Transfer and Exam Credit
This section describes the policy for all external work for which American University awards credit. Transfer students should also refer to University-Wide Requirements , for the full policy, including the applicability of transfer credit, to College Writing and University Mathematics Requirements.
The Admissions Office evaluates official documents showing previous college-level work completed. Individual teaching units determine how this credit will apply to specific degree programs. Once a student has matriculated, transfer work will only be accepted if it has been approved in advance by the academic unit via the Permit to Study process. A student must satisfy all requirements of the Permit to Study process, including advance approval for specific courses and a maximum number of credits. General Education credit and University Mathematics and College Writing requirement credit may not be earned after matriculation to AU through the Permit to Study process.
Grades and quality points earned in courses accepted for transfer will not be included in the grade point average to be maintained at American University, but the credits will count toward the total number required for graduation.
Transfer students may normally expect to receive credit for courses taken at collegiate institutions that were, at the time the courses were taken, an AG-rated regionally accredited institution. These courses must be appropriate for academic credit at American University towards an undergraduate degree program. A maximum of 75 cumulative credit hours will be accepted from the following: 1) any approved AG-rated and regionally accredited two-year and four-year institutions; 2) a maximum of 30 credit hours from one or a combination of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, CLEP subject examinations, or other AU approved test credit; 3) a maximum of 30 credit hours for a combination of relevant work completed satisfactorily in college-level Armed Services School courses, or US Armed Forces Institute correspondence or extension courses, completed with a grade of 70 or better, as recommended at the baccalaureate level by the American Council on Education and which is appropriate for academic credit as determined by the Admissions Office after consultation with the appropriate academic unit. Military Occupation Services (MOS) credit may be evaluated separately for academic credit.
A student will not be able to register for a second semester at AU until all final official transcripts have been sent to the AU Office of Admissions from previously attended institutions.
Minimum Transfer Requirements
Courses eligible for transfer upon matriculation to AU must have a recorded grade of C or above. Courses with a grade of “P” or Pass are eligible for transfer, providing that the grade of “P” is the equivalent of a C or above. Only courses in which the student has received a grade of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale will be recorded on the student’s AU transcript and will be applied towards the total number of credits required for graduation. Grades for transfer courses are not computed in the cumulative grade point average.
Courses taken on the quarter system will receive the standard .67 credit per credit hour of study (e.g., a 3 credit hour course at a quarter school will merit 2 credit hours at AU). A transfer course must have the same number of credit hours as an AU course in order to be considered “equivalent.”
Courses below the pre-calculus level will not receive transfer credit.
Credit hours for remedial courses and internship/externship are not eligible for transfer to AU.
Technical or vocational credit hours may not be eligible for transfer to AU.
Transfer of Foreign Language Courses
A student who wishes to transfer foreign language courses from previous institutions must follow the guidelines established by AU’s Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC). For more information, please visit the WLC website at www.american.edu/cas/wlc/placement.cfm.
Credit Through Examination
Credit through examination will be given in accordance with the guidelines AU stipulates for all admitted students. All scores must be sent by the testing agency directly to AU. Credit will be applied toward a student’s program of study at the academic unit’s discretion.
All exam scores must be received by the AU Office of Admissions no later than the end of the second enrolled term. Exam scores more than six years old may not be accepted for credit. A student whose exam scores articulate as credit for one or more courses in the General Education Program may apply up to 4 credit-by-exam courses to their General Education requirement. Additional courses may still be applied toward the major or minor, or as elective credit. For more information, see the AU policy concerning credit by exam at: www.american.edu/admissions/examcredit.cfm.
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