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Transferring Credits

You may have gone back to school several times, acquiring a few credits here, a few credits there. You may have even accumulated quite a stash of credits. What will happen to these credits when you apply to a new school?

Before you commit to a program, you should speak to an admissions counselor. It's most helpful if you bring with you a copy of your transcripts from any previous colleges you have attended – just ask the registrar's office at your previous school for a student copy of your transcript. Your counselor can answer most of your questions about the program, and should be able to give you some idea of what credits you'll be able to transfer in.

Some schools are more flexible than others in accepting transfer credits, but here are some guidelines as to what they will and won't take.

Grades below C will be excluded.

There is a limit to the number of transferable credits, e.g., 60 credits from a 2-year college and 90 credits from a 4-year college (the actual number will vary by school).

Courses to be transferred must roughly match courses offered by the school you plan to attend.

There is generally a limit to the number of credits that can be transferred into your major field of study. Other credits will transfer in as electives.

Some categories of credits may have limits, e.g., business courses, or restrictions, e.g., technical courses where skills may be out of date.

Credits from a nearby community college will transfer most easily into a 4-year school. Many 4-year colleges have "articulation" agreements with neighboring 2-year colleges for this purpose.

These policies may seem arbitrary. Many students have been disappointed and frustrated that some of the effort they have put in seems to have been wasted. But there are good reasons behind them. Most important, they ensure the quality of the education you will receive.

A complete credit evaluation will be done once you've applied and submitted your official transcripts to the school. Don't despair if you wind up with fewer credits than you'd anticipated. There are ways to gain additional credits for non-college work. We'll review these in our next issue.

7/10/01

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