Transferring - askastudent

admissions, Transferring, UTSC

who plants flowers in a sandbox

May 16, 2025

First year uni transfer student here. I was curious what UTSC actually cares about when looking at transfer students? Is it the cgpa (x/4) or my last years average (xx%)? Also I was just curious what the status update from “application under review” to “application under review by faculty/division” meant… is there even a difference or have my hopes been squandered like a flower in a child’s sandbox?.

P.s. thank you aska!!!

hey there,

thank you for the thank you!

so no, i don’t think your hopes have been squandered like a flower in a child’s sandbox, though i rock with the way you put that. i think your hopes still have a chance at life! don’t you dare let anyone kill them.

in fact, let me pull out my nonexistent CPR skills and revive them, right here, right now.

because there is still hope for your application. the status update from “application under review” to “application under review by faculty/division” basically means that your application is moving through the system. so now, it’s under review by the faculty you applied for — and that is good news! yippee.

but what does UTSC look for when reviewing your application?

officially, they say here that they look at your complete academic record, with more emphasis on your most recent year of full-time study. they also say they look at both your academic and non-academic credentials, depending on your program.

but honestly i’m not sure if they look at your cgpa or your percent average. i’d say it’s safer to assume that they’ll look at both? all they actually tell us is that they look at your complete academic record — there’s nothing i can find that gets more specific than that.

beyond that, they will likely look closest at relevant subjects for the program you’re applying for. this might mean they even look at some of your high school marks, if you didn’t take anything on the subject in uni. for example, if you applied to statistics, they would probably pay the most attention to any calculus and functions courses that you’ve taken, whether that be in high school or first year university.

finally if you’re worried because you’re still waiting to hear a response right now, just know that the people reviewing your application might still be waiting to receive your final marks from this past uni semester. the semester did just end, and not everyone’s marks are out yet.

so not all hope is lost! according to this page, decision letters go out from january to may, and the month of may is not over yet.

anyways, good luck with everything, my friend. hope you enjoyed my live demonstration of CPR.

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, internal transfer, Transferring

this or that: transfer or transfer

July 31, 2023

Hi, my goal is to study architecture at UofT and unfortunately I didn’t get accepted. The only program open at UofT when I got my rejection was the visual and performance arts program at UofT Scarborough. My question is do you think it’s smart to go into that program in my first year and then do an internal transfer ? Or should I go to TMU for an undeclared program and so an external transfer? How can I make sure I will get accepted if I transfer?

Have you ever heard about a similar situation? What was the outcome?

hey there,

this sounds like a tough decision. well… good thing i’m here, right?

1. internal vs. external transfer

i haven’t heard of situations too similar to yours, but i have heard of many people doing internal transfers between campuses at uoft. and, take this with a grain of salt, but i’m assuming it would be easier to transfer internally since you will already have been accepted to uoft. especially since they have your transcript already and all your records. and in terms of anecdotal advice, people have said that transferring in from another university is very difficult and strict (harder than admission straight out of high school).

2. how can i make sure i will get accepted if i transfer?

while there’s no way to make sure you get accepted in a transfer, you can make your application stronger and more competitive. for an internal transfer: you can read about admissions from UTSC to the st. george campus here. admission decisions are based on your CGPA, and will depend on whether or not program prerequisites, grade requirements and any other admission requirements have been met. people have said that this application process is not difficult, as long as your grades are fine. though uoft doesn’t give out an exact number, i think if your GPA is above a 3.0, you should be good. in the worst case, people who didn’t get in wrote a letter to appeal the decision, and it worked.

for an external transfer: admission consideration is based on your overall academic record and your most recent annual average. competitive students normally have a solid ‘B’ average in their university studies (though this really depends on the program).

in the end though, for something like this, advice from a fellow student probably won’t cut it. i can’t make a call on what is smart to do just based on your question, as i don’t know the full picture or what would work for you. if you wanted to push for program-specific answers, get in touch with the admissions office in the faculty of architecture. their email is: undergraduate (at) daniels (.) utoronto (.) ca . someone on the inside there might actually be really helpful, don’t hesitate to just ask!

and overall, talk to the people in your life about what makes most sense for you. i’m sure it will all work out, keep your head up! wishing you all the best. (also, thanks for the patience with this answer).

