Transfer FAQs

What’s your policy on the transferability of the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education courses?

Illinois Tech accepts up to 68 credits from Illinois Articulation Initiative-designated courses that apply toward an admitted student’s major. However, Illinois Tech does not require the completion of an associate’s degree and instead evaluates transcripts on a course-by-course basis as they relate to the intended major at Illinois Tech. We encourage students to utilize our published transfer credit guides when selecting courses prior to transfer. Students who complete an associate's degree may be taking courses that might not be needed for their degree at Illinois Tech. Please feel free to consult with the Illinois Tech transfer team at transfer@iit.edu for more detailed information.

What kind of transfer credit does Illinois Tech accept?

Illinois Tech accepts transfer credit for courses that are deemed equivalent to Illinois Tech courses required for our programs. Courses may be acceptable for transfer credit from other accredited colleges and universities provided that they are comparable in nature, content, and level to those offered at Illinois Tech and the grades are the equivalent of a C of higher. A grade of C- is not acceptable for transfer credit. A maximum of 68 applicable credit hours is transferable from a two-year institution.

In most cases, credit will not be granted for experiential learning or for career and vocational courses, except through agreements for programs within Illinois Tech's School of Applied Technology.

Official credit evaluations are completed by the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs after a student is admitted to the university. Until then, students are encouraged to utilize our published transfer credit guides. If your school is not listed, then please feel free to utilize our Transferology account or contact the Illinois Tech transfer team.

I am transferring from out of state. Which courses should I take?

Illinois Tech accepts transfer credit for courses that are deemed equivalent to Illinois Tech courses that are required for our programs. Courses may be acceptable for transfer credit from other accredited colleges and universities provided they are comparable in nature, content, and level to those offered at Illinois Tech and the grades are the equivalent of a C of higher. A grade of C- is not acceptable for transfer credit. A maximum of 68 applicable credit hours is transferable from a two-year institution.

In most cases, credit will not be granted for experiential learning or career and vocational courses, except through agreements for programs within our School of Applied Technology.

Official credit evaluations are completed by the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs after a student is admitted to the university. Until then, students are encouraged to utilize our published transfer credit guides for area community colleges. If you are coming from an out-of-state school, or your Illinois school is not listed, then we recommend several options:

• You can use the City Colleges of Chicago transfer guide as an example to identify the types of courses that typically transfer into your intended major at Illinois Tech. The course names and codes will likely be different for your school; however, either your current school’s transfer adviser, or an Illinois Tech transfer counselor, can help identify the equivalent course(s) available at your current institution.
• Use Transferology. This is a nationwide, online transfer planning resource that students can use to identify equivalent courses. Simply create a free account, then start adding your courses and search for Illinois Tech. Your current school’s transfer adviser also has access to the Transferology Lab Account, where they can look up multiple equivalencies at once. Try Transferology yourself, or ask your school’s adviser for assistance before taking the wrong courses for your transfer major.
• Ask us. We are happy to be a resource. Connect with us at admission@iit.edu
• Foreign language courses: Foreign language courses are not required for Illinois Tech’s undergraduate degree programs. However, these may be transferred to meet language requirements in our global studies program and depending upon the level, may meet some general education humanities requirements for other programs.

How do I know which courses I should complete before I transfer?

Prerequisite course options for our programs of study are listed in our transfer credit guides.

You do not have to complete all of the courses listed on the guide before you transfer. These are only recommended options that we have determined are available at your current institution prior to transfer. You may transfer up to 68 credits from a community college. Courses with grades of C- and below do not transfer.

For details, please read more about our additional transfer policies and resources, including information about our Fast Forward to Illinois Tech transfer advising program.

When do I learn which courses will transfer?

• Official credit evaluations are completed by the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs—typically within a week after a student is admitted to the university.
• Once you submit an application, you will begin receiving email communications from undergraduate admissions, including a link to your personal Application Tracker. Please watch for and save this email because after your transcript evaluation is complete following admission, a full list of all the transfer credits that will apply to your Illinois Tech major will be available for viewing in your Application Tracker.
• Your transfer credits may also be viewed in your student portal, and will be utilized by your faculty adviser in order to help determine which courses you should register in your first semester at Illinois Tech.

When should I apply as a transfer student?

It is recommended that transfer students apply for admission at least five or six months before the start of the term in which they intend to enroll. However, they may apply up to one year in advance. Please note that the completion of an associate's degree is not required for admission.

• Please view our application deadlines
• Don't wait for the deadline—apply early. If admitted, you will still need to complete a number of steps including attending an orientation, connecting with your faculty academic adviser, registering for classes, getting your books, deciding upon housing, and more.

Is there an application fee?

No. Illinois Tech does not charge an application fee. It is free to apply for undergraduate admission.

