Transfer admissions
Earlham offers a personal college experience in Richmond, Indiana, a Midwestern city with a rich heritage of music, culture and architecture. We also have access to bigger cities — Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Dayton are just an hour away — for major league sports, concerts and career-discerning opportunities to complete your college experience.
Earlham could be the place for you to transfer and transform. For good.
We invite you to apply through the Common Application.
Start your adventure
Discover all that Earlham has to offer — and all you have to offer Earlham.
Steps to begin your Epic journey
Prepare to apply
Important dates, to-do’s and information you need to know to make your application process seamless.
Complete your application
A walk-through of our application and all the materials you need to be considered for admittance.
What’s next?
There are a few things you can do while our admissions team is reviewing your application.
Are you an Ivy Tech student?
Graduates of Ivy Tech Community College can now transfer to Earlham College and earn a bachelor’s degree in as little as two years.
Ivy Tech students who have earned an associate degree in biology, chemistry, computer science, business administration, psychology or human services can transfer to Earlham as juniors knowing every credit they have taken will count toward their degree requirements.
Applicable degrees
Step 1: Prepare to apply
Important dates, to-do’s and information you need to know to make your application process seamless.
Earlham welcomes applications from students who have successfully completed courses while enrolled at another post-secondary institution but have not yet earned a four-year degree. Most transfer candidates are admitted for the fall semester, but transfer candidates may also begin their studies at Earlham in the spring semester.
Academic preparation
Earlham expects transfer candidates to be in good standing at their current college or university.
Other decision-making factors
At Earlham, we take a holistic approach to our applicants, looking beyond the classroom when reviewing applications. When provided, we take into consideration leadership experience, extracurricular involvement, community service and work experience.
FAFSA deadlines
- Application available: October 1
- Application deadline: FAFSA forms must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. central time (CT) on June 30, 2023. Any corrections or updates must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on Sept. 10, 2023.
Financial aid received from your prior institution does not “carry over” to Earlham College. The financial aid application process simply starts anew. Contact Earlham’s Office of Financial Aid for further information.
Learn more about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Fall semester deadlines
- Application due: June 1
- Admittance decision: within two weeks
- Deposit due: June 15
Spring semester deadlines
- Application due: December 15
- Admittance decision: within two weeks
- Deposit due: January 1
We have more than 40 majors and specialized programs that are a natural place to transfer your current credits, including art, biology, global management (business), chemistry, data science, neuroscience, psychology and social work.
A nationally ranked liberal arts college can be affordable. From scholarships and grants to loans and student employment, we award multiple types of aid to qualifying students.
New incoming students can transfer up to 60 college-level credits to Earlham, which includes transfer credit and advanced credits earned through dual enrollment programs or awarded on the basis of scores earned on the Advanced Placement (AP) test and International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations. Every student must complete a minimum of 60 credits at Earlham in order to satisfy the graduation residency requirement at Earlham College.
Note: Grades do not transfer and do not affect your Earlham GPA.
Earlham College transfers credit on a course-by-course basis using the following guidelines:
- The coursework falls within the scope of a liberal arts curriculum
- You have received a grade of C or better
- An official transcript is received by the Office of the Registrar directly from a fully accredited college or university after the coursework is completed
- A course description and syllabus are provided to the Registrar upon request.
If a current student decides to take courses at another college/university, only up to 16 can be transferred.
Step 2: Complete your application
You’re on your way to becoming an Earlhamite! The following information will walk you through our application and all the materials you need to be considered for admittance.
| Application Form | Apply through the Common Application. |
| Application Essay/Transfer Statement | An essay about your reasons for transferring is included with your application. In some cases, we may require an additional writing sample. |
| Transcripts | Official college transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended. If you are in your first year of college, we also need your high school transcript. |
| College Report | The College Report collects information about your standing at your current institution. You may need to gather this information from more than one official at your institution, such as an adviser, dean or registrar. |
| Academic Evaluator Form | This can be completed by a faculty member of your choice. |
| Standardized Test Scores (Optional) | Earlham has a “test-optional” policy which means applicants are not required to submit any standardized test scores. Should you choose to submit your scores, our SAT code is 1195 and our ACT code is 1186. We will also accept a printout/download/photo of your test score report for now but will need an official copy before classes start in August. |
| Mid-term report (optional) | This is available on the Common Application website. The mid-term report indicates the college classes that are in progress and your current overall grade in each class, verified by your professors. This is not required to complete your application. However, a member of the Admission Committee may request this of you as your application is reviewed. |
An essay about your reasons for transferring is included in your application. In some cases, we may require an additional writing sample.
Once you complete all the steps above and collected the necessary items, you’re ready to apply! And, don’t worry if you don’t have all the necessary items right now–our admissions team will work with you to complete your application.
Are you ready to start your journey with Earlham?
Once you have completed all the steps above and collected the necessary items, you’re ready to apply! And, don’t worry if you don’t have all the necessary items right now–our admissions team will work with you to complete your application.
Step 3: After you apply
While our admissions team is reviewing your application, there are a few things you can do. But you won’t have to wait long, we will make an admittance decision within 3 business days after receipt of your completed application.
No matter where you are in your college search, we invite you to visit and find out firsthand why Earlham College is consistently ranked as having one of the nation’s “best classroom experiences,” according to The Princeton Review.
We are actively implementing sanitization and safety measures including social distancing, requiring masks in all buildings, temperature checks and limiting reservation time slots for in-person visits to a maximum of four families.
Come and experience Earlham for yourself and plan your in-person or virtual visit today!
In addition, we’re happy to host you virtually on Zoom for an information session, campus tour and/or meeting with our professors, athletic coaches and other campus representatives.
Save the dates: Our 2021 admitted student events will be held on March 6, April 3 and April 10.
If after October 1, you can submit your FAFSA while the Earlham College admissions team is reviewing your application.
This is the perfect time to apply for scholarships. Check out these resources:
Earlham Office of Admissions on Facebook
Earlham Office of Admissions on Instagram
Earlham Office of Admissions on Twitter
There’s nothing like seeing it for yourself. See all Earlham has to offer!
Already admitted?
Congratulations, we are so excited to have you as part of the Earlham community! Before you can start your classes, you’ll need to confirm your enrollment by submitting a deposit, apply for housing and more. Sound like a lot? Don’t worry, we are here to help you.