External Transfer Students

Congratulations, once again, on being admitted to our program. We are delighted to welcome you to NYU and the MCC Department! 

Below you will find helpful information for a successful transfer to NYU.

Online Orientation

Please complete the Online Orientation Portal (if you haven’t already) by 11:59 AM EST on Wednesday, June 4 so that you can be cleared to register on June 9th. You should have received a personalized link to the portal last month from NYU Office of Steinhardt Student Affairs. 

It has a great deal of information regarding the MCC program of study, and covers everything you need to know about registering. You may also refer to our undergraduate advising handbook. 

Once you've completed the portal, your advising hold will be lifted, no later than June 8th. You will not be able to register until 9:00 AM EST on Monday, June 9th, regardless of when you complete the portal.

If you cannot access the portal, contact steinhardt.orientation@nyu.edu.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

The NYU Admissions team is responsible for uploading your completed transfer credit evaluation to your Albert portal. They will be doing this throughout the summer, but it may not be ready in time for registration. In order to best assist you for your registration, your advisor send you your MCC Program of Study via Google Sheets sent to your NYU email address only. The MCC Advising Team uses this to track your degree progress. You will see that some of it has been completed for you based on your Tentative Transfer Credit Evaluation. Please note that this is tentative and is subject to change based on approval from the Registrar.

You can use this to help you select your remaining electives and major requirements. You will go over your Program of Study in depth later in the semester. You may not share this document with a personal email address.

Your Program of Study

All MCC students receive a Google Sheet sent to their NYU email addresses called the Program of Study. This document is how you and your advisor will track your degree requirements. As a transfer student, your advisor will partially complete this document with the courses you've listed in the Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record System (STARS). Please note that this is tentative and is subject to change based on approval from the Registrar.

• If the cell is blank and shaded gray, you still need to complete this requirement.

• If the cell is white and filled in, you have completed this requirement.

It is your responsibility to fill out the program of study with classes you are enrolled in once you start at NYU. You and your advisor will discuss your individual Program of Study during New Student Seminar and any advising meetings that are scheduled.

Foreign Language Requirement

MCC students must complete 8 credits of a single foreign language (i.e. French I and French II) for graduation. Students must meet Elementary II level proficiency.

If you have no prior knowledge of another foreign language (i.e. fluency in English only), you will need to take 2 semesters of a single foreign language through Elementary II. For example, you will take Elementary Spanish I in the fall and Elementary Spanish II in spring. Upon completion of your language courses, your requirement will be fulfilled.

If you know another language, read on:

Students may be exempt from their Foreign Language requirement based on the following:

1. Completion of EXPOS-UA 3 (depending on placement), EXPOS-UA 4, and EXPOS-UA 9

   • If you have taken these courses, you are waived from the Foreign Language Requirement. The 8 credits of Foreign Language will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives. You will need to take at minimum 24 Liberal Arts Elective credits to graduate.

2. AP, IB, or A-Levels scores

   • AP: If you received a score of 4 or 5 on an AP language test, you have proven your proficiency to the Elementary II level. The remaining 4 credits of Foreign Language will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives. You will need to take at minimum 20 Liberal Arts Elective credits to graduate.

   • IB: If you received a score of 6 or 7 on an IB High Level language test, you have proven your proficiency to the Elementary II level. You will receive 8 credits towards the Foreign Language requirement. You do not need to take additional Liberal Arts Elective credits. 

   • A-Levels: If you received a score of B or higher on an A-Level language test, you have proven your proficiency to the Elementary II level. You will receive 8 credits towards the Foreign Language requirement. You do not need to take additional Liberal Arts Elective credits. 

I don't have any AP/IB/A-Levels scores and I didn't take EXPOS-UA 4 or 9, but I know another language! What should I do?

1. Take the online Placement Test in the language you know proficiently. This test is administered by CAS.

2.  Placement into Elementary [Language] II:

   • You will need to enroll in this course. Upon completion, your Foreign Language requirement has been met. The remaining 4 credits of Foreign Language will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives. You will need to take at minimum 20 Liberal Arts Elective credits to graduate.

3. Placement into Intermediate [Language] and above:

   • You will need to complete the in-person Exemption Exam.

4. The in-person Exemption Exam is administered by CAS. You will need to sign up for a proctored exam here. Please note that new exam dates will be posted throughout the year. 

5. If you receive a passing score, you will be exempt from the Foreign Language Requirement. The 8 credits of Foreign Language will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives. You will need to take at minimum 24 Liberal Arts Elective credits to graduate.