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska 2 Comments
credits, polisci, transfer credits, Transferring

ur not special (said in solidarity)

May 5, 2023

Hi aska, I’m a transfer student from UTSC and I only took 4 credits thinking it was full time but apparently 5 credits is full time — im gonna take some courses for english and PoliSci in the summer (I took POL101 and 106 to make the FCE) so I can get into the Polisci post and get access to 200 level English courses. I’m planning to take summer courses for my whole 4 years — would it be possible for me to graduate in 4 years even with the transfer (and credits that are now just extra/breadth) and the only 80% courseload in year 1? Thanks!

hi bestie,

trying to graduate in 4 years after taking an 80% courseload in first year? sorry bro, but. you’re not special.

i think you have a chance here, assuming i understand your situation right and haven’t lost my marbles yet. overall, you need to check off completion requirements in two areas to graduate: degree requirements, and program requirements. using degree explorer is a great way to check your current status on the requirements in both of these areas.

technically, 4 credits per year is a full time course load, since 3 is the minimum to be a full time student according to the academic calendar. but, it’s true that it is recommended to take 5 credits per year to complete the minimum of 20.0 credits within 4 years. with that said, i know several people who take 4 credits during the school year and then take 1 credit during the summer to make up for it, adding up to 5 credits per year. depending on how many courses you take, it could be possible to complete 20 credits by your fourth year—during the summer, there is a max of 1 credit (2 courses) per term, so you could complete 2 credits through the 2 summer terms. if you do that each summer as you’re planning to, that would help a lot.

meanwhile, you should also keep track of what courses you need to complete for your polisci program. here, i can’t give you specific advice since i don’t know what courses you’ve taken towards your degree.

overall, it’s hard for me to say anything definite on your situation since your timeline here is a bit unclear and i’m not sure how many transfer credits you have. i would highly recommend that you visit your registrar to get a more specific answer, and spend some time mapping things out with them.

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
internal transfer, Transferring

goodbye uoft, hello… uoft

March 1, 2023

I am an internal transfer student and I have accepted my offer. The conditions are: have CGPA above 2.7 and maintain my current academic standing and if I am currently enroll, do not have any misconduct notes on my final transcript. My question is I dropped 2 winter session courses after I accepted my offer since I don’t need them anymore. I still have 4 winter session courses left. Is this action going to affect my offer?

hey there,

if those are all the conditions on your offer, i’d say you’re in the clear. there aren’t any specific requirement on courseload in the uoft internal transfer criteria in the first place, and although they might’ve considered that during admissions in a more ~holistic~ way, i doubt that even uoft would be petty enough to go back and check that after you’ve been accepted.

No Ones Gonna Know No One Will Find Out GIFfrom No Ones Gonna Know GIFs

the only scenario that i think might possibly be problematic is if you dropped a course that was a required prereq for entering the program you applied to, since you do need the required high school or university prereqs to transfer. but i’d assume that’s not the case since you said you don’t need those courses anymore. so basically, you’re freeee! take the offer and run! they can’t possibly take it back – unless your cgpa drops and/or your academic standing changes, so just be careful of that.

Run With Joy Rejoice GIFfrom Run With Joy GIFs

good luck!