I applied to Illinois Tech previously and was not admitted. Can I apply again?

Yes. You are welcome to reapply to a different major, or to the same major for a future term, as long as you also submit updated transcripts showing additional progress toward the successful completion of courses relevant to your intended major.
 

I attended Illinois Tech previously as a degree-seeking student. Am I a transfer student or a readmission student?

• You will not be considered a transfer student. Instead, you will need to be readmitted through the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs utilizing the Reinstatement Form.
• How can you enhance your application? Illinois Tech considers transfer students of high academic caliber with strong performance in courses relevant to your program of study for admission. In the application, we evaluate your academic standing, the rigor of coursework, and the sequencing of semesters. We also would like to hear why you think an education at Illinois Tech would help you pursue your academic and career goals and why you decided upon your major. We also are interested in learning how you may have overcome any challenges or struggles that might be reflected in your academic history. Be specific.

Must I complete an associate's degree before I transfer?

Illinois Tech does not require the completion of an associate’s degree before transfer, and instead will typically look for demonstrated success in courses relevant to the intended major. We strongly encourage prospective students to meet with an Illinois Tech transfer counselor at least once per semester to receive advising regarding which relevant courses should be taken to prepare for their intended major.

However, we do encourage students to consider the “reverse transfer” option at your current school if you decide to transfer before your associate’s degree completion, and also to utilize Transferology or our published transfer credit guides when selecting courses prior to transfer. Please feel free to consult with our transfer team at transfer@iit.edu for more information about this or about the reverse transfer option.

Don't wait until all of your community college courses are complete to transfer: You will want to apply early—a minimum of five or six months before the term in which you plan to transfer. The Office of Undergraduate Admission will evaluate your application based on the coursework you have already completed. You will also be required to submit a final transcript if you complete any other courses after you are admitted, including after your current semester grades are posted.

Why do I need to submit course descriptions? What are the guidelines?

All admitted students who previously attended a college/university outside of the United States must submit course descriptions for their foreign transcripts. Illinois Tech requires course descriptions for foreign transcripts in order to move forward with the transfer credit evaluation. A student's transcripts (including U.S. transcripts) will not be evaluated until the course descriptions for the students' foreign transcripts are received.

Each course description should include the title of the course, course number (if available), and a brief description of the course detailing the material taught. Please submit the course descriptions as a single Microsoft Word or PDF document to ugaprocessing@iit.edu. Do not submit course syllabi. If you do not plan to receive transfer credit from your foreign institution(s), then please email your counselor or admission@iit.edu to let us know so that we can move forward with the transfer credit evaluation for your U.S. institutions (if applicable).

I submitted my application. What comes next?

Once you have applied you may view the status of your application in your Application Tracker, which will be sent to you in a confirmation email. Your application will be reviewed once all transcripts are received.

Once your application is complete, you will receive an admission decision within approximately two weeks. You may easily check your Application Tracker to see if we have received your transcripts or other required documents. If it reads "Complete," this means we received your documents. However, if your Application Tracker reads "In Progress," this means we have not yet received your documents. It typically takes up to a week for documents to arrive and be attached to your application.

Merit scholarships are automatically offered at time of admission, but in order to receive a full award package you will need to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Illinois Tech FAFSA code: 001691). Finally, please remember that select scholarships require materials in addition to your admission application.

When will I hear a decision after submitting my application?

• Typically, transfer applicants will be notified of their admission decision within approximately two  weeks after applying, as long as all outstanding transcripts have been received by this time. Otherwise, the decision will be on hold until any missing documents arrive.
• However, if you are an incoming transfer student currently in your first semester of college, we strongly recommend applying after you complete your first-term courses so the grades you have earned can be included in your application for admission. The admission review committee will need these grades in order to evaluate your level of readiness for your intended major at Illinois Tech.

How do I register for courses upon admission?

Once you send your deposit you will be assigned a faculty adviser who will provide a PIN number so you can register for courses. The notification regarding your adviser will be sent by email 24-48 hours after you submit your enrollment deposit.

Can I defer to a future term after I have been accepted?

If you need to defer to a future term, a deposit is required first to hold your space and lock in your scholarship awards. The deadline to defer to a future term is five days before classes begin in the semester for which you were admitted. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for details. You can request a deferral using your Application Tracker.

How many years/semesters will I need to attend Illinois Tech to complete my degree after I transfer?

The length of time required to complete your degree will depend upon a number of factors, including:

• How many transfer credits you have completed that apply to your current major
• The total number of credits required by the individual major or academic program you are pursuing
• Whether you are planning to be a full- or part-time student
• Whether you complete prerequisites prior to when required courses are offered
• Whether you register for required courses in a timely fashion, based upon your faculty adviser's recommendation, and then continued adherence to the graduation plan your adviser has prepared for you