Generally, the College grants transfer credit for liberal arts courses that carry at least three semester hours or four quarter hours of credit and were passed with a grade of C or better (in some cases, a grade of B or better is required) from an accredited institution that grants bachelor's degrees, subject to review by the Dean of Students office. The College does not grant transfer credit for courses in pre-calculus or calculus (credit for calculus will be granted only by College accreditation or AP exam, or based on completion of a higher-level math course at UChicago). Depending on the student’s major and on the level of work to be evaluated, credit for some courses in chemistry, physics, and biology may also be subject to examination. Undergraduate business courses will be reviewed for transfer credit by the faculty of the Booth School of Business. Professional or technical courses (e.g., law, nursing, civil/mechanical engineering, speech, education, leadership, first-year writing) and any kind of tutorial or independent study coursework, including internship credit or prior learning experiences (work experience, trainings, certifications, etc.), will not transfer; only courses similar to those taught in the College may transfer.
Reviewing the College Catalog will allow you to familiarize yourself with the requirements of the Core and your intended major(s) and to see how your previous courses match those on our campus. This should provide a good understanding of which of your courses may be eligible for transfer credit.
Have additional questions about transfer credit? Check out answers to frequently asked questions here.
Credit Evaluation Process
We recommend that you submit your transfer credit materials when you apply for admission in order to receive an initial credit evaluation in a timely manner.
Timeline
| Transfer Early Decision | Transfer Rolling Decision | |
|---|---|---|
| Priority deadline for document submission* | March 15 | April 15 |
*If admitted, you can still submit your transfer credit materials after the deadline or after being admitted. However, the admissions committee will expect you to submit transfer credit materials as part of a complete application to the College. Late submissions may impact your ability to receive a timely credit evaluation.
There are two stages to the transfer credit evaluation process. Initial evaluations are conducted only for admitted students and focus solely on general eligibility for transfer credit. The Dean of Students office makes every effort to complete this initial evaluation before a student’s reply deadline.
Final evaluations of transfer credit are conducted only for enrolling students and rely upon the receipt of an official final college transcript. In early August, before the main pre-registration period, students receive finalized information on specific approvals for major or Core credit. Then, typically in September, students receive an expected timeline for graduation along with any remaining course approvals.
How to Submit Courses for Credit Evaluation
Students should submit the Transfer of Credit form in their UChicago Account to indicate all courses for which they would like to receive a credit evaluation. Students must include an official course description and upload a syllabus for every submitted course on the Transfer of Credit form. Syllabi should be submitted as “Transfer Credit Syllabi” in the Upload Materials section of their UChicago account. If not specified in the syllabus, students should include other information about the content and structure of the course (e.g., a list of required readings and assignments, lectures, exams, papers, etc.) along with the syllabus as a single PDF for each course.
Incoming Transfer Students
In early June, incoming transfer students are paired with a transfer credit advisor. The final credit evaluation process involves consulting multiple departments and faculty and takes multiple weeks, so promptly submitting your course information and materials is essential. To ensure that incoming transfer students receive information about their transfer credits before starting at UChicago, any missing/additional courses or supplemental documents must be submitted by July 1.
Upon graduation from the University of Chicago, transfer credits are listed on the student’s University of Chicago transcript only as the number of credits approved for transfer. Courses and grades are not listed, nor do transferred courses contribute to the student’s University of Chicago grade point average for the purpose of computing an overall GPA, Dean’s List, departmental honors, or general honors. Learn more about transfer credit.
Examination Credit
The College grants credit for some Advanced Placement examinations with scores of 4 or 5 and International Baccalaureate Higher Level examinations with scores of 6 or 7, but not for CLEP, USAFI, or correspondence course work. Entering students also take placement tests in a variety of subjects. Learn more about credit gained by examination.