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
computer science, subject POST, Transferring

chasin the cs dream

January 26, 2023

I am a first year international student who bombed in-stream cs class so I’ll be kicked out of stream. I have anxiety disorder and this term has been too rough for me, especially due to not being able to make good connection with my classmates. I feel so sad I literally cry every time I think about it. Should I transfer to another university. Cuz I can not stay sane due to my workload. I was convinced myself that I’ll be super happy not being a cs major but now I see that cs is what I want to do

hey there,

really sorry to hear that things have been rough. the first thing that i’d urge you to do (if you haven’t already) is to visit your registrar or book an appointment with them – transferring is a big decision to make so it’d be best to get some personalized advice, and if you decide to stay at uoft, your registrar can help make sure you get the supports and accomodations you need.

the second thing is – rather specific, actually – if by chance you go to utsc, there might actually be a workaround for your case, because utsc cs stream students get a chance to redo first year cs courses for better grades to stay in the program (lucky you) – except for MATA31 (if that’s the course you did poorly on, well… unlucky you).

at utsg and utm, you’d have to reapply for cs programs from out-of-stream. in fact, if you’re at utm you’d only be eligible for the cs minor – the major and specialist are for cs stream students only.

if you decide to give this a shot, it’ll be really important to get on top of your game academically and sort out the kinds of things that went wrong last semester, for example by getting accomodations from accessibility services, mental health support, or taking fewer courses if you can.

honestly, considering the competitiveness of out-of-stream cs post, it’s going to be tough and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in. if you decide to give it a try, i’d say that you should be prepared for the possibility of ending up in a non-cs program. for example, you could do a cs minor, which is typically less competitive, along with other majors/minors in different subjects. or you could look into cs-related programs like cognitive science at utsg, which does include a few csc courses and is also relatively less competitive.

The Situation Jershey Shore GIFfrom The Situation GIFs

if you’re sure that you’re really only interested in cs, you can definitely look into transferring. for example, there are plenty of other canadian university/colleges with cs programs that may accept transfer students. if you find a program that you meet the requirements for and also seems like a good fit, then i’d say go for it! i mean, sure, uoft’s got the ~clout and prestige~ but there are plenty of other unis with great cs programs that can also prepare you with the knowledge/experience you need.

i will say, even though uoft gets the reputation of being so hard compared other canadian unis, that’s not necessarily true. transferring gives you a second chance, but it won’t be a magic button to fix everything because chances are, cs is gonna be challenging at any school. so, regardless of where you end up, what’s really important is to reflect on your experiences and make sure to get all the skills, strategies and support systems you need.

all the best,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering, Transferring

so you wanna be an engineer

November 10, 2022
I’m a utsc student in my 2nd year (social science), i wanna transfer to engineering at St. George, how hard would that be? Is it possible to still graduate in 4 years if I do that? What would the process be? Really appreciate the help!

hey there,

so the good news is, it’s definitely possible to do that, and you might be able to get some transfer credits too, especially for electives.

Sheldon Bigbangtheory GIFfrom Sheldon GIFs

the kinda bad news is that since you’re not in engineering already, you’d have to transfer into first year engineering (more info here), so unless you’re really keen, it’d be really hard to graduate in four years total.

in terms of the process, since you’re already a uoft student, you’d have to apply for an internal transfer on this portal. it looks like your application is based on your transcript and a supplemental application for things like extracurriculars, and apparently you need:

a mid-B average (around 3.0+ gpa)

high school prereqs for engineering (or university equivalents)

unfortunately i don’t have personal experience with transfering, but engineering is a pretty competitive program and transfers can be especially hard to get. if you really want to get into the nitty gritty, a bit of snooping around led me to this report where you can see the number of applicants and offers for uoft engineering undergrad each year (pg 8-9 of the pdf) and it does not look pretty. if you’ve got the prereqs, a good gpa and extracurriculars, it’s definitely worth a shot, but you could also look into alternatives like eng programs at other unis to get some more options.

