The University of Vermont (UVM) considers transfer credits from accredited colleges and universities for courses completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better. Courses must be comparable in content, nature, and intensity to those offered at UVM. Grades from other institutions do not transfer and are not included in a student’s UVM Grade Point Average (GPA).

To outline the criteria UVM uses to determine the acceptability of credits earned at other colleges and universities, through standardized examination or non-standard post-secondary school education.

This policy applies to any student who has taken credits at or through another college or university, taken a standardized exam, or received non-standard post-secondary school instruction.

Accreditation: recognition granted to educational institutions that meet established standards of quality and integrity, by a recognized accrediting body.

College: a post-secondary, degree-granting institution offering formal educational instruction.

Content: the subject matter covered within a specific course, instructional period, or period of directed self-study.

Course: a structured, supervised learning experience under the sponsorship of a recognized educational institution, including lectures, laboratories, studios, independent studies, guided readings, research, and internships.

Credit: the official recognition of a student's completion of a course, applicable only to post-secondary level education.

Credit-by-Examination: earning academic credit by passing a comprehensive examination that assesses knowledge equivalent to a specific college course, without attending the course.

Early Autumn Semester: slightly shorter than the standard 15 week semester. Still utilizes the semester credit hour system.

Education:  learning achieved through instruction or guided study, encompassing theoretical and historical aspects of the subject.

Equity: the principle that transfer courses must be comparable in type and nature to those offered at UVM, with similar instructional intensity, to be eligible for equivalent credit.

Formal recognition: acknowledgment by an accrediting body or governmental agency that an institution meets certain educational standards.

Institution: an organization that provides post-secondary educational programs.

Intensity: depth and breadth of the subject covered within a given time period.

Nature: the inherent characteristics or purpose of a particular course or instructional program.

Physical Education Activities: structured physical activities under the guidance of qualified instructors aimed at improving physical health and performance.

Resident credit: credits earned through coursework completed at UVM.

Transcript: an official record issued by an educational institution detailing a student's courses, grades, and academic achievements.

University: a post-secondary educational institution of the highest level, comprised of more than one college and authorized to grant both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

University of Vermont: the divisions and colleges comprising the undergraduate degree environment of the total institution. (Does not include any courses or programs ineligible for degree credit.)

1. The Office of Transfer Affairs, within the Registrar's Office, evaluates all undergraduate, post-secondary level education presented for transfer to UVM. Pre-approval of transfer credit is not guaranteed.
2. The student's academic advisor determines the applicability of accepted courses to the degree program. Final decision regarding degree applicability rests with the Dean of the respective college or school.   Final decision regarding General Education requirements rests with the Catamount Core Curriculum Committee.

1. All coursework must be documented on an official transcript sent directly from the originating institution to UVM's Registrar's Office. 
2. Only transcripts sent directly from the host institution to UVM are official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts - copies, facsimiles, or transcripts forwarded by the student - will not be accepted.
3. Students may be asked to submit additional course materials, beyond a course syllabus, in order to determine the comparability of the course to a course offered at the University of Vermont.
4. All foreign transcripts not issued in English must have an accompanying translation certified by the original transcribing institution, the governmental education agency of the host country, the American Embassy of the host country or a professional translation service approved by the University of Vermont. 
5. Foreign institutions that provide only one original document certifying attendance, course of instruction, and achievement should be asked to mail the certifying documents directly to the University of Vermont. The originals will be retained until credit transfer has been completed. Certified copies will be retained for the student’s record, and the originals will be returned to the student.

A. The educational institution from which course work is being considered for transfer credit must be accredited by a regional, professional or national institutional accrediting body. 

1. United States: 
   1. Accrediting bodies must be recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE). 
      1. Course work from institutions which have only candidacy status with an Accreditation Body described in (a) and carry no other acceptable form of accreditation, will not be acceptable for transfer. 
      2. The review by Professional Accreditation Bodies extends to courses taught in the discipline of the professional accreditation. 

2. International:

   The Foreign government or state governmental agency of a foreign country must formally recognize an educational institution as offering post-secondary school instruction leading toward a degree or diploma comparable to that offered at the University of Vermont. 

   1. Education in a foreign country sponsored by an accredited American college or university is governed by the American school’s accreditation. 
   2. Credit will also be considered for transfer when the University of Vermont has been affiliated with an independent academic program through a formal inter-institutional agreement. 

B. The determination of the comparability of course work in content, nature, and intensity to courses offered at the University of Vermont. 

1. Equity will be maintained between transfer credit and resident credit. Courses must be comparable in content, nature, and intensity to UVM offerings
2. When reviewing a course for content, a 2/3 yardstick is used. Therefore, in most cases, if a course contains 2/3 of the material of a similar course at the University of Vermont, the courses will be judged to be comparable. Courses which must contain very specific topics to prepare students for a particular function or for further study may be reviewed by the faculty of their discipline for comparability determination outside of the 2/3 guideline. Students may be asked to submit additional course materials, beyond a course syllabus, in order to make a comparability determination.
3. Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis. Courses which are less rigorous than the minimum offering in the corresponding discipline at the University of Vermont will not be eligible to transfer. 

