Academic Credit

Academic Credit Policy

Academic credit is awarded to a student upon the successful completion of an approved instructional course, or by the demonstration of competency, demonstration of proficiency, or fulfillment of learning objectives. The University of Richmond supports a variety of academic credit systems, each approved and maintained by the faculty of the respective school(s). Each school is responsible for demonstrating that these requirements are met for all courses.

 

I. Traditional Undergraduate Schools
The three traditional undergraduate schools, the School of Arts and Sciences, the Robins School of Business, and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, moved to a system of "units" beginning in Fall 2008. In these schools, an undergraduate unit is based on "time-on-task" as a standard and recognizes 10-14 hours per week as the minimum time that a typical good student should need to spend on a course, if that course is sufficiently challenging and if that student is to achieve a high level of learning, as measured by intended learning objectives. The minimum time includes time spent inside the classroom as well as time spent outside the classroom including formal lecture time, in-class and out-of-class discussions, group work, lab work, practice drills, studio work, practica, virtual labs, participation in online discussion sessions, reading, event attendance, review sessions, studying, field experiences, service learning and civic engagement, oral presentations, etc.
Courses that are offered under the same course title and number must meet the criteria and learning objectives outlined when the course was approved by the faculty for inclusion in the curriculum, regardless of instructional mode. Therefore, undergraduate courses offered in an online or blended format in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Robins School of Business, and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies will count toward University major, minor, and general education requirements for degree-seeking undergraduate students in those schools as if they had been offered in an in-person format.

One unit is the equivalent of 3.5 semester hours. A total of 35 units are required for graduation.

A. Credit courses
1. Traditional courses include an individualized mix of in-class and out- of-class activities.
a. Students enrolled in courses in the Robins School of Business must attend at least 75 percent of the class meetings— regardless of the reason for absence— to be eligible to receive credit for the course.
2. Nontraditional courses including theatre practica, music ensembles and individual music lessons require regular student participation and the amount of credit is commensurate with time required and learning objectives.
3. Undergraduate Research, Independent Studies. For supervised research and similar activities, the amount of effort required for one unit of credit is determined by the supervising faculty. (For more specific information on Independent Studies, see Policy on Undergraduate Independent Studies.)
4. Student Teaching, Internships. Credit is commensurate with the hours involved and the quality of the learning experience and is determined by the credit-awarding academic department. Academic credit is awarded when the student fulfills the objectives set by the academic department. (For more specific information on Internships, see Policy on Undergraduate Academic Internships.)
5. Intensive format courses, such as those offered during summer terms, may include premeeting reading and post-meeting research work to ensure for adequate preparation, reflection and analysis concerning the subject matter. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired which are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.
6. Courses offered online or in blended format may meet synchronously or asynchronously depending on how technology is utilized to accomplish the learning goals, provided the credit definition is met. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired and are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.

B. Transfer Credit
1. Domestic: Credit in transfer may be accepted only for courses which are comparable to courses offered in the School of Arts and Sciences, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and/or Robins School of Business curriculum at the University of Richmond. Moreover, the coursework must have been taken at an institution accredited by a regional accrediting agency or the international equivalent at the time the work was taken, and a grade or equivalent of C (2.0) or better must have been earned. Approved credit earned at another institution will be converted to the University of Richmond unit (one unit is the equivalent of 3.5 semester hours) and applied to the record accordingly. Up to five 3-semester hour courses will be transferred in as one unit; additional 3-semester hour courses will be transferred in as .86 units. Coursework accepted in transfer shall be applied to specific degree requirements subject to the discretion of the academic department concerned. Units awarded are added into units required for graduation, but grades are not calculated in the grade point average.
2. International: International credit transfer follows the same procedures as stated above for domestic transfer credit. When students attend Richmond study abroad programs or other programs officially recognized by the Office of International Education, and the coursework otherwise meets the Richmond transfer criteria, credit for general elective units towards graduation is automatically awarded. Coursework accepted in transfer shall be applied to specific degree requirements subject to the discretion of the academic department concerned. In order to determine equivalency of international systems of credit to Richmond's unit system, the best available criteria for comparing the two systems will be utilized including credits required for the degree, credits required to be enrolled fulltime, or instructional time. Credit may be rounded in cases where doing so is necessary to provide a comparable amount of credit (e.g. if a student was enrolled in a full-time load of four 3-semester hour courses while studying abroad, those courses would be rounded up to 0.9 units so the total would equate to a full-time load at Richmond which is 3.5 units).

