How to Apply to Fordham as an Undergraduate

In early action, students apply early and receive a decision well in advance of the University’s regular response date. Early action is a non-binding application plan (i.e., students are not required to enroll if admitted).

In early decision, students make a commitment to a first-choice institution where, if admitted, they will definitely enroll. Early decision is a binding application plan (i.e., students must enroll if admitted and withdraw any other pending applications). The Early Decision Agreement is an additional requirement to be signed by the student, parent/guardian, and counselor.

In regular decision, students submit an application by a specified date and receive a decision in a clearly stated period of time, typically no later than April 1. Regular decision is a non-binding application plan.

We accept applications for spring first-year admission. The deadline is November 1.

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit

Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the following AP examinations may be awarded 3 non-major elective credits.

These credits may not be used to fulfill the core or major requirements

Art: Studio Art - Drawing Portfolio
Computer Science A
Computer Science Principles
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
European History
Music Theory
Pre-Calculus
Statistics
United States History
World History
Chinese Language and Culture
French Language
German Language
Italian Language and Culture
Japanese Language and Culture
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
Latin: Virgil

Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the following AP examinations may be awarded 3 credits that may satisfy the core or major requirements in the following areas.

American Pluralism
African-American Studies

Fine Arts
History of Art

Life Science
Biology
Environmental Science

Mathematical Reasoning
Calculus AB
Calculus BC

Physical Science
Chemistry
Physics B
Physics 1
Physics 2
Physics C - Electricity and Magnetism
Physics C - Mechanics

Social Science
Economics: Macroeconomics
Economics: Microeconomics
Government and Politics: Comparative
Government and Politics: US
Human Geography

Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the following AP examination may be awarded 3 credits that may satisfy major/minor requirements (but not core requirements).

Psychology

College Course Work

Credit is awarded for college courses taken while in high school only if the following requirements are met:

• You were a student enrolled in a college.
• There were other college students in the class.
• The course was taken on the college’s campus.
• You were taught by a member of the college’s teaching staff.
• The course was at least three credits and would be credited toward a degree at that college or university.
• The grade you earned must be at least one level above minimum passing grade for the course, (e.g., C).
• The college course you took was not used to fulfill high school graduation requirements, including course count.
• The course is similar in content to a course given at Fordham.
• The maximum number of transferable credits is sixty (60).

In order to consider your coursework for transfer credits, Fordham must review a copy of your transcript and a letter, from either the Dean or the Registrar’s Office, confirming your enrollment at the college. Please forward this letter to your Advisor or Dean of your college or school at Fordham University. If your courses are listed on your high school transcript, we must receive a letter from your high school counselor or principal confirming that the courses meet the conditions above.

Please review the full policy in the Fordham University Bulletin or consult with your academic advisor.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit

Fordham University offers university credit for Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) exam scores of 5, 6, or 7. No credit is awarded for IB Standard Level exams, regardless of score. Students are responsible for ensuring that their IB exams are sent to Fordham.

IB exams have been received in the areas listed below. HL scores of 5 receive 3 general elective credits. HL scores of 6 or 7 receive core or elective credit when appropriate, as noted below. Additional IB HL subject areas will be considered when received.

Notes: Students who wish to apply International Baccalaureate credit toward their major should consult with the appropriate department. It is possible, in some cases, to receive an exemption from a prerequisite based on performance on other standardized tests or on college-level courses, with grades of C or better, taken during high school. A student cannot receive credit for both an AP Exam and an IB Higher Level exam in the same subject.

Anthropology
Three core credits (Social Science).

Biology
Three core credits (Life Science). Students with core credit who are required to take biology for their major should consult the department for placement in biology courses. Students with core credit who are required to take biology for their special program (e.g., pre-health professions) should consult with their special program adviser.

Business and Management
Three elective credits in business.

Chemistry
Three core credits (Physical Science). Students with core credit who are required to take chemistry for their major should consult the department for placement in chemistry courses. Students with core credit who are required to take chemistry for their special program (e.g., pre-health professions) should consult with their special program adviser.

Economics
Three core credits for Macroeconomics and three core credits for Microeconomics (Social Science).

English
See Language A and Language B below.

Film
Four elective credits for COMM 2471 (Introduction to Film).

Geography
Three core credits (Social Science).

History
History of Americas, History of Europe, History of Asia. Each would receive 4 elective credits for a general upper-level (3000-level) history elective course. No core credit and no credit for the distribution requirements within the major (medieval, modern, American or global) is given.

Information Technology in a Global Society
Three general elective credits.

Language A
Language A. If completed in English, 3 general elective credits. If completed in a modern foreign language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese): 3 credits for 1502 level of relevant language. 

Language B
Language B. If completed in English, 3 general elective credits. If completed in a modern foreign language (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese) or classical language (Latin, Greek): 3 credits equivalent to the 1502 level of relevant language.

Mathematics
Analysis and Approaches: three core credits for MATH 1206
Applications and Interpretation: three core credits for MATH 1700  

Philosophy
Three general elective credits.

Physics
Credits for the following required major courses: PHYS 1601, PHYS 1602, PHYS 1511, and PHYS 1512. This also satisfies core in natural science which includes both physical science core and life science core. Students with core credit who are required to take physics for their major should consult the department for placement in physics courses. Students with core credit who are required to take physics for their special program (e.g., pre-health professions) should consult with their special program adviser.

