Each undergraduate college or school at Cornell evaluates transfer credits on a case-by-case basis. Applicants may need to send syllabi and/or detailed course descriptions for all of the coursework they would like to receive credit for if they gain admission to the college or school they have applied to. Most of the colleges and schools will allow students to transfer up to 60 semester credits. Because Cornell is on the semester system, quarter hours will be converted to semester hours; each quarter credit is usually equal to two-thirds of a semester credit.

Students generally receive transfer credit for college or university courses they have passed with a "C" or better and which closely parallel coursework in the Cornell curriculum. In most cases, transfer credits will be applied to distribution requirements or electives; see the Courses of Study website for a complete list of coursework requirements.