C. Credit by Examination: Credit earned by examination is awarded based on the demonstration of proficiency and may be used to satisfy requirements in the same manner as the college courses which the tests replace, or as the academic department concerned might specify. Credit earned by examination will not be awarded for the same course more than once. Students may also be exempt from a course based on an examination score as approved by the appropriate academic department. Exemption will meet an individual requirement but will not be eligible for the transfer of credit.

II. Graduate Business
Credit in the Graduate School of Business is measured in semester hours. Historically, a semester hour of credit measures the total time commitment an average student is expected to devote to learning per week of study. Generally, one semester hour of credit represents a total of three hours per week of in-class and out-of-class work. In this context, an hour is defined as 50 minutes. A typical course worth three semester hours would meet for a minimum of 2100 minutes, excluding the final examination period, for a standard semester containing 15 weeks of instruction, including final examinations.

A. Credit courses: Traditional courses meet for the above described time periods in a traditional classroom setting and require the requisite additional work outside of class.

B. Transfer Credit:
1. Domestic. Credit in transfer may be accepted only for courses which are comparable to courses offered in the Graduate School of Business curriculum at the University of Richmond. Moreover, the coursework must have been taken at an institution accredited by AACSB at the time the work was taken, and a grade or equivalent of B (3.0) or better must have been earned. Approved credit earned at another institution will be converted to the University of Richmond semester hour and applied to the record accordingly. Semester hours awarded are added into semester hours required for graduation, but grades are not calculated in the grade point average.
2. International. International credit transfer follows the same procedures as stated above for domestic transfer credit. When students attend Richmond study abroad programs or other programs officially recognized by the Office of International Education, and the coursework otherwise meets the Richmond transfer criteria, credit for general elective units towards graduation is automatically awarded. Coursework accepted in transfer shall be applied to specific degree requirements subject to the discretion of the academic department concerned. In order to determine equivalency of international systems of credit to Richmond's system, the best available criteria for comparing the two systems will be utilized including credits required for the degree, credits required to be enrolled full-time, or instructional time.

III. University of Richmond School of Law 

Credit in the Law School is measured in semester hours.  The Law School has an academic semester of 13 weeks in which classes are regularly scheduled.

  1. Credit Courses
    1. General Policy
      The law school shall award academic credit for only those experiences where one or more faculty members has identified learning outcomes and verified evidence of student achievement. In addition, for each credit awarded, an experience must demand of a student at least 42.5 total hours of in-class and out-of-class work.  Before approving any course or other experience for academic credit, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall accordingly consider its intended learning outcomes, the way in which student achievement is to be verified by faculty, and the number of hours of work it will demand of students.  See Course Approval form for additional information.

For reference, here is how a credit hour is earned in a typical course, with 2550 minutes being the standard per credit hour: 

13 weeks x 55 minutes/credit hour of class = 715 minutes
13 weeks x 2 hours of out-of-class work = 1560 minutes
Exam/credit hour of class = 60 minutes
Preparing for exam = 215 minutes (or approximately 3.6 hours of preparation per hour of exam)

For classes without a final exam or classes that meet outside of the typically scheduled 55 minutes/credit hour, these missing minutes can be achieved through additional out-of-class work.

 

2. Academic Credit for Independent Research Paper

 

Students may receive one, two, or three-credits for preparing an independent research (IR) paper.  To earn one credit, the student must prepare a paper of at least 2,500 words; to earn two credits the student must prepare a paper of at least 5,000 words; and to earn three credits, the student must prepare a paper of at least 7,500 words.  All word counts are exclusive of footnotes.  In addition to meeting the word-court requirements, students must spend at least 42.5 hours per IR credit-hour researching their topic, writing and editing their paper, or meeting with their faculty advisor. 

The Upper-Level Writing Requirement (ULWR) necessitates a paper of at least 5,000 words, exclusive of footnotes.  Thus, to receive ULWR credit, the student must enroll in at least 2 credits of IR coursework. Further, the student must comply with all other ULWR requirements.

 

2.a.      Additional Academic Credit for Upper-Level Writing Requirement Seminars

Some seminars require students to prepare a substantial research paper that satisfies the ULWR criteria.  In recognition of the additional student-work required to prepare an ULWR paper, these seminars may award an additional academic credit beyond that which would typically be award based on number of weekly hours spent in classroom instruction.  For example, a seminar that meets for two-hours of weekly classroom instruction, may nonetheless award three academic credits.  The additional credit is awarded because faculty expect the student will spend an additional 42.5 hours researching their topic, writing and editing their paper, and meeting with their faculty advisor, beyond the time that student would expend preparing for an exam or similar summative assessment in a non-ULWR paper course.

