Transfer Credit Policies

Whittier College transfer credit policies are based on recommendations from the "Joint Statement of Transfer and Award of Credit" issued by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, American Council on Education, and Council on Higher Education Accreditation.

As such, this summary is organized around the three areas of consideration recommended in that document: quality, comparability, and applicability. Accompanying each summarized item below is the title of the section in the College Catalog where you may find the specific policy.

Quality

Summary College Catalog Policy
US institutions must have regional accreditation Transfer Student Admission & Transferability of Coursework
International transfer credit evaluated by an external credit evaluation agency International Student Admission
Transcript must be official and received directly from the institution where the coursework was completed Transfer Student Admission & Transferability of Coursework
A minimum grade C-, or equivalent, must be attained Transferability of Coursework
AP minimum score of 3 required for credit Credit By Examination
IB minimum score of 5 required for credit Credit By Examination
Distance learning, online, and courses offered in nontraditional formats or timeframes may be considered on a case by case basis when accompanied by a syllabus Transferability of Coursework

 

Comparability

Summary College Catalog Policy
Grades are not transferred, just credit Grading Philosophy & Concurrent Enrollment Policy
Remedial, professional, technical, vocational, work experience, co-op, and terminal coursework are not accepted Transferability of Coursework
AP credit is only granted in faculty approved areas Credit By Examination
IB credit is only granted in faculty approved areas on a case-by-case basis Credit By Examination

 

Applicability

Summary College Catalog Policy
12 native (earned at Whittier College) credits are required for all majors Requirements For the Major & Graduation Requirements for Students with Transfer Credits
30 native credits are required for the BA degree Requirements For Graduation
No more than 30 native semester hours taken while non-degree may be used toward the BA degree Non-Degree Standing
No more 30 semester hours of exam based credit (AP/IB) and no more than 8 hours in a single subject area may by used toward the BA degree Credit By Examination
No more than 70 semester hours may be transferred from two-year institution(s) Transferability of Coursework
No more than 90 semester hours may be transferred from four-year institution(s) Transferability of Coursework
Concurrent enrollment credit granted only with prior approval Concurrent Enrollment Policy
Concurrent enrollment courses may not be used for Liberal Education requirements Concurrent Enrollment Policy & Liberal Education Core Requirements
Liberal Education Program Connections 1 (Pair/Team) may only be met with native credit Graduation Requirements for Students with Transfer Credits
Duplicate credit is prohibited Transferability of Coursework
Distinction in Major requires 50% native credit Distinction in the Major
Honors at Commencement requires 60 native credits Honors At Commencement