Transfer students
There are no department-specific requirements for students transferring from other schools to the University of Illinois, or from other colleges at the University of Illinois to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and declaring political science as their major, nor are there such requirements for students transferring to political science from another major in the college. But there are some recommendations for you if you do come to the major from another school or program.
Transfer students from other colleges and universities in the US
Any student considering a transfer to the University of Illinois from another school should review the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Transfer Handbook. The college requires that you complete at least one transferrable political science course before you arrive, if you wish to declare political science as your major. We recommend strongly that you complete a three-hour course that would transfer to the University of Illinois as PS 101 (Introduction to American Government and Politics) and at least one more three-hour course (two, if possible) that would transfer as a field course (PS 100, 220, 230, 240, 270, or 280). You can take more political science courses before you come to the university if you like, but be advised that specific political science major requirements may keep hours from some courses from counting towards your major requirements.
Transfer students with strong academic records should self-nominate for the University of Illinois’s James Scholars honors program. In order to be eligible, you must have a transfer GPA of 3.5, and you must have successfully participated in an honors program at your previous institution. Also, you must apply during your first term at the University of Illinois to be considered for the program.
Transfer students from other UIUC colleges or LAS majors
(intercollege and intercurricular transfers)
Before you declare a political science major, you should meet with a political science advisor to discuss whether the major is an appropriate choice. Depending on their class standing, most successful transfer students have successfully completed two or three courses in political science before declaring it as a major.
International transfer students
If you are interested in coming from an institution abroad to complete a degree at the University of Illinois, you should review the admissions application information for international students at the Office of Admissions website. Otherwise, advice for transfer students coming to Illinois from other institutions in the US applies to you also.