     3.  Credit for Externships

Credit for externships is based on the total time the student spends engaging in approved externship-associated activities.  These activities may include time spent in a regularly scheduled classroom component of an externship course; time spent at an externship placement; assignments associated with an externship course (such as reflections); or time spent preparing approved alternative assignments associated with an externship placement.  Students are required to track the total time they spend engaged in approved externship-associated activities and verify they have met the required total hours.  Students are awarded one credit hour for each 42.5 hours of approved externship-associated activities, thus:

  • For a 5-credit externship, the student must reach 212.5 total hours
  • For a 6-credit externship, the student must reach 255 total hours
  • For a 7-credit externship, the student must reach 297.5 total hours
  • For an 8-credit externship, the student must reach 340 total hours
  • For a 13-credit externship the student must reach 552.5 total hours
  1. Credit for Clinics

Credit for clinics is based on the total time the student spends engaging in approved clinic-associated activities.  These activities may include time spent in a regularly scheduled classroom component of the clinic; time spent preparing assignments for the clinic class; or time spent preparing for, or engaging in, clinic-associated client representation.  Students are required to track the total time they spend engaged in approved clinic-associated activities and verify they have met the required total hours.  Students are awarded one credit hour for each 42.5 hours of approved clinic-associated activities.  Thus, for a typical six-credit clinic, students are required to reach 255 total hours.

  1. Credit for Research Assistants

Students may earn credit for meaningful (non-clerical) work as a Research Assistant (RA) for a faculty member.  Students may receive one- or two-credits for serving as an RA in any single semester and may include up to three total RA credits towards the number of credits required for graduation. Credit for RA positions is based on the total time the student spends engaging in approved RA-associated activities.  These activities may include meaningful research, writing, editing, or other engagement with a supervising faculty member.  Students are required to track the total time they spend engaged in approved activities and verify they have met the required total hours.  Students are required to compete 42.5 hours of approved activities for each credit. 

Students must apply to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in order earn credit as an RA.  The student’s application must be jointly completed by the student and supervising faculty member and must explain; 1) the learning objective(s) for the student in performing the research assistance; and 2) the written work product the student will produce that will allow the faculty-supervisor to verify student achievement.

  1. Credit for Participation in Approved External Competitions

Upper-level student members (not first-year students) of the Moot Court Board, Trial Advocacy Board, or Negotiation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Board may earn one credit per semester for participation in approved external competitions.  In order to earn this credit, competition team members must comply with all the following requirements:

  • The competition team must be comprised entirely of members of the recognized team.
  • The competition team must be supervised by an approved coach.
  • Each competition team-member seeking credit must spend at least 13-hours practicing for the competition with the approved coach and at least 30 additional hours independently preparing and practicing for the competition.
  • Each competition team-member seeking credit must track the time they spend engaged in coach-proctored and independent practice and preparation and verify they have met the required total 30-hours.
  • The approved competition team coach must verify all required proctored and independent hours are met.
  • Each competition team member seeking credit must enroll in a competition “course” established by the Associate Dean.
  • The competition team must follow all processes for team travel (e.g., budget submission, etc.) required by the Dean’s Office.

Team coaches must be approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in accordance with all the following requirements:

  • The team must contact the Associate Dean and identify which competition the team will attend before the beginning of the semester in which the competition occurs. As part of this outreach, the competition team must request that credit be awarded team members for competition participation.  The team must also provide the names of several potential qualified coaches (e.g., local attorneys).
  • The Associate Dean will review the coach list and make reasonable efforts to directly engage a qualified coach on the team’s behalf.
  • The team will accept the Associate Dean’s appointment and understands that the Associate Dean will seek a single coach or team of coaches assigned to the team for an entire semester, whenever possible.
  • The Associate Dean shall arrange for the Dean’s Office to pay coach’s salary directly; however, the cost of the coach traveling to a competition with the team will be paid by the team and must be included in the team’s budget proposal.

6.a.      Requests to Obtain External Competition Credit for Novel Teams

Upper-level students who are not members of the Moot Court Board, Trial Advocacy Board, or Negotiation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Board may also be eligible to receive one credit per semester for participation in external competition with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  Competition team members must work directly with the Associate Dean and follow all Dean’s Office requirements related to funding, coaching, course enrollment, and travel.  Further, team members seeking credit will be required to spend at least 13-hours practicing with an approved coach and spend at least another 30-hours independently preparing and practicing for the outside competition.  Each competition team-member seeking credit must track the time they spend engaged in coach-proctored and independent practice and preparation and verify they have met the required total 30-hours.  Further, the approved competition team coach must verify all required proctored and independent hours are met.

