Transfer To/From Trinity College

Enrolled Duke students can apply to transfer between the Pratt School of Engineering and the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

If you are a Duke student taking time away from Duke, you may apply for readmission and transfer to Trinity via the Office of Student Returns.

Applications to transfer are considered at the end of each semester once final grades are reported. Deadlines and processes for applying to transfer are described below.

Deadlines

• For spring transfer: Dec. 15
  
• For fall transfer: May 15

Process

There are three required components of the transfer process and they are intended to be completed sequentially. Each school transfer process is described in detail below. Please note, that the completion of these steps may take at least a week—and possibly longer depending on how soon you will be able to secure appointments.

It is advised that you begin your transfer process outside of the pre-registration times due to the high volume of advising appointments that occur during that time. Late applications will not be considered until the subsequent semester deadline. Applications without documented completion of Steps 1 and 2 will not be considered.

Important Notice: Trinity students applying to Pratt must complete all Trinity academic requirements until they are accepted by Pratt.  Trinity students who do not fulfill the First Year Seminar requirement because they plan to transfer to Pratt after their first year will be required to complete a seminar at Duke during the summer if they are not admitted to Pratt. Students who do not complete a seminar during the summer will not be eligible to return for the fall semester. Questions about this should be directed to your academic dean.

Pratt-to-Trinity Transfer

1. Meet with your Pratt Academic Dean
2. Meet with Ms. Jen Hoff, Senior Advising Associate, Academic Advising Center (if transferring as a current 2nd semester student, or later)
3. Apply online

STEP ONE:  MEET WITH YOUR ACADEMIC DEAN

ALL students must meet with their assigned academic dean first. Schedule an appointment by calling 919-660-5996, or use your dean's online schedule link.  Your dean will review the general education requirements for Trinity, highlight the differences between the two schools and review the transfer process and timeline during your meeting. Based on the information provided in your meeting, your dean will advise you on the next step to take for transfer to Trinity.

STEP TWO:  MEET WITH THE ACADEMIC ADVISING CENTER

Transferring In the First Semester

Students are only allowed to transfer at the end of their first semester as an Undeclared major.  If you are in your first semester, and not a Transfer student from another institution, you may proceed to Step Three after your meeting with your Academic Dean. (If you are a 1st-semester transfer student from another institution, you should follow the instructions for transferring as a 2nd- or 3rd-semester student.)

Once your transfer is processed at the end of the current semester, you will be assigned a college advisor who will work with you until you are ready to declare your major.  Pratt students who transfer to Trinity after their first semester, are required to satisfy the Trinity 1st YR Seminar requirement in their second semester.  Students who do not will be held to Trinity policy regarding the 1st YR Seminar requirement. 

Transferring In 2nd or 3rd Semester

Schedule a meeting with the Senior Advising Associate, Ms. Jen Hoff, in the Academic Advising Center by using this link.  If you can't find a time that will work for you, you can email her directly at jen.hoff@duke.edu. When you meet with Ms. Hoff, you should discuss your interests and goals to help identify courses that would be appropriate for you to explore.  Having a major in mind is certainly not necessary, but it is helpful to come as prepared as possible to this meeting in order to have a productive discussion.

Transferring in 4th Semester or Later

Because you are transferring as a 4th semester (or more) student, you are required to complete a preliminary four-year plan (What If Report) at the time of transfer.  This is necessary in order to declare your major. Completing the What If Report requires you to do some preparatory work—checking out major requirements on the department/program website, and if necessary, meeting with your prospective major’s Director of Undergraduate Studies to confirm whether you can complete your prospective major. 

Once you’ve completed the What If Report, schedule a meeting with the Senior Advising Associate, Ms. Jen Hoff, in the Academic Advising Center by using this link, or emailing jen.hoff@duke.edu.  This meeting is to discuss any specific questions you have about Trinity requirements and to review your What If to confirm that you will meet your Trinity general education requirements. If you have any questions about completing the What If Report please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Hoff prior to your meeting for assistance. 

STEP THREE:  APPLY ONLINE

Once you've completed Step 1 and, if required, Step 2, then you will receive an email with a link to the application.  All applications to transfer must be submitted online by the following deadlines:

• For spring transfer: Dec. 15
  
• For fall transfer: May 15

Important Notice: Transfer applications are not processed until after the application deadline. You will remain in the Pratt School of Engineering until applications are processed after the stated deadline. If you do not complete step two, you have not completed the transfer process and will therefore not be processed.

Trinity-to-Pratt Transfer

STEP ONE:  MEET WITH A PRATT ACADEMIC DEAN

All students will transfer as undeclared and be able to declare their major after the first year. Schedule an appointment with your future academic dean by emailing them. Identify your future dean in the chart below, by the first letter of your last name:

During your meeting, your dean will review the requirements for Pratt, highlight the differences between the two schools, inform you about the timeline and process, and discuss specific information about departmental curricula.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  A Trinity student who transfers to Pratt at the end of their first fall semester, and then transfers back to Trinity at the end of the first spring semester will be required to complete the First Year Seminar requirement.

STEP TWO:  APPLY ONLINE

Once you've completed Step 1, you will receive an email with a link to the application.  All applications to transfer must be submitted online by the following deadlines:

• For spring transfer: Dec. 15
  
• For fall transfer: May 15

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Transfer applications are not processed until after the application deadline.  You will remain in Trinity College until applications are proccessed after the stated deadline.  Finally, if you do not complete step three, you have not completed the transfer process and will therefore not be processed. 

Updated August 31, 2023