Want to learn more about the transfer student experience at Bard College Berlin? Using the Unibuddy platform, you can chat directly with our student ambassador Helene, a transfer student from the USA. The Unibuddy platform is a great way to ask questions you may have about the transfer process and the BCB experience as a whole. You can also contact the admissions office directly via email (admissions@berlin.bard.edu), or by signing up for an individual advising session with one of our admissions counselors for further guidance.