B.Transfer Credit – J.D. Students

  1. Domestic Transfer Students: Transfer students who completed their first year of law school at another U.S. Law School may apply no more than 33 hours of coursework done at another Law School toward satisfaction of the J.D. degree. In order for course credits to transfer, courses must be taken at an institution accredited as degree-granting by a recognized regional accrediting body for higher education and accredited by the American Bar Association at the time the coursework is completed.

    Domestic transfer students will not be ranked within their respective classes until graduation. Instead, transfer students will receive a number corresponding to their position in the class if they had been ranked based on the student’s post-transfer grade point average.
  1. UR Students Visiting Away: Students who are granted permission to visit another Law School due to compelling circumstances may apply no more than 33 hours of coursework done at another Law school toward satisfaction of the J.D. Degree.  In order for course credits to transfer, courses must be taken at an institution accredited as degree-granting by a recognized regional accrediting body for higher education and accredited by the American Bar Association at the time the coursework is completed. 
  1. International Transfer Students: Lawyers who earned a first degree in law from outside the United States may apply no more than 28 hours of coursework from that degree.  These students take the regular first year curriculum and are subject to the same graduation requirements as all J.D. students. 
  1. Transfer Credits for Joint Degree Programs: Up to 12 credits may be applied for graduate work in a University of Richmond-approved joint J.D.-Masters program. 
  1. Non-joint Degree Graduate Credits: For graduate-level non-Law School work, not part of an approved joint-degree program, up to 9 credits earned in pursuit of a concurrent graduate degree or up to 6 credits of non-degree related graduate work may be applied. For any credit to transfer, the coursework must be taken for a grade and, in order for the work to be counted, the student must receive a C (2.0) or better in each course; all coursework proposed to transfer is subject to approval by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  No online credits or degrees will be accepted for transfer purposes. With regards to paragraphs 4 and 5, credits may be applied only for graduate work taken after the student has matriculated at the University of Richmond School of Law.

 C.  Transfer Credits – LL.M. Students

Students may not transfer credits from an LL.M. degree at another institution towards an LL.M. degree at the Law School. 

Students who are enrolled in the LL.M. degree program may apply for admission to the J.D. program.  The requirements for admission to the J.D. program are the same for LL.M. students as they are for any applicant. Applications from current LL.M. degree students will ordinarily be considered in the spring semester after fall grades have been released.  Credits earned while a student is enrolled in the LL.M. program may not be transferred to the J.D. degree program and do not count towards a J.D. degree.


IV. School of Professional and Continuing Studies, Undergraduate
Undergraduate credit in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies is measured in semester hours. Historically, a semester hour of credit measures the total time commitment an average student is expected to devote to learning per week of study. Generally, one semester hour of credit represents a total of three hours per week of in-class and out-of-class work. In this context, an hour is defined as 50 minutes. A typical course worth three semester hours would meet for a minimum of 2100 minutes, excluding the final examination period, for a standard semester containing 15 weeks of instruction, including final examinations. Emerging delivery methodologies may necessitate determining a semester hour of undergraduate credit with non-time based methods. These courses use demonstration of competency, demonstration of proficiency, or fulfillment of learning objectives to insure they are equivalent to traditionally delivered courses. Students enrolled in courses in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies must attend at least 75 percent of the class meetings— regardless of the reason for absence—to be eligible to receive credit for the course.

A. Credit Courses
1. Traditional courses meet for the above described time periods in a traditional classroom setting and require the requisite additional work outside of class.
2. Hybrid courses meet in a traditional classroom setting for at least 51% of the required time listed above and the remaining instruction is delivered online. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired and are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.
3. Online courses meet in a traditional classroom setting for less than 50% of the required time listed above and may not meet at all. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired and are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.
4. Undergraduate Research, Independent Studies. For supervised research and similar activities, the amount of effort required for academic credit is determined by the supervising faculty. (For more specific information on Independent Studies, see Policy on Undergraduate Independent Studies.)
5. Student Teaching, Internships. Credit is commensurate with the hours involved and the quality of the learning experience and is determined by the credit-awarding academic department. Academic credit is awarded when the student fulfills the objectives set by the academic department. (For more specific information on Internships, see Policy on Undergraduate Academic Internships.)
6. Intensive format courses, such as those offered during summer terms, may include premeeting reading and post-meeting research work to ensure for adequate preparation, reflection and analysis concerning the subject matter. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired which are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.

