Transfer of Credit

Codes:

If a course transfers as a direct equivalent to a KU course, the transfer work will be listed by KU course number. CredTran at Admissions and screen 115 in SRIS (the KU student data base) list the courses as they were numbered at the original institution and the corresponding KU transfer equivalency. If a course does not transfer (even as elective credit) to KU, the KU column is blank. NOTE: If a course is not listed, it has not yet been evaluated by the Admissions Office – please call 864-5136 for assistance.

Courses that do not have direct KU equivalencies are given the following codes:

General Elective Codes: (do not satisfy principal course requirements)

H: Humanities*
N: Natural Sciences and Mathematics
S: Social Sciences
U: Undesignated (elective)
NL: Natural Sciences including Lab
UL: Undesignated Elective Lab
*Admissions does not evaluate Western Civilization courses. If the course transferred as HIST H, students should take their syllabus (not course description) to the KU Humanities and Western Civilization Office (308 Bailey). CLAS petition is not required.

Principal Course and Non-Western Culture Codes: (do satisfy principal course or non-Western culture requirements)

HH or HT: Humanities, Historical Studies
HP or HR: Humanities, Philosophy and Religion
HL: Humanities, Literature and the Arts
HLE: Humanities, Literature and the Arts also satisfies third English requirement, but cannot be used to fulfill BOTH requirements. Students may choose which requirement they want the course to satisfy.
HW: Humanities (not principal course), satisfies Non-Western Culture requirement
HE: Humanities (not principal course), satisfies third English requirement
NB: Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences
NBL: Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences including Lab
NE: Natural Sciences, Earth Sciences
NEL: Natural Sciences, Earth Sciences including Lab
NM: Natural Sciences, Mathematical Sciences
NMM: Natural Sciences, Mathematical Sciences – satisfies
Second Math requirement but cannot satisfy BOTH
NP: Natural Sciences, Physical Science
NPL: Natural Sciences, Physical Science including Lab
SC: Social Sciences, Culture and Society
SI: Social Sciences, Individual Behavior
SP or SF: Social Sciences, Public Affairs
SW: Social Sciences (not principal course), satisfies Non-Western Culture requirement

Additional Codes:

&: Remedial course
C: Correspondence
R: Repeated course
J: Junior/Senior level course

The above codes are used as a general evaluation of all students’ transcripts at the time of their admission to KU. Further evaluation may be done on an individual basis through a petition process through The College Student Academic Services Office, 109 Strong Hall. This is especially important for major courses, as each department must review and/or finalize major credit evaluation for courses that did not transfer as equivalents to KU courses.

Current KU students who are planning to take course work at another institution to transfer back to KU, may check CredTran or file a Tentative Evaluation Form (TEF) with Student Academic Services to determine how the course will be evaluated.

Transfer Work FAQ’s

The ARTS form should indicate the status of a student’s transfer credit received by the Office of Admissions and Scholarships.

Q: “Why didn’t my course(s) from <another institution> transfer to KU?”

A: If transfer work is not appearing on the ARTS form, first verify that the student has sent an official copy of all transcripts to Admissions. If transcripts have been received by KU but the work is not appearing, you may check screen 115 in SRIS, or CredTran as suggested above or the student may contact a transcript analyst in Admissions & Scholarships, (864-5136). Remember that not all courses will transfer, even as elective credit. Work taken as part of a technical or vocational program does not automatically transfer. Computer science courses must contain programming or have college algebra as a prerequisite to transfer. Computer application courses do not transfer.

Q: If this course from <another institution> won’t fulfill anything, did I take it for nothing?

A: Remind students that all degrees require some elective hours; they are necessary to complete the minimum number of hours required for graduation.

Q: “Why isn’t this course from another institution fulfilling a particular requirement?”

A: If transfer credit is properly coded and listed but is not fulfilling a requirement on the ARTS form, discuss whether or not the course may be accepted as fulfilling a requirement through petition. If you feel a course should fulfill a particular requirement, have students contact Student Academic Services in 109 Strong (864-3500) to discuss the petition process.

Gray Petitions and Substitutions: If students completing a B.A or B.G. S. want a completed elective course (H, S, N, or U) to fulfill a general education requirement, they must petition by completing a Requirement Substitution (gray) petition and taking a copy of their ARTS form and their course syllabus to the department that would offer the course at KU. Once the department has reviewed the petition, it should be returned to Student Academic Services. The petitions are available in Student Academic Services, 109 Strong. NOTE: Students completing a B.S. do not need to petition. Their major advisors may send a memo to The College Student Academic Services Office in 109 Strong, or may write the substitution on the major certification sheet (MCS).

If students wish a completed elective course (H, S, N, or U) to fulfill a major requirement, they must talk to the Undergraduate Coordinator of the major department. If approved, the Coordinator should write a memo to Student Academic Services indicating the approval.

Remember that credit hours earned from institutions on the “quarter” system do NOT transfer as “semester” hours, e.g., 4 quarter hours = 2.7 semester hours.