Transfer Credit Policy
Transfer Credit Policy for Current Students
Application for Transfer of Credit
Courses taken at other accredited institutions, in which grades of C or higher have been earned (the courses may not be taken with pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading), may be credited toward the Colby degree under the conditions and circumstances listed below and those specified in Residence Requirement and Quantity Requirement in the Academic Requirements section of the College Catalogue. All credits presented for transfer toward a Colby degree must be supported by official transcripts issued by the college or university where the credits were earned. Course descriptions and, in some cases, syllabi are required. Transferred grades are not used in computing the grade point average. Please refer to the Academic Procedures section of the Catalogue for additional information.
Requirements for transfer of credit:
- Credits must be earned at an accredited, degree-granting institution and noted as such on an official transcript.
- Prior approval for each course, must be obtained before taking a course(s). Course(s) must be approved by chair of Colby department offering same or similar course, and academic advisor. Course description(s) from college catalogue are required.
- The Application for Transfer of Credit form must be completed and returned to the Registrars office prior to taking a course(s).
- Final grade of C or higher (courses to be transferred may not be taken P/F or S/U*)
- An official transcript sent to Colby Registrar’s Office by the institution
Other Notes:
- If a full semester is to be transferred from an institution on a course system, Colby will accept 16 credits per semester (1/8 of Colby’s graduation requirement.)
- If the other school is on the quarter system, Colby will accept transfer credits equal to quarter credits times two-thirds.
- Credits earned at summer school will not constitute a semester to apply toward the full-time semesters required for the Colby degree.
- Transfer credits do not affect Colby GPA, rank in class, etc.
- At least 3 semester credits (5 quarter cr.) required for a course to fulfill a distribution requirement
- Financial aid is not transportable to all programs; direct questions to Student Financial Services.
*Students whose spring 2020 study abroad programs were interrupted or moved to remote instruction, MAY choose to take their online courses for letter grade, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, or pass/fail.
Revised 03/2023
Transfer Credit Policy for Newly Admitted Students
Courses taken at other accredited institutions, not including online courses, in which grades of C or higher have been earned (the courses may not be taken with pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading), may be credited toward the Colby degree under the conditions and circumstances listed below and those specified in Residence Requirement and Quantity Requirement in the Academic Requirements section. All credits presented for transfer toward a Colby degree must be supported by official transcripts issued by the college or university where the credits were earned. Course descriptions and syllabi are helpful and may be required. Transferred grades are not used in computing the grade point average.
- When students are admitted by transfer, their records are tentatively evaluated by the registrar to determine the transferable equivalent in Colby courses. These courses are credited subject to confirmation through satisfactory progress at Colby. Domestic transfer credits will be awarded at the same credit value as noted on the granting institutions transcript.
- College-level courses taken on college campuses with college students prior to matriculation as first-year students are evaluated on the same basis as courses presented by new transfer students, unless the courses were part of a dual enrollment or early college high school program or were used to fulfill high school graduation requirements (in which case the courses may still fulfill distribution requirements and/or serve as prerequisites to higher-level courses).
- Refer to Advanced Standing in the Admission section of the Catalogue for additional programs in which credit or advanced course placement may be earned.