B. Prior Learning: Recognizing that much learning is achieved through non- traditional methods, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies awards credit for prior learning. Students can seek credit for prior learning related to a comparable course offered or accepted in transfer at the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Students complete a three-semester-hour course,
ADED 200U, Experiential Learning and Portfolio Preparation, then enroll in ADED 201U, Portfolio Submission and Assessment. Portfolios are reviewed by qualified faculty members who recommend credit based on the extent and depth of each student's learning.

C. Transfer Credit: Credit in transfer may be accepted only for courses which are comparable to courses offered in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, School of Arts and Sciences, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, and/or Robins School of Business curriculum at University of Richmond. Moreover, the coursework must have been taken at an institution accredited by a regional accrediting agency or the international equivalent at the time the work was taken, and a grade or equivalent of C (2.0) or better must have been earned. Coursework accepted in transfer shall be applied to specific degree requirements subject to the discretion of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. CLEP exams are considered transfer credits. The School of Professional and Continuing Studies generally does not accept credits earned with a Pass/No Pass designation. Semester hours awarded are added into semester hours required for graduation, but grades are not calculated in the grade point average.

V. School of Professional and Continuing Studies, Graduate
Graduate credit in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies is measured in semester hours. Historically, a semester hour of credit measures the total time commitment an average student is expected to devote to learning per week of study. Generally, one semester hour of credit represents a total of three hours per week of in-class and out-of-class work. In this context, an hour is defined as 50 minutes. A typical course worth three semester hours would meet for a minimum of 2100 minutes, excluding the final examination period, for a standard semester containing 15 weeks of instruction, including final examinations. Emerging delivery methodologies may necessitate determining a semester hour of credit with non-time based methods. These courses use demonstration of competency, demonstration of proficiency, or fulfillment of learning objectives to insure they are equivalent to traditionally delivered courses. Students enrolled in courses in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies must attend at least 75 percent of the class meetings— regardless of the reason for absence—to be eligible to receive credit for the course.

A. Credit Courses
1. Traditional courses meet for the above described time periods in a traditional classroom setting and require the requisite additional work outside of class.
2. Hybrid courses meet in a traditional classroom setting for at least 51% of the required time listed above and the remaining instruction is delivered online. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired and are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.
3. Online courses meet in a traditional classroom setting for less than 50% of the required time listed above and may not meet at all. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired and are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.
4. Graduate Research, Independent Studies. For supervised research and similar activities, the amount of effort required for academic credit is determined by the supervising faculty.
5. Student Teaching, Internships. Credit is commensurate with the hours involved and the quality of the learning experience and is determined by the credit-awarding academic department. Academic credit is awarded when the student fulfills the objectives set by the academic department.
6. Intensive format courses, such as those offered during summer terms, may include premeeting reading and post-meeting research work to ensure for adequate preparation, reflection and analysis concerning the subject matter. Credit is assigned based on demonstrated competencies or learning objectives acquired which are equivalent to those of students in a traditional classroom setting.

B. Transfer Credit: Credit in transfer may be accepted only for courses which are comparable to courses offered in the graduate programs in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies or other graduate programs at the University of Richmond. Moreover, the coursework must have been taken at an institution accredited by a regional accrediting agency or the international equivalent at the time the work was taken, and a grade or equivalent of C (2.0) or better must have been earned. Coursework accepted in transfer shall be applied to specific degree requirements subject to the discretion of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. The School of Professional and Continuing Studies generally does not accept credits earned with a Pass/No Pass designation. Semester hours awarded are added into semester hours required for graduation, but grades are not calculated in the grade point average.

VI. Noncredit Courses for CEU credit.
Courses offered for Continuing Education Units follow accepted guidelines and one CEU is awarded for each ten contact hours of instruction in a specified continuing education program or activity.

POLICY BACKGROUND: 

Approved by University Faculty, May 7, 2012

Revised version approved by University Faculty Senate, February 17, 2017 

Current version reviewed by Academic Cabinet prior to approval and approved by University Faculty Senate on November 19, 2021.

Non-substantive change to comply with Law School name change made on 9/27/22 

Policy revisions approved by the Law School Faculty prior to approval by the Faculty Senate on 11/15/2024

View the Academic Credit Policy .