Transfer students go through the formal admission procedure. Applicants are asked to submit official high school transcripts as well as official transcripts from each college attended.

Transfer students may be awarded transfer credit for those courses completed at an institution accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education which are similar in content and purpose to courses offered at Design Institute.

It is required that students who seek transfer credit for courses taken at other colleges provide catalogs with course descriptions of classes from all colleges from which transfer credit is sought, if such information is not available on the internet. In most cases it will be necessary for the transferring student to submit actual work for evaluation of courses in the interior design major.

Design Institute will accept up to 45 units in the major and up to 36 units in general education taken at other accredited institutions, if they were completed with a grade of "C" or better, and if they relate to the college's degree requirements. Courses in the interior design major are reviewed and evaluated by the Program Director with relevant departmental faculty. At the discretion of the Program Director, additional units in the major may be accepted for transfer.

The Director of Academic Services is responsible for evaluating all transcripts to determine general education transfer credit appropriate to the degree.

Transfer credit is given only when the course is applicable toward the interior design major or general education categories required for the degree at Design Institute of San Diego. Additional specific general education courses may be required to support the academic major.

The final decision on the awarding of all transfer credit is made by the Director of Academic Services.