Steinhardt Writing Requirement and Proficiency

MCC Students must complete two writing courses (8 credits) or equivalent (based on transfer credit report) in order to graduate. As a transfer student, you may have taken writing courses from your previous university and transferred them to NYU. Great! However, there might be additional steps you need to take:

Step 1: Review your transfer credit report in Albert and note the following:

• How many transfer credits NYU accepted (NOT how many you took at your previous university)

• If you took a writing class or two that transfers back as ACE-UE 110 and/or EXPOS-UA 1

Step 2: Read the situations below and determine which track best fits your situation. If you have questions please contact your advisor.

Students who transferred in 1-21 credits from their previous university AND

1. Transferred in 0 writing courses

   • You need to enroll in EXPOS-UA 1. Upon completion of EXPOS-UA 1, your requirement will be fulfilled. The 4 credits of Writing will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives. 

2. Transferred in 1 writing course

   • You need to enroll in EXPOS-UA 1. Upon completion of EXPOS-UA 1, your requirement will be fulfilled. 

3. Transferred in 2 writing courses

   • Take the Writing Proficiency exam (you may have taken it over the summer). 

   • If you pass, then your requirement has been fulfilled. 

   • If you fail, then you need to enroll in EXPOS-UA 13.

Students who transfer in 21+ credits from their previous university AND

1. Transferred in 0 writing courses

   • Pick one:

     • Enroll in EXPOS-UA. Upon completion of EXPOS-UA 1, your requirement will be fulfilled. The 4 credits of Writing will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives. 

     • Take the Writing Proficiency Exam. If you pass, you submit a Writing Portfolio to waive 2 writing classes. Once that's approved, your 8 credits of Writing will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives.  

2. Transferred in 1 writing course

   • Pick one:

     • Enroll in EXPOS-UA 1.. Upon completion of EXPOS-UA 1, your requirement will be fulfilled. 

     • Take the Writing Proficiency Exam. If you pass, you submit a Writing Portfolio to waive 1 writing class. Once that's approved, your 4 credits of Writing will be replaced with your choice of Liberal Arts Electives.  

3. Transferred in 2 writing courses

   • Take the Writing Proficiency exam (you may have taken it over the summer). 

   • If you pass, then your requirement has been fulfilled. 

   • If you fail, then you need to enroll in EXPOS-UA 13.

** The Writing Proficiency Exam is administered online. If you need to take the exam, please contact the EWP Writing Proficiency Team at ewp-proficiency-exam@nyu.edu. ** 

** Details about accepted pieces of writing for the portfolio can be found below. You are required to submit two 5-10 page papers (double-spaced; about 1250-2500 words of text). 

To apply for this waiver, you must have extensive experience with academic writing, primarily in courses in the humanities, and you must be able to provide a portfolio of writing demonstrating this. The papers you submit must:  

• make use of multiple sources; at least one of the papers must make use of multiple secondary sources (preferred in both papers);

• interpret and analyze evidence, reasoning and making judgments about source materials;

• structure and organize material in a coherent argument; 

• use proper citation consistently, including both in-text and ending lists of sources used; must make clear, throughout the paper(s) how source materials are used;

• demonstrate clear command of mechanics and syntax at the sentence level.      

This is the kind of writing NYU expects students to be able to produce, and that is taught in Expository Writing Program courses. The waiver, when granted, attests to your ability to produce this kind of accomplished writing in the academy.

Papers from two different college or university courses are preferred, to demonstrate a range of experience writing humanities-based papers. Papers from college courses taken while in high school are not allowed.

The papers you submit should be graded by your instructor, and indicate the course for which they were written. If you do not have the original graded copy, you may submit the non-evaluated version with additional verification: a course syllabus or other documents describing the course.

If you have not yet written papers that meet these criteria, you should consult with your advisor to determine whether your career path includes courses with writing intensive assignments. If so, you can apply for the waiver after you have accumulated a qualifying portfolio. If not, you should take the required writing course.

If you have questions about the Writing Requirement waiver application, please contact the EWP Waiver Application Team at ewp-waiver@nyu.edu.

MCC Equivalent Coursework

If you transferred in MCC/communications-related courses, your previous coursework requires review by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) for the courses to count towards MCC Framing or Focus requirements. Please complete the following steps:

1. Review your program of study and notes.

2. Compile syllabi in PDF or Word format from courses that need review by the DUS.

   1. Please rename your syllabi to include your name and the course code.

   2. Example: Smith, Jane_COMM 3231

3. Review the linked rubric and note how your previous classes may count towards your Framing/Focus course requirements. 

4. Submit each course and the syllabus here.

5. If your classes are reviewed and it is determined that one or more do not count towards MCC equivalent Framing or Focus class, we can apply them to your Unrestricted or Professional Electives.

If you do not have syllabi from your previous coursework you can:

• Search for the course syllabus in the archives of your previous university.

• Email your previous academic advisor or department.

• Email the instructor of the course directly.

If you cannot get syllabi for your communications related courses, they will count towards Unrestricted or Professional Electives only.