Transfer Application Requirements
We are here to help you finish what you started. Whether you are transferring from a community college or a four-year school, we are here to help.
See how your courses will transfer to Roger Williams University. Keep in mind that this is meant to provide a general view of what classes would transfer but to work with the Office of Admission for an official transcript review.
Requirements for Transfer Admission
We accept both the RWU Rapid Application and Common Application.
With your application, please include a Personal Statement or letter of intent about why you want to transfer! Many students use this as an opportunity to clarify any bumps on their educational path.
You do not have to have all the required credentials on hand when you submit your application. You can submit the required materials as you obtain them.
Transcripts are required from every college attended. Unofficial transcripts can be submitted for initial review, however official final transcripts are required to post credits to your academic record.
Regardless of credit amount, we need proof of high school graduation (Dated high school transcript, high school diploma, or GED Certificate).
The Dean's Release Form lets us know that you are in good academic, financial, and judicial standing at your most recent school. You must complete Part 1 of the Form, which grants us permission to send Part 2 of the Form to a college official, most commonly a Dean of Students, at your most recent institution attended.
Transfer Application Deadlines
Spring 2025 Admission
- Early action: Nov 1
- Rolling admission: up to 2 weeks prior to the start of the semester
- FAFSA recommended deadline: Dec 1
- Notification date: rolling
Fall 2025 Admission
- Early action: April 1
- Rolling admission: up to 2 weeks prior to the start of the semester
- FAFSA recommended deadline: April 1
- Notification date: rolling
Initially, we accept unofficial transcripts from your current school for the admissions process. We will need your official college transcripts for any other school you have attended and the official transcripts from your current school directly after your final grades are posted in order to officially receive college transfer credit.
Recommended Credentials
List all your accomplishments, awards, affiliations, employment, and volunteer experiences so that we can get a snapshot of who you are outside the classroom.
Mid-Semester Grades may be required for currently enrolled students upon request.
While these are not required, some students like to include letters of recommendation to strengthen their application. These can come from teachers, employers, coaches, and more.
- RWU is a test-optional school. If you have taken the SAT or ACT in the past five years, feel free to submit your test results.
- College Board SAT & TOEFL: 3729
- ACT: 3814
Major-Specific Requirements
A portfolio of two and/or three-dimensional work demonstrating evidence of an applicant’s creative potential is required for all applicants for admission to the B.S. in Architecture program. The intent of the portfolio requirement is twofold—to offer applicants some idea of activities you will be engaged in as an architecture student, and to allow the school to begin to estimate your emerging potential at this earliest stage of your architectural education. Consistent with the mission of our program, Roger Williams University is interested in and celebrates the variety of expression that applicants demonstrate. Applicants come from a variety of backgrounds, and we appreciate this variety as a basis for beginning the study architecture at the college level.
The portfolio should consist of 8-12 examples of the applicant’s work, each piece clearly labeled.
Your work portfolio should be submitted through one of the following:
- SlideRoom
- Email to admit@shorinji-kempo.net with the subject line ‘Portfolio’
- Mail in a simple 8-1/2” x 11” binder to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Roger Williams University
One Old Ferry Road, Bristol, RI 02809
The portfolio should contain reproductions of two and three-dimensional work recently executed in high school or college art course work, independent works by the applicant, or summer programs in Art or Architecture that you may have completed. High quality black + white copies and color copies as relevant to the work are acceptable.
While Roger Williams University is a test-optional institution, students applying to the Elementary and Secondary Education programs are required to submit either SAT or ACT scores in accordance with Rhode Island Department of Education guidelines for direct entry by the end of their college sophomore year. These scores must be official scores sent from Collegeboard or ACT. The Rhode Island Department of Education standardized test minimums are as follows:
Standardized Test Minimums
SAT
EBRW: 480
Math: 530
ACT
English: 18
Math: 22
Reading: 22
Students Unable to Test
Students who are unable to test, send only self-reported scores, or do not meet the requirements through SAT or ACT scores may still qualify for these programs by taking an alternative academic skills exam or through faculty approval.
Students Not Meeting Thresholds
Students who do not meet these thresholds at the time of application may be considered for admission as an undeclared education student until they attain the necessary scores or meet alternative requirements.
Additional Majors
In addition, applicants to the Secondary Education program must select one of the following additional majors within the Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, English, Modern Languages, History, and double major in Dance Performance Studies and Secondary Education.
Students selecting dance as a major who want consideration for a Talent Scholarship in addition to a merit scholarship are required to submit a video audition and supplemental materials. Required items must be submitted through the RWU Applicant Portal. Here are the virtual audition guidelines:
Videos
You must provide a link to your videos using YouTube or Vimeo. Please include:
- A 2–3-minute video of yourself training in a studio and/or performing in a concert setting. Please select material that highlights your technical skills in the following elements:
- Stability and Balance
- Mobility and Locomotion
- Gestural Clarity of Limbs and Spine
- Multiple Direction and Level Changes
- Variations in Energy and Timing Dynamics
- Anatomically Sound Alignment Throughout
- 2–3-minute solo:
- Your solo must be performed by you; however, the choreography may be your own, someone else’s, or a collaboration.
- Consider your solo a vehicle to share not only your technique, but also what you love to do!
Supplemental Materials
- Dance Resume and Photo
- A Brief Cover Letter:
- This can take the form of an informal introduction letter. The purpose is to help us understand your interests as a dancer, scholar, and future professional.
Questions? Please contact:
- Dance & Performance Studies Professor: Cathy Nicoli at cnicoli@shorinji-kempo.net
- Admissions Representative: Jess Thibeault at jthibeault@shorinji-kempo.net
Decision Rescission Policy
The Office of Undergraduate Admission reserves the right to rescind an offer of admission under any of the following circumstances:
- If there’s a significant deterioration in your academic work during your final months of school or you do not graduate and receive a diploma by the end of this school year.
- If your application you submitted and/or your behavior brings into question your honesty, integrity or character and is contrary/inconsistent to our community values.
- If your official test scores from the College Board or the ACT do not align with your self-reported test scores.
- Failure to complete required steps for enrollment by the appropriate deadlines.
We encourage students in jeopardy of rescission to be proactive and contact us as soon as possible.
International Transfer Admission Requirements
Transfer students may choose between the RWU Transfer Rapid App and Transfer Common Application when applying to transfer. Please review the Transfer Application Requirements section above for useful information on how to prepare all the necessary materials needed for admission and the "Deadlines" section for information on when to apply.
International Transfer Admission Requirements
Connect with us: tradmit@shorinji-kempo.net