How to Apply: Transfer Applicants

You're at a college or university, but your goals have changed. You know you want to make a difference. You want to do great things in business. And you definitely want to be a Wolverine. That's great! Getting into Michigan Ross is your first step and we reserve a select number of seats each year for students like you! 

BBA Transfer Applicant Brochure

Transfer Application

Details, Details

1. Learn the academic requirements.

Transfer admission is open to students enrolled in a U.S. institution of higher education who have not previously completed a bachelor's degree or advanced past the sophomore year.

All courses at your current college must be completed and graded by June 1. Courses completed after that date will not be considered.

Complete the exact equivalent of the University of Michigan's courses listed below, each with a grade of C-* or better, by June 1:

*Note that in order for a course (and corresponding credit) to transfer to the University of Michigan and meet Ross degree requirements, you must receive a grade of C or better.

  • Enroll full-time in your most recent year of college enrollment.
  • Any course in Calculus I, II, or III (U-M’s MATH 115, 116, or 215).
    • This includes AP credit for MATH 120 or 121, as well as IB or A-level credit (not departmental credit, e.g., MATH 101X).
    • Courses similar to Applied Calc, Business Calc, Survey of Calc, or Calc for the Liberal Arts will NOT meet this requirement.
  • Microeconomics (U-M’s ECON 101).
    • This includes IB and A-level credit (not departmental credit, e.g., ECON 101X).
    • AP exam credit will NOT meet this requirement.
  • Any course approved as First-Year Writing (typically U-M's ENGLISH 125), as approved through the U-M LSA Sweetland Center for Writing (not departmental credit, e.g., ENG 101X or ENGCMPTC 101X).
    • No exam credit can be used to meet this requirement. This requirement must be met by taking a college-level writing course.

If you have AP, IB, or any other type of transfer credit on your current institution's transcript, you will need to ensure that the original source of the credit meets University of Michigan's requirements. For example, if you received calculus credit from either AP exam scores or by taking a course at an institution that is not your current institution, you will need to ensure that your AP exam score meet's U-M score requirements or that the course from the institution taken has been evaluated as equivalent. If you have questions regarding courses taken and if they will meet transfer admissions requirements, please email RossUndergrad@umich.edu.


2. See how your credits will transfer.

We can review courses for transfer credit only after you have submitted your application. However, the grid below will give you a good idea of whether and how your credits will transfer.

A maximum of 45 credits may be transferred to the Ross BBA Program. The program requires three years of continuous, full-time (fall-winter) enrollment, and it cannot be accelerated.

  Yes Probably Possibly Unlikely
Economics 101 ... if you have taken a course approved as ECON 101 (not “DEPT” credit) at the U-M Transfer Course Equivalency website. ... if you have taken one or more rigorous 15-week courses in microeconomics at a four-year college. ... if you have taken one 15-week course in microeconomics at a two-year college. ... if you have taken courses similar to Applied Econ, Business Econ, or General Principles of Econ; OR, if you have taken one term of a two-term economics sequence at a two-year college.
Calculus ...if you have taken a course approved as MATH 115, 116, 215, or any honors calculus course (not “DEPT” credit) at the U-M Transfer Course Equivalency website. ... if you have taken one or more rigorous 15-week courses covering differentiation and integration at a four-year college. ... if you have taken one 15-week course in Calculus at a two-year college. ... if you have taken courses similar to Applied Calc, Business Calc, or General Principles of Calc; OR, if you have taken one term of a two-term calculus sequence at a two-year college.
First-Year Writing ... if you have taken a course approved as First-Year Writing on the U-M LSA Sweetland Center for Writing website. ... if you have taken two rigorous 15-week courses in writing at a two- or four-year college. ... if you have taken one rigorous 15-week course in writing at a four-year college. ... if you have taken one 15-week course in writing at a two-year college; OR, if you have taken only general English literature courses.


AP credit for Calculus I or II (MATH 120 or 121) will substitute for the required course in calculus. IB or A-level credit for ECON 101 and U-M Calculus I, II, or III will substitute for the required courses in economics and calculus. Review the Advanced Standing Credit guidelines for AP, IB, and A-level to see what scores are needed to obtain course credit. Please note that if you have taken courses similar to Applied Calculus, Business Calculus, or General Principles of Calculus, it will likely NOT fulfill the calculus requirement. AP credit cannot fulfill the ECON 101 requirement. No test or exam credit can fulfill the First-Year Writing requirement. A college-level writing course must be completed to fulfill the First-Year Writing requirement.

Review the U-M Transfer Credit Equivalency website by selecting your institution’s state and name, then selecting the Search button. This will provide a complete list of all courses that have been evaluated from your institution. If a course is not listed, that does not necessarily mean it will not transfer; it indicates that the course has not been evaluated.

 


3. Check the deadline.

The BBA application will be available in late December.

Once it is available, you can save your work and return to it as often as you like. Make sure you have uploaded the correct essays, and submit only your completed application. Once you submit your application, you may not alter or add to it in any way.

Online Application Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EDT, March 31

You may submit your application as early as Feb. 15. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on March 31. There are no exceptions.

We strongly recommend you submit the application several days before the deadline to avoid last-minute problems. You will receive a confirmation email when we receive your application.

