Course Credit
Transferring Course Credit
General Guidelines
Requests for courses to be transferred for credit toward a graduate degree are reviewed by the Graduate School upon recommendation by the student’s academic program. Such work must represent graduate-level courses relevant to the degree being sought, with course content and level of instruction resulting in student competencies at least equivalent to those of currently enrolled students as determined by the academic program. Students seeking transfer credit must provide the following to their academic program:
- Published course description;
- Course reading list;
- Course requirements, including assignments and grading criteria;
- Information on the types of tools and methods that were used to engage students in learning; and
- Official transcripts noting earned credit for the course. Note: Transcripts received from other universities cannot be released to students or third parties.
- Students should then submit the Transfer Credit Recommendation Form
to The Graduate School for processing.
In addition, the following guidelines apply:
- Transferred credit will not be included in the program residence credit calculation.
- Grades earned on transferred work must be equivalent to B or better (B- is not equivalent to B).
- Courses taken on a pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis may not be included in transfer credit.
- Transfer of thesis or dissertation credit, or of credit for any thesis or master’s project from another academic program in this institution, is permitted if the academic program agrees the project complies with the general standards of their own requirements.
- A student who wishes to take one or more courses at another institution (other than by inter-institutional registration) must first consult his or her academic program if s/he wishes to receive credit for such courses. Once such course credit is earned, the procedure for transferring the credits earned is the same as that described above.
- The Graduate School does not accept transfer credit for non-credit courses, including lifetime learning seminars and programs, or courses taken for Continuing Education Units.
The 20 Percent Rule
Upon recommendation of the academic program and approval by The Graduate School, up to 20 percent of the total hours required for the master’s degree may be graduate-level courses transferred from another approved institution, or from this institution for courses taken before admission to an academic program in The Graduate School (e.g., courses taken as a Continuing Studies student, an undergraduate, or as a non-degree student).
Credit received for graduate-level courses taken as an undergraduate may be transferred into an academic program with the program’s approval provided the course did not count toward the requirements of the undergraduate degree.
Transferred credits will not be included in the program residence credit calculation.
Doctoral Degree Guidelines
Upon recommendation of the academic program and approval by The Graduate School, a doctoral student may transfer into his or her degree program relevant graduate courses from approved institutions or from other graduate programs within this institution.
The doctoral student may be examined on all transferred courses at the time of the doctoral oral examination.
There is no limit to the number of hours that can be transferred into a doctoral program to meet course requirements—with the academic program’s approval.
Transferred credits will not be included in the program residence credit calculation.
Pass/Fail Courses
All required graduate courses, including those taken on this campus or elsewhere (via inter-institutional registration, Study Abroad, etc.), may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.
Undergraduate Courses
Courses approved for undergraduate credit only (at UNC-Chapel Hill, those numbered below 400), including required prerequisite courses, will not be counted toward academic program requirements, do not count toward full-time enrollment status, do not carry either course or residence credit, and will not be entered into the student’s Graduate School academic eligibility calculation.
Special Language Courses
Students enrolled in special language courses, such as Spanish/German/French/Latin 601 or 602, receive either S or NG as a grade. Credit hours earned for these courses are not included among the credit hours earned toward the degree or for residence credit, but they do count towards full-time enrollment in the semester in which they are taken.
Foreign Language Proficiency Assessments are offered as an alternative to the special language courses. For more information, see Foreign Language Proficiency Assessment
.
Continuing Studies and Summer Sessions
Degree-seeking students must register for all courses through The Graduate School (not Continuing Studies or Summer School).
Auditing Courses
To audit a course, students must get the written permission of the course instructor and the academic program chair. Students can request this permission only after the end of the official registration period.
Full-time students cannot audit courses in the Friday Center for Continuing Education or a course preparing a student for “Credit-by-Examination.” Students officially registered for other courses during a semester or summer session may audit a course without paying a fee.
For more information, please refer to the Office of the University Registrar and the University Registrar’s Policy Memo No. 9.