Transferring credits from other schools

Undergraduate Post-Matriculation Transfer Credit Limit

Students who first become degree-seeking at St. Thomas beginning with the Fall 2013 semester and for all subsequent semesters may count a maximum of eight additional transfer credits taken after the date of matriculation at St. Thomas toward core requirements, with no more than four of those credits counting toward any one core requirement area (for instance, Language and Culture or Literature and Writing). This limit applies only to post-matriculation transfer credits and therefore does not apply to courses taken through a St. Thomas study abroad program or through the ACTC.

Pre-approval for transfer work

Institutions within the United States

Please complete the Transfer Pre-approval Form.

Institutions outside the United States

Policies and procedures for obtaining pre-approval for courses to be taken outside the United States are available from Study Abroad.

New courses

The St. Thomas faculty evaluates courses taken at other accredited colleges and universities to determine whether they can be used to meet graduation requirements at St. Thomas. The procedure for making those determinations is as follows:

1. The student instructs the host institution to send an official transcript to the St. Thomas Office of Admissions.
2. A transcript reviewer in the Office of Student Data & Registrar checks each course on the transcript to determine whether it has been previously approved by the faculty for use toward St. Thomas requirements. If the course has been approved, the transcript reviewer so indicates on the student's degree audit.
3. If the course has not previously been evaluated by the faculty, the reviewer prepares a recommendation as to whether it should be used to meet St. Thomas requirements. The reviewer sends this recommendation to the chair of the academic department which administers courses of the same or similar rubrics at St. Thomas.
4. The academic department chair evaluates the recommendation, decides whether the course should be accepted at St. Thomas, and notifies the appropriate St. Thomas personnel.
5. If the academic department chair changes the recommendation of the reviewer, the reviewer notes the change on the student's degree audit.
6. Finally, the reviewer notifies the student of the results of the evaluation.

Courses used to meet elective requirements

Credit which does not meet specific core or major/minor curriculum requirements may, in some cases, be used to meet elective requirements.

Appeals

Major/Minor Field:

• Students who believe a transfer course should count toward major or minor field requirements should consult with the chair/director of the major or minor field.

Core Requirement:

• Students who believe a transfer course should fulfill a core requirement should begin the appeal process with Academic Counseling. An academic counselor will review the situation and if it looks like there is a sufficient basis to submit an appeal, the student will be given a petition form to be submitted to the Office of Student Data & Registrar. The counselor will discuss the kind of information (course description, syllabi, text etc.) that should be provided about the course with the petition.