How credits are evaluated at UVM
In order to be eligible for transfer credit at UVM, courses must be taken at regionally or nationally accredited degree granting institutions of higher education. Courses must be in disciplines that are taught at UVM, and passed with a grade of C or higher. Anything with a grade of C- or below, including anything taken for pass/fail or audit is not eligible for transfer credit at UVM. Regardless of the grades that you receive, it is the credit only that will transfer. The only grades that will be calculated into your UVM GPA will be the grades you earn at UVM.
Credit Conversion
UVM uses a semester system for the academic calendar. UVM courses are awarded semester credits so all transfer courses will be converted to semester credits. Please use the chart for common conversion methods:
European ECTS Credits = 2:1 (2 ECTS credits = 1 UVM Credit)
Quarter (2/3) Credits = 1:0.667 (1 Quarter credit = 0.667 UVM Credits)
Unit System (3.3) Credits = 1:3.33 (1 Unit = 3.33 UVM Credits)
Unit System (4.0) Credits = 1:4.0 (1 Unit = 4 UVM Credits)
For additional conversions please contact Transfer Affairs for help
Credits Accepted
In general, credit is granted for courses that are:
- Taken at regionally accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities,
- Comparable in content, nature, and intensity to course offerings in the corresponding discipline at UVM, and
- Graded at a level of C or higher (on an A-F scale).
- Please note: courses with a grade of C- or below will not transfer. 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 the level of C or higher.
- Only credit will transfer. Your GPA is calculated using only the grades you have received at UVM.
Credit is not granted for:
- Courses from colleges and universities that are not regionally accredited (or are candidates for accreditation*).
- In disciplines that are not taught at UVM (e.g., criminal justice, law).
- Pre-collegiate or remedial courses (e.g., reading improvement, english/math skills courses, developmental courses).
- Personal development or self-improvement courses (e.g., career counseling, interpersonal relationships).
- Courses that appear on a transcript with no credit or grade assigned.
- Credits given for life/work experience.
- Credits given for co-op or internship.
- Continuing Education Units (CEU).
- Duplicate course material for which the student already has credit.
*Students who have taken courses at unaccredited institutions or other courses not eligible for transfer may have the option of requesting course credit via the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or through UVM's Credit by Examination process. To see how CLEP scores are currently transferring, please review our CLEP Exam Comparability Guide and visit the CollegeBoard website for details. Contact Transfer Affairs (transfer@uvm.edu) if you have questions.
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: CATAMOUNT CORE CURRICULUM
UVM has general education requirements; learn about how you may be able to use transfer credit to fulfill them. Learn more about the Catamount Core Curriculum, effective with undergraduate degree students matriculating in Fall 2023 later.
Understanding your transfer credit evaluations
When reviewing a course for content, a 2/3 yardstick is used. Therefore, in most cases, if a course contains 2/3 of the materials of a similar course at UVM, the course will be judged to be comparable. If the course does not contain at least 2/3 of a content overlap, then generic credit at a specific level is awarded. Here are some examples of what you might see on your transfer credit evaluation:
| ENGL 1001 | This course is equivalent to ENGL 1001 at UVM |
| ENGL 1XXX | This course does not have an equivalent at UVM, but has transferred as 1000-level credit |
| ENGL 2XXX | This course does not have an equivalent at UVM, but has transferred as 2000-level credit |
| ENGL 3XXX | This course does not have an equivalent at UVM, but has transferred as 3000-level credit |
| BIOL 1XLX | This course does not have an equivalent at UVM, but has transferred as a 1000-level Biology course with a lab |
| ENGL XXXX | This course has transferred as an ENGL course at no specific level. If the course is to be applied as an elective, no further review is necessary. If you plan to fill a specific requirement with this course, you need to email a course syllabus to transfer@uvm.edu for further review. Please see the Transfer Credit Appeal Process. |
Transfer Credit Appeal Process.
If you would like to have a course reviewed for a more specific equivalent course, or credit in another discipline, please send a detailed course syllabus (and lab schedule if applicable) to transfer@uvm.edu for further review. Please include the following information:
The course subject, course number, and course title (For example, SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology)
What school the course was originally taken at
What discipline and/or course you would like to have this course reviewed for
What level credit you are seeking
The course will be re-evaluated for a more specific equivalency and you will receive an email communicating the final transfer credit decision as soon as the faculty have made a decision.
Checking your transfer credit online.
As soon as your transfer credit has been updated to your UVM record you will be able to view those credits online by clicking the transfer credit link under the Registrar tab in the myUVM portal (Experience location for this?). You will also be able to view these credits in your Degree Audit as well
Applying your transfer credit towards your UVM degree requirements.
It is possible to apply your transfer credit towards some of your UVM degree requirements. In order to see what is automatically applied to your requirements you can look at your degree audit by clicking the ‘Run Your Degree Audit’ banner under the Advising (Degree Audit) tab in your myUVM portal:
It is possible for additional courses to also apply after the faculty have reviewed the course syllabus you submit to transfer@uvm.edu. In the meantime, please also consult an academic advisor in your college for additional help to determine how your courses could apply towards your UVM degree requirements.
For more information, please contact Student Services