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 credit units in the major and up to 36 credit 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. 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.
Degree requirements for general education include 36 credit units distributed among the following categories:
Transfer units will be considered during the Admission process; therefore it is essential that all previous college transcripts be presented for evaluation. An evaluation will be prepared during the student’s first semester at Design Institute. After the first semester, no other units will be considered for transfer while a student is in attendance at Design Institute.
Acceptance of educational credit is at the discretion of each college or university. Design Institute does not imply, promise or guarantee the transferability of credits earned to other institutions, nor does it guarantee that all credits earned at other institutions will be accepted at Design Institute for credit.
Design Institute operates on the semester system. The credit value in semester hours is indicated in the course listings. The table below shows the relative value of semester and quarter hours for transfer purposes.
| Semester Hours | Quarter Hours | |
| 1 | 1.5 | |
| 2 | 3.0 | |
| 3 | 4.5 | |
| 4 | 6.0 | |
| 5 | 7.5 |
Transfer Policy for Students with Previous Degrees:
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university will have their general education courses reviewed for relevancy to a BFA in Interior Design degree. Courses are evaluated on a course by course basis. Additional specific General Education courses may be required to support the academic major. Subject matter deficiencies will be determined during the admission process.