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University of Rochester

Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program

Undergraduate

Transfer Petition Forms

Use a Transfer Course to Fulfill the Primary Writing Requirement

You may petition only once, and should do so by the end of your first semester and before attempting to take WRT105. Receiving transfer credits for a writing course will not on its own satisfy the Primary Writing Requirement. To satisfy the requirement, you must complete this petition, and it must be approved by the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program. Your petition will be accepted or denied based on whether the course meets the criteria for equivalency to WRT 105. If the course does not meet these criteria, we may request additional writing samples that demonstrate your competency in the requisite writing skills.

Before proceeding, and to increase your chances of submitting a successful petition, take the time to read "What Constitutes a Successful Transfer Petition". Reading the materials will increase the likelihood that your petition will be successful. Click on the button at the upper-right corner of your screen to access these notes.

Students who have been admitted to the University of Rochester through the English for Academic Purposes Program should contact EAPP Director Paige Sloan before applying for a petition.

    You must demonstrate your course(s) contained the following criteria listed below.
    Note: You can demonstrate your courses contained the criteria below through a variety of ways, see numbered list below. Also, if your transfer course was multiple semesters, please submit ALL information together at the same time.
  • That your course included a significant amount of academic, argumentative writing.  
  • That your course included instruction on writing principles and strategies (i.e., that it was a writing-centered course).  
  • That your course included a writing "process" of some kind (i.e., elements like brainstorming, drafting, revising, peer-reviewing, and writer-reflecting).  
  • That your course included an argument-based research paper of at least 8-pages (not including bibliography and other supplemental information). Note: Your documentation must explicitly state that you did a research paper and it was at LEAST 8-full-pages. If your syllabus does not say this, you must attach the research paper and/or the assignment prompt in addition. 
  • That your course fully meets the additional stipulations listed below.  
    • You must have received a grade of B or higher in the course that satisfies the writing requirement at your previous institution.
    • The course must have been in English.
    • The course must have been taken prior to matriculating at the U of R.
    • Courses taken in high school for college credit and advanced high school courses (AP, Honors) cannot be used to waive the primary writing requirement.

You must attach a copy of your 8-page argumentative research paper. Note: If you no longer have access to this, you must provide documentation that you wrote such a paper and include another paper that demonstrates your practice of citation. All other criteria for equivalency can be proven through the following means: syllabi, paper prompts, paper drafts, statements from former instructors.

Please choose yes or no for the criteria above before receiving the petition login link.

What Constitutes a Successful Transfer Petition

As we review transfer petitions, we look for courses that largely resemble the "exit criteria" of our WRT 105 (and its variations) courses. More specifically, we tend to approve courses that exhibit the following characteristics:

  • The course is more than writing-intensive: it should include writing instruction and be designed around principles and strategies for developing effective academic essays.
  • The course focuses on academic analytical/argumentative writing.
  • The course centers on the writing process and includes drafting, peer response, self reflection, instructor feedback, and revision.
  • The course includes a significant argumentative research paper with a correct citational system in place.

The most common reasons for Transfer Petitions not being accepted are as follows:

  • The course may be writing-intensive, but is largely a content course that doesn't provide writing instruction or make writing a significant topic of discussion.
  • There is not enough writing in the course.
  • The course foregrounds non-academic and/or non-argumentative writing (i.e., a class on creative writing, a class that focuses on journalistic or non-academic genres of writing).
  • The course does not include a writing process.
  • The course does not include a research paper and/or has citational issues that could lead to academic honesty concerns.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • You must have received a grade of B or higher in the course that satisfies the writing requirement at your previous institution.
  • Course(s) must have been in English.
  • The College requires that the course must have been taken prior to matriculating at the U of R.
  • Courses taken in high school for college credit and advanced high school courses (AP, Honors) cannot be used to waive the primary writing requirement.

Contact

Questions about the substitution or transfer petitioning process? Contact the placement coordinator at writingplacement@ur.rochester.edu.