For Admitted Transfer Students

Welcome, transfer students!

We are happy you have chosen to join the Bucknell community. Continuing your academic journey at a new institution is an exciting opportunity, and we hope these resources will help you quickly connect and make you feel at home.

Below is some brief information to help you get started. Please refer to the contact list at the bottom of the page if you have any additional questions or need assistance — our faculty and staff are always glad to help you.

Campus Life

Fully decorated single dorm room

Housing

On-campus

Bucknell is a residential university and requires students to live on campus unless they meet certain criteria. Students are generally housed by class year. When you transfer to Bucknell, you will be a second semester first-year student, a sophomore or a junior. Depending upon your preferences and the availability of spaces, you will be assigned to a first-year, sophomore or junior/senior community.

Bucknell offers several options for on-campus living, including traditional shared and private rooms and apartment-style housing. Housing at Bucknell is designed for individual students; we are unable to accommodate students' partners, spouses or children in our residential spaces. Married students with children may pursue off-campus housing options.

More information about housing

We also offer an affinity house program, which allows students to live in small houses focused on a particular theme or interest. As a transfer student, you are eligible to request to join one of the affinity programs if there is space available.

More information about affinity housing

After you have accepted admission to Bucknell, you may indicate your housing preferences and apply for campus housing through our myHOME (login required). Instructions for setting up the Bucknell credentials you'll need to log in are included in your acceptance materials.

Off-campus

Each year, a limited number of seniors may apply for permission to live off-campus. However there are some circumstances in which students are allowed to live off-campus without obtaining University approval. These include new students who are age 23 and older; students who are from the local Lewisburg area and residing with family; students who are married; and students who have children.

More information about off-campus living

Dining

Bucknell offers a variety of dining options on campus, with freshly prepared menu selections that meet a wide range of tastes and dietary needs. A dining plan is required for all students residing on campus. Dining plans are optional for those living off-campus.

More information on dining services

Parking

Sophomore, junior and senior students are permitted to bring a car to Bucknell. You must purchase a permit to park on campus.

More information on parking

ID Cards

You will use your Bucknell student ID card (BUID) to access your residence hall, do laundry, purchase food in University dining facilities, attend sporting events, shop in downtown Lewisburg and more. You'll need to upload a photo of your BUID.

More information on ID cards

Meeting Your Community

Orientation Assistants look welcoming during move-in day.

New Student Orientation

We are eager to introduce you to all that Bucknell has to offer! There will likely be some similarities to your previous institution, but also very real differences. In our multi-day New Student Orientation program for students who enter in the fall, you will learn about resources tailored to your needs and meet other transfer students.

For those entering in the spring, January Transfer Orientation is typically held on the Friday or Sunday before classes begin as a one-day session, which is followed by a social gathering for transfer students in the first or second week of classes.

Learn about Orientation

Getting Involved

Bucknell offers more than 200 student organizations on campus. In addition, the Bucknell Transfer Student Association connects and supports transfer students. An activities fair to meet all of the clubs and organizations will be held early in the fall.

Explore clubs and organizations

Accommodations Requests

All University accommodations, whether for academic or ADA needs, are made through the Office of Accessibility Resources. To apply for accommodations, you must register with the office and schedule a follow-up meeting to discuss your needs.

Accommodation information

Academics

Students gathered to discuss the first year reading

Advising and Course Registration

Bucknell is organized into three colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College Engineering and the Freeman College of Management. As a transfer student, you will be admitted to one of these colleges and assigned an adviser within the academic department of your major. Transfer students often work with both the academic associate dean for their college and a faculty adviser as they join our community.

Once the credits from your previous institution(s) have been evaluated and your graduation requirements and date determined, the Registrar's Office will send a personalized welcome packet to your Bucknell email with instructions for course registration. This will happen a few days after your enrollment deposit has been received.

  • College of Arts & Sciences:Your academic associate dean and possibly your adviser will be copied on the registrar's email to you. They will send you a follow-up email with further instructions. Please reach out to them if you do not receive this follow-up email within a week.
  • College of Engineering:Academic Associate Dean Terri Norton will email you after you receive the registrar's email. This message will include information about your department chair and academic adviser. Both Dean Norton and your department chair will be available to answer your questions about course advising and registration.
  • Freeman College of Management:Academic Support Specialist Leslie Velz will email you after you receive the registrar's email. She will advise you about your course registration and also provide you with the name of your Freeman Fellow student mentor who is available to offer guidance from a student perspective. Your faculty academic adviser will be assigned over the summer and available to meet with you when the fall semester begins.

Students entering in the fall will have the opportunity to make schedule adjustments in late August before fall classes begin.

Major, Class Year and Transfer Credits

As a transfer student, you bring a highly individualized experience based on your prior college coursework and degrees or certifications completed.

When you are offered admission to Bucknell, you will receive a summary of the minimum number of transfer credits you will receive if you enroll. Once you accept admission and submit your deposit, you'll receive an in-depth academic progress report (APR) that may take into account additional grades for courses you are taking at the time of your application to Bucknell. Your APR will reflect the official number of transfer credits.

Questions about how your transfer credits were determined may be directed to registrar@bucknell.edu. Questions about how your transfer credits can be used to satisfy your major/degree requirements should be directed to your academic adviser. If you have questions about meeting major requirements or academic progress, please contact your academic adviser and/or associate academic dean.

Meeting Your Professors

Transfer students entering in the fall will have the opportunity during the summer to communicate with their academic adviser. When you arrive on campus for New Student Orientation, you will have the chance to meet in person with your associate academic dean and your adviser.

If you will be entering Bucknell in the spring, you will communicate with your assistant academic dean and your adviser prior to your arrival. During spring orientation for transfer students, you will have the opportunity to meet with a representative from your college.

During the academic year, all Bucknell faculty offer office hours. They are always glad to welcome students who are new to the University community. As a transfer student, you have some experience with talking with professors, so don't be shy!

Study Abroad

Study abroad is highly encouraged for all students at Bucknell. Many students choose to study abroad for a semester during their junior year or first semester of their senior year. There are also summer short-term study abroad options.

Depending on your program of study and number of transferred credits, it may be possible for you to do a study abroad during the academic year or in a short-term summer program. If you are interested in studying abroad, please let your academic adviser know in your first meeting. You may also wish to speak with a global education adviser in the Office of Global and Off-Campus Education.

More Information

Advising, scheduling and academics:Contact your college's associate academic dean and/or your academic adviser.

College of Arts & Sciences
First-year spring transfer students or sophomores:
Dean Bethany Collier, bethany.collier@bucknell.edu
570-577-3293

Juniors:
Dean Rich Robbins
rlr024@bucknell.edu
570-577-3293

College of Engineering
Dean Terri Norton
terri.norton@bucknell.edu
570-577-1800

Freeman College of Management
Dean Ivy Kepner
ivy.kepner@bucknell.edu
570-577-2762

Housing:housing@bucknell.edu

Other questions:Please contact the First-year Experience Team at fye@bucknell.edu