Good Luck Cheers GIFfrom Good Luck GIFs

good luck!

aska
Read More

aska No Comments
Transferring, UTM

seeya sauga

October 12, 2022

Hello, I got refused from uoft art and science. And got admitted to UTM physical and chemical science. But the major I want do is not offer at UTM. Is there any chance that I transfer to uoft art and science. If yes what should I do, like would it matter the courses I’ll take in my first year at UTM? Please help. And thanks ?

hey there,

yup, you can definitely transfer to uoft artsci after first year. you’ll have to apply as an internal applicant on ouac. just so you know, the application deadline for early consideration is november 7th and the final deadline is january 12th next year.

it looks like the main criteria for transferring is your gpa (what else is new) and you should aim for at least a 2.7 cgpa, which is around a B average. you’ll also need the high school and university (first year) prerequisites for the program you’re interested in.

one possibly good thing is that as an internal transfer, you can carry over some of the courses you’ve completed at utm so that they go towards your uoft artsci degree — these are called “retained credits”. the confusing part of all this is that there isn’t actually any firm guideline out there on which utm courses correspond to uoft artsci courses, so you’ll have to do some guesswork.

Qui A Partagévos Photos De Vacances Sur Internet GIFfrom Qui A Partagévos Photos GIFs

i’d recommend looking up the uoft artsci major(s) that you’re interested in and checking out the required first year courses. if you see any utm courses in the “exclusions” section of the course description, that usually means that they have similar content or overlaps with the course you’re looking at, and there’s a good chance that they’ll count as a retained credit for your transfer. you can also try to pick courses that match the timeframes of the utsg courses you’re interested in, like picking full year Y courses versus semestered S or F courses.

of course, you don’t have to load up on all the courses for your future major in order to transfer, the most important thing is probably keeping a good gpa and taking the prerequisites you need for POSt.

anyways, i hope that helps. best of luck!

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
GPA, Transferring

gpa is forever (mostly)

October 4, 2022

Hi,

I was wondering if gpa resets when you transfer within campuses at uoft? let’s say i transferred from utsc to utsg, will my gpa reset or remain the same?

hey there,

so first of all i know this is really late….. i’m sorry!! but i’m BACK and i am here to stay.

now onto your actual question: it depends. you actually can get a gpa “reset” if you transfer into utsg artsci from some other faculties at uoft. your transfer credits would not have any marks associated with them, and they can still count towards part of your degree or program requirements.

Im Not The Person I Once Was James Saito GIFfrom Im Not The Person I Once Was GIFs

BUT the catch is, utm, utsc, and daniels faculty don’t count. if you transfer from a different campus or daniels and go into utsg artsci, your previous courses will be “retained credits” and they will be part of your cgpa. and no, you cannot refuse these retained credits. 🙁 … or maybe 🙂 if you’re really happy about your marks so far i guess.

all the best,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
internal transfer, Transferring

come to the dark side

August 21, 2022

I am a utsc student looking to transfer to utsg, and I only have 4.0 credits with a decent gpa. I also took most of my courses here at utsg, so I just wanna ask does the university look at how many courses you have taken when considering transfer, and what are my odds.

hi there,

from what i’ve seen, gpa is the main factor for transferring campuses. courseload doesn’t seem to matter much (if at all) based on what i’ve been able to find after 30 solid minutes of googling, ctr-f-ing and opening way too many tabs, so i think you’re safe there. overall, if your cgpa is decent enough to pass utsg’s cutoff of a 2.7 or B average, i think it’s definitely worth a shot!

Go For It GIFfrom Go For It GIFs

(i have no clue why there’s a gif specifically of motivational jane goodall in front of a uoft banner, but hey, it works)

as for your odds, well, only the admissions officers really know that. but if you’d like some guidance through this whole process, i’d suggest getting in touch with your registrar!

good luck,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, conditional offer, Transferring

i am once again asking you to ask enrolment services

August 3, 2022

[Asking for a Friend] He’s a transfer student from UK and failed a course during his spring term. Will his admission offer be revoked by UT? Is there any way to prevent this?

hi there,

Queen Elizabeth The Second England GIFfrom Queen Elizabeth The Second GIFs

so… i’m a bit confused. is your friend in high school and transferred from the uk to canada? is he transfering to uoft from a university in the uk? or neither? i have so many questions.