Combinations of courses from a single institution may be considered equivalent to a UVM course upon appeal and review by the relevant department and Transfer Affairs. Upon appeal of an original course- by-course denial of credit, a review of the presenting institution’s course syllabi and sequencing will be made by the Chairperson of the appropriate discipline in conjunction with Transfer Affairs. Credit may be transferred in an amount equal to the corresponding University of Vermont course(s) when the review yields a sufficient degree of comparability in content, nature, and intensity between the combination of the presenting institution’s courses and the corresponding courses at the University of Vermont.

A formal appeal of a credit transfer decision should be brought to the Office of Transfer Affairs. The Director of Transfer Affairs in consultation with the faculty of the appropriate discipline will judge the comparability of the courses for transfer credit in all appeal reviews. A written response will be delivered to the student in a timely manner once the Director of Transfer Affairs and the appropriate faculty have reviewed the course materials, past practices, and the student’s specific circumstances.

A student may ask for further consideration of a denied appeal by presenting all pertinent information, in writing, to the Registrar who will determine acceptability of course work for transfer. This written appeal should contain a complete accounting of all reviews and decisions up to this point. An appeal of the Registrar’s decision is to the Provost who should be provided with written documentation of the process thus far. The Provost will review the materials and render the final decision.

C. The determination of the level of accomplishment attained in each course. 

1. A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required for transfer credit eligibility. The level of achievement for any course must be equal to or above a grade of C on an ‘A’ to ‘F’ scale, 2.0 or better on a 1 to 4 scale or 75 or better on a 1 to 100 scale for the course to be eligible to transfer. Grades of C- or lower are not accepted for transfer credit.
2. Courses from institutions which do not utilize one of these grading scales are reviewed individually relying on subjective evaluations of the instructing faculty member. Whenever possible, the institution is asked to state that the quality of the course work completed was at least equal to a C or better. 
3. Grades of ‘P’ (Pass) or ‘S’ (Satisfactory) will be accepted only with official documentation verifying that they represent successful completion of a specific course at or above C or better. 
4. The Office of Transfer Affairs is responsible for verifying that the level of achievement of all course work presented for transfer consideration is equal to or above a grade of C or better. 

D. The determination of Catamount Core Curriculum Designations

1. To receive a Catamount Core Curriculum Designation, a transfer course must align with that designation’s learning outcomes and other designation requirements regarding content and assessment.
2. A course that transfers in as the direct equivalent of a UVM course may not receive Catamount Core designations in addition to, or different from, the UVM course.
3. For courses that are not equivalent to an approved UVM course, students may fill out a request form for consideration by the Catamount Core Curriculum Review Committee via the General Education website. Where a course converts from quarter hours as less than 3 credits but more  than 2.5 credits, the course will be accepted for Catamount Core designations that specify a minimum of 3 credits.

Appeals of Catamount Core designations for transfer courses should be resubmitted with additional support materials. The Catamount Core Curriculum Transfer Subcommittee will review the appeal and materials submitted by the student and render a final decision.

1. The University of Vermont is on the early Autumn semester system. All academic course work accepted for transfer will be converted into semester hours of credit by the Office of Transfer Affairs.
2. Quarter hours will be converted to semester hours using a 2/3 (.67) conversion factor unless otherwise prescribed by the presenting institution. 
3. In all cases, the transcribing institution’s recommendation for semester credit conversion will be given serious consideration. 

A. The following American and foreign standardized examinations which test postsecondary school knowledge are recognized for transfer credit consideration by the University of Vermont.  The current list of recognized sources can be found online at https://www.uvm.edu/registrar/undergraduate-transfer-credit

• Advanced Level General Certificate of Education
• Examinations of the British Examination Councils
• The Advanced Placement Examination of the College Board (AP) 
• The College Level Examination Program of the College Board (CLEP) 
• The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) 
• The German Abitur 
• The International Baccalaureate higher level examinations (IB) 
• The Scottish Certificate of Sixth Year Studies 

Additions to this list shall be made by the Registrar in consultation with the Curricular Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate.

