Transfer Credit

Transfer of Credit

Undergraduate students must complete at least 45 credit hours in residence at Alfred University. “In residence” means courses offered by Alfred University on campus, at an extension site, or through distance education. Students must complete their final 30 semester credit hours in residence. Students who have met the 45 hour residency requirement and who are approved for study abroad in the second to last semester before graduation are exempt from the requirement to be in residence for the final 30 credit hours, but must be in residence in the final semester. Students who have met the 45 credit hour residency requirement and who need no more than eight semester credit hours to complete degree requirements may petition the Dean for permission to complete the remaining requirements elsewhere.

For credits to be transferred toward the AU degree, final, official transcripts from previous institutions must be received by the Office of the Registrar within one year of admission to AU as a degree-seeking student or within one year of an approved study away program.

When applying for admission to Alfred University, send official transcripts to:

Office of Admissions
Alfred University
1 Saxon Drive, Alumni Hall
Alfred, NY 14802

Once admitted to AU, send official transcripts and any other academic records to:

Registrar
Alfred University
1 Saxon Drive
Alfred, NY 14802

Transferable Credit

Alfred University accepts transfer credits from those U.S. colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the regional accrediting bodies, such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Credits earned at U.S. institutions that are accredited instead by one of the recognized national accrediting organizations, such as the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, will be considered for transfer of credit on a case-by-case basis.

Transfer credits from institutions outside the U.S. are considered on a case-by-case basis after the credential has first been evaluated by a recognized agency specializing in evaluation of international transcripts, such as World Education Services. (Evaluation by an outside agency is not required for transcripts issued by Canadian institutions.) Also considered are transfer credits for military training and education as recommended by the American Council on Education (additional information follows).

Only courses comparable to the types of courses offered at Alfred University are considered for transfer. Examples of coursework not acceptable are courses in vocational fields; courses from non-accredited institutions or businesses, like Straighterline; or those considered to be technical training. Mathematics courses below college algebra are not accepted. The coursework must be appropriate and applicable to some component of an AU bachelor’s degree program, including general electives.

In courses graded A-F, only those courses in which the student has earned a “C” or above will be accepted. In courses graded pass/fail or credit/no credit, grades of “pass” and “credit” are accepted.

Grades received in courses taken at other institutions are not included in the calculation of the overall Alfred University GPA, so it is not possible to replace a grade earned at AU with a grade earned in an equivalent course taken elsewhere. Further, if a student repeats at Alfred University a course equivalent to one previously transferred, the grade and credits from the AU course are used in the calculation of GPA and total credit hours. The credit that had been transferred is excluded and no longer counts as credit earned.

Transfer credit evaluations are made under the direction of the Dean of the college in which the student is enrolled or wishes to enroll. The Registrar's Office posts the transfer credit to the student's record.

Once admitted to AU, a student must have the permission of the Dean in advance to take courses at another institution and to transfer this credit back to Alfred University. Petition forms to take courses elsewhere after admission to AU are available in the Student Service Center in Seidlin Hall.

Number of Credits Transferable

The maximum number of semester credit hours transferable toward any Alfred University degree program from all sources combined is 90, to include credit from other institutions, credit as recommended by the American Council on Education, and credit from standardized exams (see below). The 90-credit-hour maximum applies to transfer credit earned both before and after admission to an AU degree program. 

Alfred University Challenge Exams

Currently enrolled degree-seeking students may request a challenge examination for any undergraduate course which has not already been taken at Alfred University. (If any grade other than a “W” has been recorded at AU, the course cannot be challenged.)

Students cannot take a challenge exam for any course that is a prerequisite for or a lower-level course for which they have already received credit. The student’s Dean determines if an eligible course is appropriate for completion through a challenge examination.

Credits earned through an AU Challenge Exam are considered to be institutional credit, not “transfer credit”, so these credits do not count toward the 75 credit hour limit on transfer credit. If the exam is passed, the credit from a challenge exam is posted to the transcript with a grade of “CH”, indicating the course was successfully challenged. Credits earned by challenge exam do not affect the AU GPA. Petition forms for Challenge Exams are available at the Student Service Center in Seidlin Hall.