Transfer of Course Credit

Transfer Credit Forms (PDFs)

Application for transfer of course credit
Requirements for transfer of summer/intersession courses
Guidelines for transfer of pre-matriculation credit
Application for transfer of pre-matriculation credit 
 

Colgate students may be eligible to receive academic credit for academic courses taken at institutions other than Colgate. Students wishing to study at another institution during a fall or spring term must first be approved for an Academic Leave of Absence and should contact the Office of Off-Campus Study to begin the application process. Once approved, students must complete and submit the Application for Transfer of Course Credit to the registrar's office.

Students planning to take courses elsewhere during a summer term or intersession are not required to apply for a leave of absence, but must still complete and submit the Application for Transfer of Course Credit and the Requirements for Transfer of Summer/Intersession Courses form. Please note that summer/intersession courses have additional requirements for term length and classroom hours.

All students taking courses at other institutions must consult with and receive approval from the registrar’s office prior to taking courses. Complete documentation must be provided, including course descriptions, term length and classroom hours, and other pertinent information. Transfer credit approval will not be granted until all required paperwork has been completed and filed with the appropriate offices.

Completed forms, as well as catalogue descriptions or syllabi for all courses being considered, may be submitted in any of the following ways:

E-mail: tcarhart@colgate.edu

Mail:
Office of the Registrar
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, NY 13346

Fax: 315-228-7125

Advanced Placement Credit

Students wishing to transfer Advanced Placement (AP) credit or other pre-matriculation credit must have the official score reports or an official transcript filed with the registrar's office prior to preregistration during the fourth semester. 

To transfer pre-matriculation credit (other than AP), students must read the Guidelines for Transfer of Pre-matriculation Credit (PDF) and fill out the Application for Transfer of Pre-matriculation Credit (interactive PDF).

Important information:

A maximum of six Colgate credits will be awarded for courses taken at other institutions or in non-Colgate programs. This six-course limit includes all Advanced Placement (PDF) credit and other college courses taken prior to matriculation at Colgate, as well as courses taken at other institutions during the summer, intersession, or during a leave of absence from Colgate.

Courses must be taken at a regionally accredited college or university (U.S., Canada), or on an approved study-abroad program. Students with upper-class standing (rising juniors, seniors) may not receive credit for courses taken at a two-year institution.

To be eligible to transfer, courses normally must bear a minimum credit of 3 semester hours or 5 quarter hours.

Courses must be comparable to those offered at Colgate and fit within the scope of our liberal arts curriculum. (Business, marketing, vocational or professional courses, and National Outdoor Leadership [NOLS] courses are examples of courses that will not be considered.) Additionally, Colgate does not award transfer credit for internships, independent studies, field research, or other experiential learning courses. (See Colgate University Catalogue for study-abroad exceptions.)

Courses may not duplicate or substantially overlap previous coursework or coursework required to be taken on campus.  

Courses in the Division of Natural Science/Mathematics, in English, or in a student's major or minor require departmental/program approval. It is the student’s responsibility to seek appropriate approvals.

Colgate operates on a course credit system, not a semester-hour or quarter-hour system. It must not be assumed that transfer credit is automatic or that courses taken at other institutions can be transferred to Colgate on a one-for-one basis.

A grade of “C” or higher must be earned in courses taken for transfer credit. Grades earned at other institutions are not transferred and are not included in the computation of the student’s grade point average at Colgate. Courses taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, Pass/Fail, or other ungraded basis will not be considered for transfer credit. 

Credit Conversion

For full-semester/quarter courses, Colgate converts semester credits and quarter credits to course credits using the table below.  

 
For example, a student takes 5 courses totaling 15 semester credits on a non-Colgate study-abroad program. This student will be awarded 4 Colgate course credits (13-16 cumulative semester hours), even though he or she completed 5 courses. Please note that this table does not apply to foreign institutions in all cases. Therefore, it is critical to have courses pre-approved by the registrar’s office.

Effective January 2011, summer and intersession courses are no longer included in the cumulative credit count; instead, summer/intersession credit will be awarded on a per-course basis. Courses that meet for a minimum of 3 weeks and 30 classroom hours are eligible to earn 0.50 course credits; courses that meet for a minimum of 5 weeks and 40 classroom hours are eligible to earn 1.00 course credit. Students may receive credit for no more than 1 course per summer session if the session is less than 6 weeks in length. 

Students may receive credit for up to 2 courses per session if the session is 6 or more weeks in length. Please see the Requirements for Transfer of Summer/Intersession Courses form for additional information and requirements. (Revision approved by Colgate University’s Academic Affairs Board, December 1, 2010.)

Note: Prior to January 2011, credits from all non-Colgate courses taken in all terms—including summer and intersession—were included in the cumulative count. Courses taken prior to 2011 are not eligible for review of credit based on the updated Academic Affairs Board policy.