The Brooks School looks for academically strong transfer applicants who have demonstrated genuine interest in the fields of public policy or health care policy through coursework, extracurricular activities, and other application materials. To prepare for the Brooks School’s curriculum, students are encouraged to take a mix of social science coursework and a breadth of quantitative and writing-intensive coursework.
Colleen Barry, the inaugural dean of the Brooks School, described Cornell’s newest undergraduate school this way: “The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy brings together scholars across disciplines to tackle the biggest public policy challenges we face as a society, both in the U.S. and globally. Our mission is to make positive change in the world.”
Public policy touches all areas of life, from health care to education, transportation, employment, and everything in between. Thus, the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy’s undergraduate training provides valuable skill sets for a multitude of careers. While some graduates seek employment across government or industry directly after graduation, others pursue graduate or professional school, either immediately or a few years after the Brooks School.
The Brooks School looks for academically strong first-year applicants who have demonstrated genuine interest in the field of public policy or health care policy through coursework, extracurricular activities, and other application materials. To prepare for the Brooks School’s curriculum, students are encouraged to take a rigorous mix of social science coursework and a breadth of quantitative and writing-intensive coursework.
The Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy is a hybrid academic unit that partners with contract and endowed colleges to offer undergraduate programs. New York State residents enrolled in Bachelor of Science programs in the Brooks School receive the New York State resident contract college tuition rate. More information about tuition rates and expenses can be found on the Cornell financial aid website.
Transfer students are admitted directly into a particular major, with prerequisites varying somewhat by major. Final decisions are made by the relevant department faculty. Transfer students are highly encouraged to state their academic interests clearly, showing how they pertain to the major they have selected.
Please note that transfer students are not permitted to apply as "undecided," nor can they apply to the Independent major. Accepted students must remain in the selected major for at least one academic year.
Course requirements will vary by each engineering major and depend on the appropriate class standing level consistent with the amount of coursework completed at the time the student begins at Cornell. To gain a clear sense of the major-specific course requirements, please review the documents on the Transfer Requirements page as well as information on each major in the Engineering Handbook.
Duffield Engineering requires the completion of the following math and sciences classes prior to high school graduation. A unit is equivalent to one academic year of study.
First-year applicants apply to the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering and not to a particular engineering major. Students may indicate an intended major of interest on the Common Application if they wish, but they will not officially select a major until the second semester of their sophomore year.
Duffield Engineering routinely offers credit for appropriately high scores on Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IB), and General Certificate of Education (A-level) examinations. For detailed information on the acceptable scores, please refer to the Advanced Placement Credit Table on the College of Engineering website.