Psychology
Three elective credits for PSYC 1200. PSYC 1200 is a required course for psychology majors.

Theatre
Three core credits (Fine Arts).

Visual Arts
Three elective credits for visual arts.

We know that transferring colleges is a big deal. Fordham is dedicated to helping transfer students during their transition to their new college community.

Transfer student application process

For dance majors, there are special admission requirements in addition to the requirements for first-year or transfer admission.
 
Students applying to the Ailey/Fordham BFA program must apply by the November 8 Early Action deadline on both the Common Application and the Ailey Application. 

Please note: Decisions will be released on a rolling basis between 2/1 and 4/1.

Ailey Dance applications are available online. Selected candidates will be invited to audition after submitting the dance application to The Ailey School.

Additional information can be found on the Ailey website or by watching the video below:

Students applying to the Theatre major must apply by the November 8 Early Action deadline.

Please note: Decisions will be released on a rolling basis between 2/1 and 4/1.

Each of the programs within the Theatre major (Performance, Design & Production, Playwriting, and Directing) requires a creative review as a part of the consideration for admission.

The Theatre evaluation process requires a prescreen submission followed by a live audition (Performance) or interview (Design & Production, Directing, Playwriting). Once granted portal access after application submission, applicants will upload prescreen materials. Theatre faculty will evaluate the prescreen materials and determine who to invite to a live audition or interview. 

Visit the Theatre Program website for more admission details. 

Students applying to the Visual Arts major may apply Early Action, Early Decision I, Regular Decision, or Early Decision II. In addition to the regular admission requirements, we recommend that students should also submit a portfolio along with their application.

Please send a maximum of 10 samples of your work or a maximum of three short videos. After you submit your Fordham application, we will confirm the application receipt via email. The email will contain instructions for setting up your Online Applicant Portal. Once you log in to your portal, you will find a link that says "Edit Portfolio"; simply click on the link to upload your files directly to your applicant record. Hard copy portfolios sent in via mail will not be accepted.

The admission process and application requirements for homeschooled students do not differ greatly from the requirements for students attending traditional high schools. Homeschooled students may apply through any of our application plans, including Early Action (applicants to Dance and Theatre majors apply Early Action), Early Decision I, Regular Decision, and Early Decision II. Additional information about application materials relevant to homeschooled students can be found below. 

Required Application Components:

• The Common Application, including an essay
  • The “School Report” section of the Common Application must be completed by the student’s primary instructor/counselor and should include information that will help us understand the student's homeschool experience and environment (e.g. educational philosophy, motivation for homeschooling, instruction setting, etc.).
• Transcript detailing high school curriculum as well as academic grades 
  • The transcript may be prepared by a parent, a teacher/counselor, or a homeschool organization as applicable to the student’s educational structure.
  • If the student has previously attended a traditional high school, we ask that an official transcript be sent by the school directly to Fordham. 
• Letter of Recommendation from non-family member
• Official College Transcript, if any college/university courses were completed during high school
  • Please note that any student who earns college credit after completing a secondary school diploma is considered a transfer student, regardless of the number of credits completed.

Optional Components:

• SAT or ACT scores (SAT code: 2259; ACT code: 2748)
  Please review our additional guidance on test score submission
• Optional short responses
  • Unique Fordham question
  • Additional information
  • Challenges and circumstances

Financial Aid

• Homeschooled students are eligible for all merit awards and financial aid.
• New York State Residents: In accordance with New York State Education Department guidelines, homeschooled students residing in New York must present a high school diploma or the recognized equivalent, or a passing score on an approved ability-to-benefit test, to be eligible for State student financial assistance. Students must demonstrate their eligibility for State student financial aid in one of the following ways:
  • Obtain a letter from local school district officials confirming that the student has received an education "substantially equivalent" to instruction given to students graduating high school in the public schools;
  • Take and pass the General Education Development Test (GED Test) and receive a NYS High School Equivalency Diploma from the New York State Education Department (SED) by the first day of classes to be certified as eligible for a financial aid award for that term; or
  • Achieve a satisfactory score on an approved Ability-to-Benefit test by the term add/drop date.

Students seeking short-term, full-time study at Fordham for a fall or spring semester while matriculated at another college or university should apply for visiting student admission. To be considered, please complete the online Visiting Student Application.

Application Requirements

• Visiting Student Application with essay 
• Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
• 3.0 GPA recommended
• Letter from home college or university confirming:
  • Current good standing with eligibility to return for full-time study 
  • Approval of leave of absence for established period of time (typically one to two semesters)
  • Accepted transfer of Fordham credits to current degree program
• International visiting students must review unique admission requirements here.

Important Additional Information

• Visiting Students are required to complete a full-time academic course load (minimum 12 undergraduate credits per semester). Students interested in part-time study can apply through Fordham's School of Professional and Continuing Studies.
• Students only interested in enrollment in summer courses at Fordham are not required to submit the Visiting Student Application. Please review more detailed information about registration for Fordham Summer Session.
• Visiting students are not eligible to receive need-based financial aid nor merit scholarships.
• On-campus housing is not available. We encourage you to explore our resources for off-campus housing options at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center.