Transfer Students
Welcome to Grand Valley! The CLAS Academic Advising Center is here to help!
Join us for a Transfer Student Welcome Event in January! More information to come, but save the date!
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Academic Advising Center staff looks forward to meeting with you! Please consider us a resource to help ensure that your college experience meets your academic, career and personal goals. Our center serves all students with a major or minor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. View majors/ minors.
Orientation: When you transfer from another college, you will schedule a transfer orientation session during which you will choose classes. If you have chosen a major within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, an advisor or graduate assistant from the CLAS Academic Advising Center is available to assist you in choosing appropriate courses and becoming familiar with your major, minor and graduation requirements. Click here to help you prepare for your orientation session.
Course Evaluations: The Admissions Office will provide you with a list delineating how your courses have transferred to Grand Valley. If you feel these courses have not transferred appropriately, the CLAS Academic Advising Center can help you organize the re-evaluation process. Please call our Center (616-331-8585) for more information.
Making the transition: We anticipate that you will find Grand Valley to be a great fit for you, with challenging and engaging courses and a comfortable and friendly atmosphere. It may seem obvious to state that, no matter which college you previously attended, Grand Valley will be different. Give yourself time and opportunity to make a successful transition.
If you will be living off-campus: Many transfer students live off-campus, and/or are nontraditional students. It can be tempting in these cases to spend very little time outside of class on campus. The college experience is so much more than taking courses. Engage in the experience!
Your transition can go more smoothly if you build in non-class time on campus by: studying in the library or one of the many other study areas participating in clubs and organizations attending some of the many interesting, and usually free, lectures, films, workshops, and other events on campus talking to your professors during their office hours. Take advantage of all that Grand Valley offers!
Resources: Take time to familiarize yourself with the many resources that are available on campus!
Course load during your first semester: Another thing to consider is what is the appropriate academic credit load during your first semester. Twelve to sixteen credit hours is the expected credit hour range for most students. Sticking within this range may be a good idea until you have an accurate feel for the level of academic challenge in Grand Valley courses.
After one semester you will have a much better sense of the amount of work needed to succeed in classes how well your extra-curricular activities (including work) mesh with your course work, and you will have gotten used to the campus and the college. At that time you can confidently make decisions about your schedule and what you need to ensure your academic success.
Advising: Transferring can sometimes be a confusing, complex process until you become more familiar with Grand Valley. This makes it even more important that you work closely with your faculty advisor and a professional advisor in our Center. We are happy to meet with you before you come to campus, and also recommend that you meet with an advisor during your first few weeks on campus.