B. The standards of performance required for transfer credit consideration are as follows: 

1. General Certificate of Education Examinations of the British Examination Councils: A Levels Passes of A through E will be considered for up to one year of course credit in a corresponding discipline. 
2. Advanced Placement Examinations of the College Board (AP) 
   1. Credit is considered for all exams administered. Scores of 5 earn credit in all areas. Scores of 3 and 4 earn credit as determined by annual faculty review. 
   2. Credit is granted for specific University of Vermont courses as determined by the faculty of the discipline governing the subject content of the Advanced Placement Examination. 
3. College Level Examination Program of the College Board (CLEP) 
   1. Only CLEP scores comparable to a B or higher in the national norm sample will be accepted for credit. 
   2. Students may not have been exposed in a previous college level course to more than 10% of the material covered by a particular CLEP exam. More than 10% duplication renders the student ineligible.
   3. CLEP examinations are comparable to freshman/sophomore level credits numbered 1000 to 2999 at the University of Vermont. Juniors and Seniors who are eligible to take courses at the lower level may utilize the CLEP option. 
4. The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support  (DANTES) 
   1. A specific DANTES exam must carry a standard code equal to or above the 70th percentile. 
   2. DANTES Subject Standardized Tests which are comparable in the nature and scope of material examined to courses offered at the University of Vermont will be considered for transfer credit. 
5. The German Abitur: Credit will be considered for the 4 subjects of the Abiturprufungen (final examination) portion of the Abitur. Each exam presented for credit consideration must carry a grade between 1 and 3-, or their equivalent. 
6. The International Baccalaureate (IB): Credit will be considered for the individual exams in the Higher Level subjects only for grades of 5, 6 or 7, with a maximum of 30 credits. 
7. Scottish Certificate of Sixth Year: Students earning passes of A, B or C on the Scottish Certificate of Sixth Year Studies will be considered for one year introductory credit in the appropriate discipline. 

C. The Office of Transfer Affairs, in collaboration with faculty from relevant disciplines, will periodically review the performance standards used to award credit for these examinations.

D. Internal College or University challenge examinations 

Credits earned through the internal credit-by-examination program of an accredited College or University are eligible to transfer providing:

1. The course which was challenged would be eligible to transfer under normal classroom circumstances. 
2. Evidence that the exam was passed at a level of competence equal to or greater than that of students who achieve a grade of C in the course being challenged.

E. Obtaining an adequate grade on a UVM institutional Credit by Examination test

If you are a degree student at UVM, you may request credit for a course by taking a special exam, with approval from your advisor and college. A fee applies. For full details, see the Online Catalogue or download the Credit by Examination form.

1. The University of Vermont will accept courses taken prior to high school graduation for transfer credit when all of the following stipulations are satisfied. 
   1. The course(s) must be approved and monitored by an accredited college or university and be eligible for credit towards a degree program at that sponsoring college or university.
   2. The course must carry a grade of C or better and be similar in content, nature and intensity to courses offered at the University of Vermont. 
   3. The course must be presented on an official transcript issued by the sponsoring college or university. 
2. Credit may also be obtained by: 
   1. Passing a CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exam; 
   2. Obtaining a sufficiently high grade on an AP (Advanced Placement) exam

For requirements of these and other international examinations leading to transfer credit, see section “Examination Credit” above. 

UVM student-athletes will receive credit (Physical Education) for participation in varsity or club sports when the activity is transcribed with credit.  

1. U.S. Armed Service Instruction: Instruction received through the Armed Services is considered for credit in transfer based on the course descriptions provided by the various branches of the Service and the American Council on Education. 
   1. Instruction which is comparable in content, nature and intensity to undergraduate courses at the University of Vermont may be granted credit if it carries the American Council on Education’s credit recommendation. Credit award for any single course will not exceed the credit value of the comparable course at the University of Vermont. 
   2. Credit transfer requires presentation of form DD Form 295 (Application for the Evaluation of Learning Experiences During Military Service) or DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty), the AARTS (Army/ACE Registry Transcript System) transcripts, or SMART (Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript) transcripts. Military course numbers must appear on the service record. 
   3. Course work taken at an accredited college or university, while in any of the branches of the Armed Services, will be considered under the accreditation of the college or university. 
2. Employer-Sponsored Instruction: Some employers offer internal courses that have been reviewed by the American Council on Education for potential college credit. UVM will consider these courses for transfer credit if the following conditions are met: 
   1. The course must be similar in content, nature and intensity to courses offered by the discipline at the University of Vermont. 
   2. The course must carry a grade comparable to at least a C or better. 
   3. The course must carry a credit recommendation from the American Council on Education. 
   4. The amount of transfer credit will not exceed the credit value for a comparable University of Vermont course offering. 
3. Learning experiences occurring outside the purview of an accredited academic institution and outside the evaluation scope of the American Council on Education are not eligible for credit consideration.
4. Work experience, sponsored under a cooperative education program, is not eligible for transfer credit. 
5. Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) are not accepted in transfer for credit

1. Vermont Law and Graduate School/University of Vermont (VLGS/UVM 3+2 program)
   1. Transfer credit from the Vermont Law and Graduate School will be considered for transfer only when courses are taken as part of the VLGS/UVM 3+2 articulation agreement.  Majority of courses from the Vermont Law and Graduate School will transfer as GNRL XXX when applicable if passed with a grade of C or higher.  Any law course taken outside of this formal institutional articulation agreement is not eligible for transfer credit at the University of Vermont.

Training will be provided on an as-needed basis as determined by the Approval Authority or the Responsible Official.

Questions concerning the daily operational interpretation of this policy should be directed to the following (in accordance with the policy elaboration and procedures):