• Table of Contents
• The Graduate School Handbook

• Graduate Education
• The Graduate School and the Administrative Board
• Graduate School Staff Directory
• Graduate Education References
• Graduate School Calendar

• General Academic Requirements and Regulations
• Admission and Matriculation
• Eligibility
• Course Credit
• Registration
• Residence Credit
• Graduate Grading
• Assistantships and Fellowships
• Tuition and Other Charges
• Graduation
• Medical or Personal Issues
• Withdrawal from the University
• Policies and Procedures
• Students as Faculty
• Certificate Programs
• Dual Degree Programs
• Generative AI Guidelines

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degree
• Doctoral Degree

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. 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. Note: exceptions are allowable based on University guidelines related to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
• Credit hours earned on transferred work will not be greater than the earned credit hours reflected on the official transcript. If necessary, earned credit hours will be converted to semester hours before posting as transferred credit hours. The academic program has discretion to allow fewer hours.
• Transfer of thesis or dissertation credit hours is permitted if the academic program agrees the project complies with the general standards of their own requirements. In most cases, this applies to doctoral students given permission to bypass a master's degree or to students who are transferring to UNC-Chapel Hill following faculty. Under no circumstances may a completed dissertation project or a completed thesis project (for a terminal/stand-alone master's degree) serve in lieu of these requirements as part of awarding a Chapel Hill degree.
• A student who wishes to take one or more courses at another institution (other than by inter-institutional registration) must first consult the academic program if asking 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.

Master's Degree Guidelines

The 30 Percent Rule
Upon recommendation of the academic program and approval by The Graduate School, up to 30 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 the academic program in The Graduate School (e.g., courses taken as a non-degree or Continuing Studies student, an undergraduate, or a degree student in another program).

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 the 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.

Transferring Exam Credit

Requests for prior milestone examinations to be transferred for credit toward a UNC graduate degree are permissible only for comprehensive exams. An oral prospectus of the dissertation/thesis project must be conducted and approved by the UNC faculty committee. Students seeking transfer credit for exams must petition their academic program and seek approval from The Graduate School.

Pass/Fail Courses

No graduate-only level courses (at UNC-Chapel Hill, those numbered 700 and above) may be established as pass/fail courses. All required coursework intended to count toward degree credits or requirements, including those taken on this campus or elsewhere via inter-institutional registration, study abroad, etc., may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. Note: exceptions are allowable based on University guidelines related to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Students who wish to take a non-required or undergraduate level course pass/fail should contact The Graduate School.

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, will not carry either course or residence credit, and will not be entered into the student's Graduate School academic eligibility calculation.

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 obtain 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.

Students may later enroll in and receive academic credit for a previously audited course; however, retroactive academic credit for an audited course is not permitted.

Degree-seeking students cannot audit courses through Digital and Lifelong Learning 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 University Registrar's Policy Memo No. 9.