Advising Corner
A Tool for Transferring Credits
Dana P. Aina, Lead Counselor
Welcome, new and returning students, to Penn State Continuing Education at University Park!
As an academic adviser, I've found that one of the most frequently asked questions posed by adult learners is, "Can you tell me how many transfer credits Penn State will give me?" or "Can I get transfer credit for (name of course) that I took at (name of institution)?" Students should know that Penn State will evaluate for possible transfer "…course work that is equivalent to course offerings at Penn State."
To Be Eligible for Review:
- The grade received in the course must be equivalent to a "C" (2.0) or higher at Penn State
- Penn State must have a similar program or course offering
- The course should be useful in the student's program of study at Penn State
- College-level course work completed at colleges or universities that are licensed by state boards of education to award associate degrees (or higher), but that are not members of one of the six regional accrediting associations, may be eligible for credit by validation
Transferring Credits Tool
Students can check to see if specific courses from another college or university in the United States will transfer, by using the Undergraduate Admissions Office's transferring credits tool. Once at the site:
- First, select "For Penn State Students"
- Next, select "Identify a course at another institution and view the Penn State evaluation"
- Then select "Begin Course Evaluation" in the upper left side of the Web page
- From the drop-down menus, follow the prompts and select the transfer institution, course designation, and course number to be evaluated. The course evaluation is posted. You may click the link to "Review another course," or print your results for reference
- Penn State credits are expressed in semester hours. Courses evaluated for transfer from colleges and universities with different credit systems (quarter hours, units) are converted to semester hours of credit.
The Undergraduate Admissions Office determines which credits will transfer to the University; the academic unit to which the student has been admitted determines how credits will be used to fulfill degree requirements in a student's program of study.
More about Transfer Credits
Evaluations for transfer of credit by the Undergraduate Admissions Office are based on the best available information at the time. Revisions to a course evaluation may be made, based on the receipt of new information, and no evaluation is officially complete until credits appear on the student's Penn State transcript.
Send official transcripts from the transfer institution, along with any applicable fees, to: Undergraduate Admissions Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Shields Building, University Park, PA 16802-1294.
Check out all six sources for more information about gaining transfer credits at http://admissions.psu.edu/academics/credit.
Until next time,
Study smart!
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