anyway, i’ll just assume it’s one of those two… if your friend’s in a canadian high school (although similar criteria apply for international schools, like in the uk), it’s possible that his offer will be revoked, especially if the course is a prerequisite for the program he was accepted for.

conditional offers made before your final marks are out will usually have requirements to maintain your marks, but they can be super vague. unfortunately, i can’t say if uoft will rescind his offer but i’d recommend contacting enrolment services directly to ask, if you haven’t heard from them already.

if the offer gets rescinded, your friend might be able to further explain his situation to the admissions office to see if any exceptions can be made, or if they would accept a retake of the course in summer school, private school, or any other options available to him.

if your friend’s transferring from a university/college, the failed course could also be an issue since conditional offers for transfers do emphasize your cgpa and overall academic performance. again, prerequisites probably matter the most, but you’d also have to pass the cgpa cutoff which is generally around a B average, according to the requirements. to be safe though, i’d still recommend asking enrolment services.

Bernie Sanders Opinion GIFfrom Bernie Sanders GIFs

it might seem like i’m just outsourcing every other question to enrolments services at this point, which… well. just trust me, they know best.

good luck (to your friend, that is) and hope that helps!

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
Transferring

i do not know!

July 12, 2021

hello! if i transfer from york biomed to utm life sci, I understand not all of my credits will transfer, or will either transfer as half a credit. I read somewhere that i may need to take an extra year to compensate for my missing credits, however i really want to avoid doing so and would love to complete my undergrad in just 4 years! are there ways i can complete all my credits in time?

———————————————

hi there,

thank you for your patience with this answer!

unfortunately, it’s a bit tough for me to gauge your situation because i don’t have access to your academic history. i don’t even know what year you’re transferring out of!

i’d recommend that you try getting in touch with both an academic advisor at york and an admissions officer at UTM. they’d likely be better able to answer your questions — i’m sure other prospective students have been in your situation.

but in terms of strategies to keep your degree within four years, you can always take summer classes if that’s something you’re open to. at u of t, you can take a maximum of 2.0 FCEs over the summer (four courses). if you have a high enough CGPA, you can also petition for a course overload, which will allow you take more courses than the usual limit (6.0 FCEs in the fall/winter, 2.0 FCEs in the summer). i can’t say for sure whether these strategies will allow you to complete your degree within four years, though — that’s something you’ll need to do the math on yourself.

i hope this provided a bit of clarity! good luck with your decision.

be Boundless,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
colleges, innis, Transferring

innis LOVES you

April 2, 2021

Hi! I was just wondering, is it possible to switch colleges? I’m a first year in Vic right now, and I find that the resources (i.e. the writing centre) is much better at Innis. Just not sure if this is possible though. Thank you.

——————————————
hey there,

it is in fact possible to switch colleges! if you check out this webpage, click the “new students” drop down menu, and look for the “can i switch my college affiliation?” question, you’ll find the info about that there.

the tl:dr of it is that you have to submit a letter to the registrar explaining why you want to transfer colleges. i’ve heard that these transfers aren’t easily granted, so make sure the reasons you cite are legitimate.

i’d actually recommend giving the registrar’s front desk a call, so you can briefly explain some of your reasons and ask for advice on drafting the letter. you might be more successful that way.

i hope this helps, and good luck with transferring should you choose to move forward!

be Boundless,
aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, internal transfer, transcripts, Transferring

someone’s jumping ship from utm or utsc

December 21, 2019

hey do you know if i need transcripts (from uoft and/or high school) to apply for an internal transfer to utsg?

——————————————

hey friend,

i started an ouac internal application myself to figure this out for you, so here’s hoping they don’t actually hold me to finishing this lol, i am happy where i am.

under the ‘transcript requests’ section of the application, you will be required to have transcripts sent directly from whatever your high school was, as well as from your current u of t campus. this u of t website also says that yes, they will be looking at your full academic history to evaluate your application.

hope this helped and best of luck with your internal application!

be Boundless and have a good winter break,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments