Transfer Applicants

At commonapp.org you can create an account. Choose Macalester for your college list.

All Transfer application materials for both admissions and financial aid are due by April 1. If you wish to be considered for financial aid, you must indicate your interest when you apply via the Common Application. Financial Aid.

There is no application fee.

You must have official transcripts of all college-level coursework sent to Macalester directly from the school(s) or via an official online transcript service from all colleges you have attended. A transcript issued to the student is not considered official.

Request that your secondary school(s) send Macalester official transcript(s) of all classes and grades beginning with 9th grade.  If you attended more than one high school, check to make sure all years are included on the most recent transcript.

Required: one recommendation letter

Please submit one recommendation letter from a College Academic Course Instructor. This should be an evaluation from an instructor in one of your primary academic courses of study.

As part of the Macalester supplemental application, there is an optional essay with the prompt: “We know that every transfer process is unique and we want to hear from you about why you have chosen to apply to Macalester at this point in your academic journey. As a prospective transfer student, how do you see Macalester as the right next step for you? Put simply — why Mac and why now?

Currently enrolled students should print the Mid-Term Report form (available in the Macalester Application Portal). Take the form to each instructor with whom you have a spring-term class, and ask the instructor to provide a mid-term progress grade for their class. When completed, you may upload a copy of the form via your Application Portal using the Upload Materials section and selecting “Transfer Mid-Term Report”. A Mid-Term Report is only required for students currently enrolled in a college or university.

Currently enrolled students should print the College Report form (available in the Macalester Application Portal) and take the form to the Dean of Students or Registrar. Please ask that the official forward the completed form to Macalester’s Admissions office. Allow the school official ample time to complete and submit the form prior to the application deadline. The College Report is only required for students currently enrolled in a college or university.

Macalester follows a Test-Optional admissions policy. Applicants can choose to submit ACT, SAT, AP, and IB exam scores as part of their application. 

Regardless of the presence of test scores, all applicants receive equal consideration for admission and scholarship opportunities. Choosing not to submit test scores will not disadvantage you in our selection process. 

Applicants who submit test scores to our office may self-report them through the Common Application, submit them to [email protected], or request that official scores be sent to Macalester. Macalester’s testing codes are 2122 for the ACT and 6390 for the SAT.

View the Test Policy for more details and data about how the Admissions Office uses testing in the selection process.

If you have made a substantial commitment to the arts in the areas of fine arts, music, theater or dance, you are welcome to submit samples in your Macalester Applicant Portal after Macalester has received your application.

Transfer applicants are not required nor encouraged to submit more than the two required recommendations. However, if you wish to have an additional letter of support, we ask that you choose carefully to ensure that the additional recommendation provides a new perspective not already present in your application. The additional recommendation may be from a teacher, employer, coach, community organizer, mentor, or anyone else you feel will provide additional information necessary to your application.