Transfer Applicants
Our undergraduate program has been re-focused to specialize in upper-division transfer students. If you have 30-75 transferrable college credits, you can finish your BFA/BA degree with us in 1½-3 years.
>> Minimum 30 transfer credits needed to enroll
Students planning to transfer to SFAI in the future are strongly recommended to take an average of 2 liberal arts/general education and 3 introductory studio courses each semester before applying.
Questions? Contact transfer@sfai.edu.
Scholarship Opportunity
Direct transfer students from any California Community College pursuing their first bachelor’s degree will be automatically eligible for a $20,000 California Transfer Scholarship provided that they are admissible to SFAI. There is no limit to the number of scholarships available each semester and no additional application is required.
Recommended Course Pathway for Transfer
SFAI requires a minimum of 30 transfer credits to apply.
There are many different paths for you take as a transfer student to SFAI. To help you get to 30 credits using the quickest/easiest path, we recommend the following:
| SFAI Course | Our Suggestion |
| English Composition A | Strongly Recommended |
| English Composition B | Strongly Recommended |
| Humanities | Recommended |
| Humanities | Recommended |
| Math or Science | Recommended |
| Social Science | Recommended |
| Global Art History | Strongly Recommended |
| Liberal Arts Elective | Recommended |
| Studio/General Elective | Strongly Recommended (Studio Elective) |
| Studio/General Elective | Strongly Recommended (Studio Elective) |
Questions about how your courses will transfer to SFAI? Email us at transfer@sfai.edu.
General Requirements from California Colleges
SFAI accepts up to 75 semester credits for transfer.
For all California Community Colleges, State, and UC's that use IGETC, the following chart depicts the basic list of IGETC areas SFAI accepts for certain SFAI requirements of all bachelor's level programs. Courses SFAI accepts for transfer are not limited to courses in the IGETC areas below. If there is a course that does not have an IGETC area assigned, contact transfer@sfai.edu or consult the Articulation Agreement for your school if available.
| SFAI Requirement (credits are semster-based) |
IGETC Area SFAI accepts |
| English Composition A (3.0 credits required) | 1A |
| English Composition B (3.0 credits required) | 1B |
| Math or Science (3.0 credits required) | 2A or 5 |
| Humanities (6.0 credits required) | 3B |
| Social Science (3.0 credits required) | 4 |
| Liberal Arts Electives (9.0 credits required) | 1,2,3,4,5 & LOTE (non-conversational foreign language course) |
| Art History Elective (3.0 credits for BFA; 21.0 credits for BA, maximum of 15.0 may be transferred in) | 3A with historical emphasis |
For other art history and/or major specific requirements, contact transfer@sfai.edu or view Articulation Agreement if available.
Articulation Agreements
SFAI has articulation agreements either in place, or in the final planning stages, with the community colleges listed below. Check this page frequently for updated information related to transfer credit policy and articulation agreements:
City College of San Francisco (CCSF)
Contra Costa College (CCC)
Foothill College (Foothill)
Santa Monica College (SMC)
Official Transcripts
All transfers for both incoming and continuing students require official transcripts of courses petitioned for transfer.
