Transfer Credit, Undergraduate

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Transfer Credit Conversion

DePaul University’s academic calendar is based on the quarter system. College credit is accumulated on the basis of quarter hours. To convert credit hours from the semester system to the quarter system, multiply 1.5 (example: 3 semester hours x 1.5 = 4.5 quarter hours). The minimum number of hours required for graduation with a bachelor’s degree is 192 quarter hours.

Types of Transfer Credit Accepted by DePaul University

The following statements describe DePaul’s transfer credit policies:

  1. DePaul will accept for transfer credit baccalaureate-level courses completed at baccalaureate granting US institutions that are fully accredited by one of the regional accrediting organizations.  DePaul does not accept credit from institutions that are not regionally accredited.  
  2. DePaul will accept transfer credit from tertiary level international institutions that are formally recognized by their country’s ministry of education or its equivalent. All international transfer credit must meet DePaul University, college-level appropriate content, which will be determined through a course-by-course review and approval process before credit is awarded. If the course syllabus or other course documentation is not written in English, students are responsible for translating the documents for review, when necessary. For credit earned through tertiary institutions abroad, credit will be determined by the standard credit conversion systems in place. In cases where the transcript does not articulate standard credits, credit will be awarded based on instructional time, as outlined in the Evaluation and Credit policy (one quarter hour granted per 7.5 hours of instructional time within a 10-week period). Transfer credit for one class through tertiary institutions abroad may be awarded up to a maximum of 9 quarter credits when official transcripts do not articulate standard credits (67.5 hours of instructional time within a 10-week period). Credits are processed as either international admissions transfer credit (a) or study abroad transfer credit (b).
    1. Transfer applicants seeking to transfer undergraduate credit to DePaul from a foreign institution in their countries of permanent residence/citizenship are required to submit a course by course evaluation from Educational Perspectives (EP), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) or One Earth International Credential Evaluations. As an alternative, students may petition to submit a course-by-course evaluation from another organization approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). To further facilitate the process of determining what credit will transfer to DePaul, students are required to submit course descriptions and may be asked for syllabi (translated into English).
    2. Current DePaul students interested in studying abroad are required to submit a non-DePaul study abroad program application, including course approval requests, by the application deadline listed on the Study Abroad office website. DePaul will award credit for courses completed through institutions that are formally recognized by their country’s ministry of education or its equivalent, regardless of degree applicability within the institution. Transfer credit may be denied if courses are not pre-approved. Official transcripts written in a language other than English require an American Translators Association-certified translation into English.  
  3. DePaul will accept for transfer credit college-level courses that are earned in Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degree programs at 2-year institutions fully accredited by one of the regional accrediting organizations. 
  4. Course credit earned at 2-year accredited institutions in other degree programs, such as the Associate of Applied Sciences or Associate of Fine Arts degrees, will be reviewed for transfer credit on a course-by-course basis. When necessary, students will be expected to provide bulletin descriptions and course syllabi to facilitate the review process. 
  5. In general, courses presented for transfer from 2-year, regionally accredited institutions that are earned in a certificate or professional training capacity are not eligible for transfer credit. Examples of these programs include, but are not limited to: air conditioning, automotive technology, culinary arts, travel management, paralegal studies, fashion design, child care, electronics, and medical office assistant.
  6. Developmental courses (for example, pre-college level courses in math or writing), whether from 2-year institutions or baccalaureate granting institutions, are not accepted for transfer credit. 
  7. Credit by examination is acceptable, in some areas. See the Evaluation and Credit and Evaluation and Credit/Limitations sections for details.
  8. Any credit earned as part of one’s military service through a regionally accredited institution will be reviewed on a course-by-course basis.
  9. Credit for military training and education provided by the armed services will be considered in accordance with the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE). Military transfer credit that articulates with other DePaul coursework will follow the Evaluation and Credit Limitations policy. Students requesting military transfer credit must submit an official copy of their military record for evaluation. 
  10. All transfer credit that students take while concurrently enrolled at DePaul must be approved by the student’s college/school in order to apply to the DePaul degree. 

Students may appeal to the Transfer Credit Articulation Center (TrAC@depaul.edu) for additional review of particular courses not accepted for transfer credit. Students who make such a request must be prepared to supply official course descriptions and course syllabi. The review of all transfer credit is subject to limitations in accordance with the educational policies of DePaul University.

​Transfer Credit Course Regulations

For information regarding the amount of transfer credit that can be applied to the degree, please consult the Evaluation and Credit/Limitations section of this Handbook. 

  1. Only courses with a grade of C- or higher will apply to the student’s major or minor. 
  2. Students transferring the equivalent of WRD 103 and/or WRD 104 must have received grades of C- or better in these courses in order to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement.
  3. If a student has attempted a course more than once, only the most recent grade will be used for credit review. All other attempts will be considered “repeats” and will transfer no credit. Transfer courses will be identified as repeats if they meet the following criteria:
    1. The same course (as identified by course title and number) is taken more than once at the same institution;
    2. Two or more courses taken at different institutions are evaluated as meeting the same objectives.
  4. If a student repeats a course at DePaul where transfer credit was awarded, all attempts of that course are considered in the application of the repeat policy. 
  5. Transferable courses or test credit (AP, IB, CLEP) may be applied to the major or minor, to Liberal Studies, or to open electives. 
  6. Due to rapid changes in some areas of major/minor study, along with various licensure standards, some courses or test credits otherwise applicable to the major or minor may be subject to a review to determine how current the content is. As a result of this review, the course or test equivalent in question may no longer be applicable to major or minor requirements. This review may be conducted by a faculty academic advisor or, when deemed appropriate, by a staff academic advisor in consult with faculty. If a transferable course or test credit is deemed no longer current, the student may be required to repeat the course or test credit course equivalent in order to complete the degree. Other transferable courses or test credits may be applied to the Liberal Studies Program, based on the most current articulations. Finally, transferable courses or test credits may be applied, at a minimum, towards open elective credit. If the student repeats a course, only the most recent attempt will apply toward the degree.