Transfer Supplement Deadline: 11:59 p.m. EDT, June 1

Transfer Application


4. Complete the essays.

We want to get to know you and let your best qualities shine through — this is our chance to learn more about the person behind the numbers.

  1. Describe why you want to pursue a BBA degree at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and how the Ross experience will support your personal and professional goals. (500-word maximum)
     
  2. Reflect on your current or ongoing involvement in a specific organization outside of the classroom. Why did you join this organization? How did you make this organization or the community better? What did you learn? (500-word maximum)

Optional Essay Prompt

Briefly describe any unique personal circumstances, such as a major illness or personal tragedy, that have had a significant effect on your application credentials. Additionally, please describe any gaps in your academic record (e.g., lower course grade, taking a gap year between high school and college). If these circumstances are on-going, how will you manage them if admitted to the Stephen M. Ross School of Business?

5. Submit your application, transcripts, and scores by March 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. The application will become available beginning in late December.

  • Complete and submit BBA transfer application by March 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
     
  • You do not need to submit the Common Application or Coalition Application unless you are also applying to one of the other undergraduate programs at U-M. The Common Application and Coalition Application are different from the Transfer Application for Ross, and have different deadlines.
     
  • Upload electronic copies of the course syllabus or test scores that you believe to be equivalent to the three required courses, Calculus, ECON 101 (Microeconomics), and First-Year Writing. Please refer to the sections above for information regarding transfer credit and credit equivalencies.
     
  • Submit an official high school transcript directly from your high school to Ross Undergraduate Admissions. High school transcripts should be postmarked by March 31. Our address is Ross Undergraduate Admissions, 700 E. University Ave., Kresge Hall Room K3521, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234. You may also have your official high school transcript sent electronically to RossUndergrad@umich.edu. Please note that to be considered official, it must come directly from your high school. Transcripts received directly from prospective students or other non-high school officials are considered unofficial.
     
  • Submit the nonrefundable $75 application fee. 
     
  • The Ross Undergraduate Admissions office does provide a fee waiver for any of the reasons listed below. If you are seeking a fee waiver, you will find a section within the application where you can officially request a fee waiver. If you have any questions please reach out to Ross Undergraduate Admissions at rossundergrad@umich.edu.
     
    • Active members and veterans of the U.S Military
    • Currently enrolled students in a Michigan Community College
    • Receiving a Federal Pell Grant
       
  • If you are an international student attending a U.S. institution, you must submit an English Proficiency Test Score if English is your second language. The University of Michigan accepts the English Proficiency Test Score from the MELAB, TOEFL, IELTS, ECPE, CPE, or CAE. For acceptable score ranges, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Exams and Visas website.
     
  • If you think you may receive AP, IB, or A-level credit, then you must submit your official test score directly from the testing agency to the University of Michigan. For information on submitted AP, IB, or A-level credit, please refer to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions advanced standing credit guidelines.
     
  • College transcripts are not due at this step. They are due when you submit the Transfer Supplement.
     

Transfer Application


6. Complete the electronic Transfer Supplement by June 1.

This is the second component of the application. Only applicants who submit a complete application with all required documents will receive an invitation to complete the Transfer Supplement.

The Transfer Supplement requires:

Scanned copies of all college-level transcripts with final course grades and credits earned. These are usually downloaded from your institution's student portal. Courses taken on an optional pass/fail basis must be accompanied by official documentation of a grade of C or better. Scanned documents submitted as part of your Transfer Supplement are unofficial. If admitted, you will be required to provide official transcripts sent directly from your institution(s).

If admitted, you will be asked for course syllabi for courses that are not listed in the U-M Transfer Equivalency Guide. Instructions to submit these documents will be sent in your admissions decision email.

We’ll Let You Know

You will receive our admission decision via email by late June.

If admitted, you will have one week to accept your offer via Wolverine Access. Be sure to check your email (including spam filters and inboxes) throughout the month of June.

Important Dates

Late December: Application opens
February 15: Application submissions accepted
March 31: Application due
June 1: Transfer Supplement due
Late June: Decisions released

Students sitting outside

Must-Attend Events

University of Michigan:

You must attend the Transfer Orientation event through U-M. 


Michigan Ross:

  • You’ll also take BA 102: Business Foundations one week prior to the start of classes. 
  • Attend the Gear Up welcome event, which will take place the week before fall classes begin. You will receive more information about Gear Up after you accept admission.

Transfer Admitted Student Profile

Should you earn a spot in our BBA program as a transfer student, you’ll be in good company. Our process is selective, and our transfer students are top-notch.

ADMITTED STUDENT COMPOSITION

3.78Average College GPA
644Number of Applicants
125Number of Admitted
50%Women
11%International
20%First Generation in College
48%In-State Attending

RACE/ETHNICITY

21%Asian American
12%Black or African American
1%Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
10%Hispanic or Latinx
0%American Indian or Alaska Native
3%Two or More Races
48%White
6%Not Indicated

Reflects admitted transfer students for the incoming class in Fall 2023
*Race and ethnicity data is based on United States Department of Education federal reporting guidelines

Student Profile
BBA '25
Creating Her Own Path as a Transfer Student
The COVID-19 pandemic made life nontraditional for many people, including Kimmy Dennis, BBA ’25. But being nontraditional is something that Kimmy has embraced; it’s led her right to where she wants to...

Read more

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