Transfer Credits

Requests for previously-completed transfer credit, including college courses taken during high school, advanced placement (AP), international baccalaureate (IB), advanced-level (A-level), and similar examinations, should be made by the spring of the junior year. See the various types of transfer credits below.

To be eligible for transfer credit toward degree requirements, courses completed at other institutions must be in accordance with the following criteria:

1. The course(s) must have been taken at an accredited US college or university or at an international university of comparable accreditation. Courses completed at nonaccredited institutions require direct review by the College faculty in a process initiated through the Registrar’s Office. Noncredit or credit-optional courses, even if offered at an accredited institution, are not eligible for transfer.
2. Community-college courses are not accepted for Sarah Lawrence students with 60 or more credits on their transcript. Juniors or seniors with a minimum of 60 credits on their transcript are not permitted to transfer credits from two-year/community colleges.
3. Courses must be in liberal-arts disciplines offered at Sarah Lawrence. Courses within the traditional definition of liberal arts but not offered at Sarah Lawrence (e.g., astronomy, geology) are also acceptable. Preprofessional courses and vocational courses are not eligible for transfer nor are courses in subject areas of business (e.g., accounting, business administration, finance), communications, health education, home economics, leadership, marketing, management, physical education, real estate, speech/public speaking, and courses of a technical nature (e.g., dentistry, engineering). 
4. Students may not transfer credit for a course at another institution if they have already received college credit for a substantially similar course. Transfer coursework must not duplicate, overlap, or regress to previous work for which the student has received credit. 
5. Courses may not have been used to satisfy high-school diploma requirements. 
6. Courses must be offered during a defined term/session with clear beginning and end dates. Semester dates of transfer courses taken may not overlap with Sarah Lawrence semesters, as students may not enroll concurrently at another institution or in online courses. 
7. The final grade earned must be C or above (C- is not accepted). 
8. Pass/fail courses are not accepted for transfer unless pass is defined by the host college/university as equivalent to C or above. If not institutionally defined as C or above, a letter from the instructor that the student’s final grade was equivalent to C or above is acceptable.
9. Online courses may not be self-paced nor entirely asynchronous and must have a structured progression through course material. Online courses must include student-faculty and student-student interaction, as well as required assignments and instructor feedback.

Students are expected to discuss transfer courses with their don, in advance, and then complete the Transfer Credit Request on MySLC. Transfer Credit Requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance and approved by the Registrar’s Office before registering for the course at the host institution in order to ensure transfer eligibility. Courses taken at other institutions and not approved by the Registrar’s Office as a Transfer Credit Request are not guaranteed to be applied toward degree requirements.

Once a transfer course is issued a final grade, students must request an official transcript from the host institution to be sent directly to the Registrar’s Office for final evaluation and application of credits, pending successful completion. Individual final grades for transfer credits, including pre-college and non-Sarah Lawrence global education, do not appear on the Sarah Lawrence official transcript; only the name of the host institution and total earned credits are reflected.

Courses accepted from institutions operating on a quarter system are transferred at two-thirds value.

Transfer credit completed in dance, music, and theatre disciplines require additional review. Credits for individual courses are evaluated and determined by the appropriate program director once syllabi and completed official transcripts are received by the Registrar’s Office.

Courses may be taken at another institution while a student is on a personal or medical leave of absence.

Once matriculated at the College, certain semesters have maximum credit limits for courses taken elsewhere.

A maximum of 16 credits across total summers (including summer Sarah Lawrence courses/directed studies) may be used to fulfill degree requirements, with a maximum of eight credits in one summer or 10 credits if the summer course spans 10 weeks or longer.

Students may earn a maximum of two credits during the intersession between fall and spring semesters, regardless of the number of courses taken and whether taken at Sarah Lawrence or at another institution.

A maximum of 36 semester hours is accepted for one year of study; a maximum of 18 semester hours for one semester and a maximum of 12 semester hours for one quarter or trimester are accepted. A maximum of 60 transfer credits, including credits from an associate degree, may be applied to the requirements of the degree.

Incoming students who defer admission prior to matriculation may earn credit for transfer during this deferral period. Deferred students are eligible for a maximum of 11 credits (part-time status) in each fall or spring semester of the gap year, as long as the transfer criteria is followed. Deferred students are subject to the same summer and intersession credit limitations as identified above.

Students may transfer a maximum of 30 credits earned prior to high-school graduation. This includes advanced placement exams, early college programs, international baccalaureate, advanced-level exams, or other international credentials.

Students requesting credit must have earned 30 credits by the end of their sophomore year in two consecutive semesters without having been placed on academic probation. Students approved for a reduced course load must complete all credits for which they are registered. Credits must be requested by the spring of their junior year.

Types of pre-college credit:

1. Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations: Credit is awarded for exam scores of four or five. Two credits will be granted for each applicable exam in disciplines accepted toward degree requirements. Official score reports from the College Board must be sent to the Registrar’s Office. Credit is not awarded for tests taken after the completion of high school. Credit for AP examinations may not be used to satisfy distribution requirements.
2. International Baccalaureate (IB): IB consists of international assessments for pre-college students. Students entering the College with a full IB diploma may earn 30 credits toward a Sarah Lawrence degree. Nondiploma IB students who score five or above on higher-level exams may request three credits for a maximum of three subjects for a total of nine credits. Official IB transcripts received by the College directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization are required. Credit is not awarded for tests taken after the completion of high school. Only credit for higher-level IB examinations with scores of five or above may be applied toward distribution requirements.
3. Advanced-Level (A-Level) Examinations: A-level exams are international qualifications taken in particular subjects. Eight credits are awarded for each A-level exam in which a student has earned an A or a B. Original official score certificates are required.
4. Students may receive credit for college-level courses taken while in high school under the following conditions:
   1. Courses must have been taken at a US regionally accredited two- or four-year college or university in classes intended primarily for college students. Courses may not have been taken at a student’s high school, nor in programs designed primarily for high-school students, nor used to fulfill high-school graduation requirements. This must be verified to the Registrar’s Office, in writing, by the student’s high school.
   2. A grade of C or above (C- is not accepted) must have been earned.
   3. Courses must satisfy all of the other requirements that govern transfer credit in general.
   4. A maximum of 30 credits may be awarded if an associate degree is earned prior to high-school graduation.