Future Undergrad // Admissions
From College / University
Required Coursework
Students transfering from another college or university must complete the following:
A minimum of 24 transferable units (approximately 8 courses) including at least 1 course that will transfer to each of the following subject areas at SFU: Interactive Arts and Technology (IAT), Communication (CMNS), Contemporary Arts (FPA) and Computing Science (CMPT).
In general, we recommend that students complete 1 year at college and their remaining 3 years at SFU. This ensures that you can complete your entire degree in a timely manner.
Required Grades
Students must also meet a competitive cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for admission. For reference, the CGPA required for admission to SIAT for the Summer and Fall 2010 semesters was a 2.70. This is slightly above a "B-" average. A student's CGPA for SFU admission purposes is calculated across all transferable college/university coursework.
Additional Admission Requirements
All applicants to SFU must also meet the minimum Literacy and Quantitative requirements. These may affect which courses you need to take before transfering.
The BC Transfer Guide
Plan Your Transfer to SFU
For a list of courses that can transfer to SFU from your British Columbia college (and some universities) please refer to the BC Transfer Guide. Go to course search and select SFU as the “receiver.” This offers a one-to-one course credit comparison between institutions. If you have completed a certificate or diploma you can review the Block Transfer Guide to find out if you can receive block transfer credit.
If you are transferring from a college or university outside of British Columbia, transfer credit will be assessed after you have formally applied to SFU.
Course Planning Recommendations
To make the transition between institutions smoother, and allow transfer students to move into second year SIAT courses as soon as possible, we have a few more recommendations.
The following courses can be taken at a college which are equivalent to SIAT's first year requirements. There are equivalents for these courses, listed on the BC Transfer Guide, at the majority of BC colleges. Note that you can choose to take these courses once at SFU too.
1) An introductory programming course in Computing Science.
SIAT students are required to complete CMPT 120 - Intro. to Computer Science and Programming I.
2) A math course.
SIAT students pursuing a B.Sc. take MACM 101 - Discrete Mathematics to fulfill the degree's math requirement.
SIAT students pursuing a B.A. are required to take MATH 130 - Geometry for Computer Graphics, which can only be taken at SFU. Its pre-requisite is the university level MATH 100 with a "C" or higher OR completion of Principles or Applications of Mathematics 12 with a "B" or higher at the high school level. Always refer to the SFU Calendar for official pre-requisites.
3) A writing course.
Any SFU course with a "W" next to its course number. Examples include CMNS 130W, ENGL 101W, ENGL 105W, ENGL 199W. Note that some colleges offer equivalents to these courses without the "W" notation. It's ideal to find courses with the "W" to fulfill one of SFU's Writing, Quantitative, Breadth requirements.
4) WQB - Writing Quantitative and Breadth Requirements
Take courses that transfer to SFU with the "Q" or a breadth, "B-Sci", "B-Soc", "B-Hum", designation. These will count towards SFU's Writing, Quantitative, Breadth requirements, to be completed by the time of graduation.
SFU's Admission Guide
SFU's official admissions guide can be found here. Refer to the information under the College/University transfer tab.
Contact Information
For general SFU admissions inquiries, please contact the Prospective Student Advising Team.
For more information about SIAT or for advice on planning to transfer, please email the SIAT Advisor at siat_advising@sfu.ca.
