Transfer Credit

A final transcript is required from each college or university attended, whether or not credit was earned or courses completed. Failure to provide information regarding each college or university attended or failure to submit transcripts may result in withdrawal of any offer of admission, restrictions on registration and/or dismissal from the College.

The College's policy on transferring academic credits from other institutions is established by the faculty in each subject area.  In general, transfer credit is awarded when the course is:

• earned at a school accredited by a regional accreditation association
• graded at least a “C” (2.0 on a 4.0 scale)
• similar in description to the corresponding course at the College of Charleston
• not a duplication of credits already earned

The maximum number of transfer credits acceptable toward a College of Charleston degree is ninety-two (92) semester hours. Sixty (60) semester hours are the maximum from a two-year school. Students may decline transfer credit, prior to initial enrollment at the College of Charleston, in order to add another transfer course(s) without going over the maximum hours of transfer credit allowed. Students may not decline transfer credit after enrolling in classes at the College of Charleston in order to take a course at another institution as a transient or cross-registered student.

Grades do not transfer, only credits; therefore, students will enter the College of Charleston without a grade point average (GPA).

Credits awarded at another institution as a result of placement testing are not acceptable. Likewise, life experience and/or work experience is not awarded transfer credit.

Note: The College of Charleston is on a Semester system. If you are planning to transfer credits to the College of Charleston from a quarter system school, use the following table to determine semester hour equivalents:

In addition, College of Charleston rounds half credit hours up to the next whole number. (For example, a half credit from another school would equal one credit hour at College of Charleston.)

Students offered admission to the College of Charleston may use DegreeWorks to view an updated list of awarded and pending transfer credit. The “Class History” link in DegreeWorks provides the best view of transfer credit, although the information is also visible in the degree audit area. 

Students who have not yet been accepted to the College of Charleston may submit questions regarding transfer credit evaluation to the Office of Admissions. Accepted and currently enrolled students should email the transfer evaluation staff in the Office of the Registrar at transferevaluation@cofc.edu.

Transfer from South Carolina Colleges/Universities

Information about transfer of courses to the College of Charleston from other South Carolina colleges/universities is available online through SC TRAC (http://www.sctrac.org/). The direct link to College of Charleston information is http://www.sctrac.org/tabid/476/Default.aspx?iid=361.  The information on SC TRAC is informational and does not replace an official transfer credit evaluation which is completed after an applicant has been accepted to the College of Charleston. 

For those students who transfer from the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science programs at South Carolina public, two-year colleges, there is an agreement identifying transferable courses. Brochures are available at the Office of Admissions, or at this link: South Carolina Two-Year Colleges.

Transfer of International Credit

Regardless of the student’s citizenship, students with course work completed at colleges/universities outside of the United States must submit all transcripts (mark sheets, academic records), along with an English translation, to a recognized credential evaluation agency for verification and a course-by-course evaluation. Students must also provide descriptions, translated into English, of all courses to be evaluated for College of Charleston credit. Responsibility for the translation and evaluation of documents in order to meet deadlines, as well as all costs associated with these services, is the responsibility of the student. Once the course-by-course evaluation from an outside agency and the English translations of course descriptions are received by the College of Charleston, an evaluation of the course work can begin for potential College of Charleston transfer credit. Complete information about international transcript evaluation, along with a link to a list of recognized credential evaluation agencies, is located on-line at http://admissions.cofc.edu/applyingtothecollege/transferringcredits/internationalstudents.php

Declining AP and/or Transfer Credit

Students may decline transfer credit and/or AP credit by completing the appropriate form in the Forms Section of the Registrar’s Office website. Students may decline transfer credit prior to enrolling at the College of Charleston, in order to add another transfer course(s) without going over the maximum hours of transfer credit allowed. Students may not decline transfer credit after enrolling at the College of Charleston in order to take a course at another institution as a transient or cross-registered student.

Coursework Elsewhere

A student enrolled at the College of Charleston who wishes to  take courses at another institution must complete the Coursework Elsewhere form. The Coursework Elsewhere form for each upcoming semester will become available after the drop/add period for the current semester.  See the Calendar section of the Office of the Registrar's website for exact dates. It is recommended that the student meet with his/her academic advisor when making plans to take coursework elsewhere. This is in the student's best interest to ensure that academic policies can be upheld prior to enrollment in a course. To complete a Coursework Elsewhere form, please see the Forms Section.  If the school needs proof of permission, see "Transient Permission Form" in the Forms Section.

A final transcript is required from each college or university attended, whether or not credit was earned or courses completed.

NOTE: College of Charleston transfers credit hours only, not grades.  Taking courses at another institution has no effect on your College of Charleston GPA.

Coursework Elsewhere During Senior Year

Students with earned hours plus enrolled hours greater than or equal to 87 must complete a Coursework Elsewhere During Senior Year Petition and an Academic Plan in order to take courses elsewhere.  Restrictions apply, in addition to those listed above: (1.) students must have earned at least 60 credit hours in residence at the College of Charleston by the time they graduate; (2.) no more than 7 of the last 37 hours may be completed at another institution; and (3.) students need to have maintained at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and a 2.0 major GPA.  If the school needs proof of permission, see "Transient Permission Form" in the Forms Section.

A final transcript is required from each college or university attended, whether or not credit was earned or courses completed.

NOTE: College of Charleston transfers credit hours only, not grades.  Taking courses at another institution has no effect on your College of Charleston GPA.

Helpful Links

Links to information about the following are available on the Office of Admissions' transfer policies page (http://admissions.cofc.edu/applyingtothecollege/transferringcredits/transfercreditpolicies.php).

• Advanced Placement (AP) credit
• International Baccalaureate (IB) credit
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit
• Transferrable courses from two-year public colleges in South Carolina

For study abroad, students need to contact the Center for International Education.