Transfer Admissions Requirements: College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

The College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) offers students an extraordinary education with 13 majors, 1 pre-major, and 26 minors based in solution-driven science. As a CFANS student, you'll discover a close-knit campus community while benefiting from the resources of a world-class research university—such as undergraduate research, top professors, hands-on experiences, and hundreds of course options.

CFANS has a long tradition of educating future leaders who understand the delicate balance of production and conservation. Students learn from faculty who use critical and innovative thinking, plus all the tools of the arts and sciences, to solve everyday problems and make our planet a productive, friendly, and sustainable environment.

The College's nationally recognized programs and broad array of internship and research opportunities provide students with the education and experience they need for successful careers in private businesses, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations, or for graduate study.

CFANS' pre-professional programs are specifically designed to meet the entrance requirements to professional programs such as veterinary medicine, medicine and dentistry. CFANS offers several pre-professional program options. Visit cfans.umn.edu/academics/cfans-majors-minors to learn more.

Degree options: Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Explore CFANS Majors

CFANS Transfer Course Requirements

General Guidelines:

  • Successful transfer applicants will have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and will have a strong foundation in math and science.
  • Competitive transfer applicants will have completed College Algebra (or higher) or a statistics course equivalent to STAT 3011 before enrolling at the U of M. Competitive applicants should have completed these courses with a grade of C- or better.
    *Note: Fulfilling College Algebra or a higher math course is the preferred option for most CFANS majors. If you are admitted with just a statistics course you will need to complete an additional math course upon your arrival. For questions on which math courses are required for your major, contact your a Transfer Admissions Counselor at [email protected] or 612-625-2008.
    • Competitive fall applicants should have one of these courses completed or in progress by their spring semester.
    • Competitive Spring applicants should have one of these courses completed or in progress by their fall semester.
    • Applicants for fall semester cannot use coursework from the summer immediately prior to that term to satisfy prerequisites.
  • Priority admission consideration is given to applicants who intend to graduate from CFANS (not from another U of M college.)
  • For transfer applicants with fewer than 26 college credits complete, applications are reviewed using both college academics and the following:
    • Successful completion of the high school course requirement.
    • High school rank percentile (students from non-ranking schools and those with GED or other high school equivalency are given full consideration).
    • ACT or SAT scores.  (Submitting an ACT/SAT score is not required for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 applicants. For more information, please visit our ACT/SAT FAQ).
    • Rigor of the high school curriculum.
  • For all CFANS majors, context review factors include, but are not limited to: Grade trends, participation in extracurricular activities related to the major, community involvement, and work experience. High school grades, class rank, and ACT or SAT scores may be factored into the admissions decision for students who have completed less than 26 transferable college credits.

Major-Specific Admission Guidelines:

The following majors have specific admission requirements in addition to the general CFANS guidelines. We encourage applicants to complete all prerequisites for their intended major in order to be the most competitive applicant possible, but we will review applicants who have not yet completed all prerequisites.

Animal Science major, Pre-Vet emphasis (Please note that these guidelines for Pre-Vet are recommendations, not requirements):

We recommend that applicants to the Pre-Vet emphasis have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and we also recommend that they have completed the following courses with a grade of B or higher:

  • College Algebra
  • One semester of Intro Chemistry with lab (equivalent CHEM 1015/1017) or General Chemistry with lab (equivalent CHEM 1061/1065), prefer General Chemistry
  • One semester of General Biology with lab (equivalent to BIOL 1009)
Applied Economics:Competitive Applicants should have completed either Microeconomics or Macroeconomics with a grade of B- or better.
Agricultural and Food Business Management:Most successful applicants will have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. Competitive Applicants should have completed either Microeconomics or Macroeconomics with a grade of B- or better.
Food Science:

Preferred cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. Competitive applicants should have completed the following courses with a grade of C- or better:

  • One semester of General Chemistry with lab (Equivalent to CHEM 1061/1065)
  • One semester of General Biology with lab (Equivalent to BIOL 1009)
Nutrition:

Preferred cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. Competitive applicants should have completed the following courses with a grade of C or better:

  • One semester of General Chemistry with lab (Equivalent to CHEM 1061/1065)
  • One semester of General Biology with lab* (Equivalent to BIOL 1009)

* If a student has one full year of Chemistry (equivalent to CHEM 1061/1065 and CHEM 1062/1066) then the student is not required to complete General Biology with a lab prior to admission.