Transfer Work Approval

Currently enrolled University of Richmond undergraduate students wishing to take courses at another domestic institution and have the work considered for transfer credit at the University of Richmond, such as summer school, must adhere to the University of Richmond procedures for transfer work approval as described below (also see the Transfer Credit section of Academic Policies in the online catalog). Only coursework taken at institutions accredited by a regional accrediting agency at the time the work is taken will be considered for transfer. It is the student's responsibility to verify that an institution is regionally accredited. Most institutions have accreditation information and course catalogs accessible through Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Student Steps to Obtain Transfer Work Approval

Complete the Transfer Work Approval Online Form (For domestic transfer credit ONLY. For work taken abroad, please see the Study Abroad Course Approval form.)

Once the course has been completed, please have your official transcript sent directly from the transferring institution to the University of Richmond Registrar's Office. Our address is:

registrar@richmond.edu

or

Office of the University Registrar
142 UR Drive
University of Richmond, VA 23173

To determine if your transfer transcript has arrived and the work has credited to your Richmond record, you may check your unofficial transcript through BannerWeb. This option is available for current students.

Important Notes on Transfer Work

All coursework taken at another institution and intended for transfer to Richmond should have advance approval.

Upon completion of coursework, it is the student's responsibility to request that an official transcript from the transfer institution be issued to the University of Richmond at the address above. No transfer credit shall be formally accepted or recorded until the University of Richmond Office of the University Registrar has received an official transcript directly from the records office of the institution offering the coursework. Earned units will be granted within three weeks of receipt of the official transcript for approved work completed with a grade or equivalent of C (2.0) or better.

Credit in transfer may be accepted only for courses that are comparable to courses offered in our curriculum. Department chairs will review courses for potential elective and major credit; an instructor within the department may be assigned to review the course for potential field of study/general education credit. If an exact match for the course you wish to take is not offered at the University of Richmond, the course may be approved as an elective with the number 999 or 901-904, with the last number indicating course level.

Grade points are not transferable and will not be used in the University of Richmond GPA calculations.

The University of Richmond will award unit credit or equivalent to the credit awarded for the course by the transfer institution. Semester hours, quarter hours, points, units, etc. will be converted into University of Richmond unit credit towards the University of Richmond degree. To find equivalent units, divide the semester hour by 3.5 and round to two decimal places. For students entering fall 2008 and later, up to five 3-semester hour courses may transfer as 1 full unit, each additional 3-hour course will transfer as 0.86 units.

Students must complete 28 units of University of Richmond-approved work toward the undergraduate degree, which includes exchange and study abroad programs, approved visiting away and off-campus programs as well as courses taken through dual degree and cross-registration programs. The last 8 units are expected to be included within the residential units.

First Year Students

Please visit New Spiders for information on transferring credit for courses completed prior to your first year at the University of Richmond

Transfer Students

Please visit New Spiders for information on the number of credits needed to transfer. Please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website for general transfer information for students transferring from other institutions.

Transfer Work Approval Procedure - Non Regionally Accredited Entities

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) does not prohibit contractual arrangements for accepting transfer credit from non-regionally accredited entities, typically consortia, but does place some burdens on the institution:

"The accreditation standards of this Commission require member institutions to analyze credit accepted for transfer in terms of level, content, quality, comparability, and degree program relevance." Transfer of Academic Credit - A Position Statement, June 2003

"That courses offered and the value and level of their credit are determined in accordance with established institutional procedures and are under the usual mechanisms of review." Contractual Relationships with Non-Regionally Accredited Entities - Guidelines, February 2004

The second statement is not fully relevant for transfer credit, but is included to emphasize again the need to have regular procedures in place.

The following policy focuses on both the program and the courses.

The Program of a Non-Regionally Accredited Entity

For courses to be accepted for transfer credit the program, the program of a non-regionally accredited entity must:

  • Be endorsed by the appropriate University of Richmond body (International Education Committee in the case of international programs or the appropriate school Academic Council in the case of a domestic program)
  • Have an accredited institution of record as an alternative way of providing transcripts
  • Be able to provide grade reports directly to the student if requested
  • Use faculty whose credentials are comparable to those of faculty teaching under SACS regulations

If some of these criteria cannot be met, but the program is endorsed by the appropriate body, as noted in the first bullet point, then the Provost will be required to sign off on the approval.

Courses for Transfer Credit

Individual courses are accepted for transfer credit from an approved program as described above provided they are approved through the same process used in accepting transfer credit from accredited entities, i.e. the department chair or program coordinator approves the course for transfer credit after an appropriate review of its content, quality, and level.

The usual transcription procedures will be used by the Registrar's Office and the GPA will not be affected by transfer work.

Special Instructions for Transferring Computer Science Courses

The Department of Computer Science requests that students interested in transferring Computer Science courses back to University of Richmond begin the process by reading the Steps in the Approval Process and completing the preliminary transfer request form.