Credits Earned Elsewhere
Transfer Students
Credits earned from an institutionally accredited institution may be approved as credits toward a degree at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp. Regardless of the basis of credit, a minimum of 25 percent of semester hours applied toward a bachelor’s degree must be earned through regular enrollment in Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp junior or senior level courses, including a minimum of 12 hours in junior or senior courses in the major.
Applicants who attempt coursework elsewhere are required to notify WCU of the work as part of the application process, and students submitting an application as degree-seeking students are required to submit official transcripts from all institutions attended. Grades made in courses earned elsewhere are used as part of the admission process but are not used in computing the GPA at Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp (they remain part of a student’s higher education GPA). In addition, credits accepted at WCU from other sources are added to earned hours and will affect a student’s overall academic standing. Students may not use transfer courses to repeat WCU courses for grade replacement.
Check out our Transfer Frequently Asked Questions for answers to some of our most common transfer questions.
If you believe a course has transferred in error, you are welcome to submit a form. Note that a course in all caps on your student record indicates that the course has not yet been evaluated for credit. Please do not submit an appeal until after your course has gone through an initial evaluation.
Credit Information
WCU accepts transfer credit only for courses with a grade of C- or better. Except for consortium agreements, no transfer courses with a grade of D or lower will be counted toward graduation or major requirements. WCU does not award credit for courses that are below college level or from schools that do not have institutional accreditation from a nationally recognized agency (like SACSCOC or equivalent). Graduate-level courses cannot be used for undergraduate credit.
Students who take college classes while in high school (such as Early College or dual enrollment) are treated as first-year applicants, no matter how many college credits they earn. After graduating from high school, i fa student takes any college classes at another school - other than a summer term right after graduation - they will be considered a transfer student. The number of credits earned does not change whether a student is classified as first-year or transfer.
A student's class standing at WCU is based on the total number of credits accepted toward their degree:
- Freshman: 0-29 hours
- Sophomore: 30-59 hours
- Junior: 60-89 hours
- Senior: 90+ hours
WCU awards credit based on examination results from tests such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International AS & A Level Examinations, CLEP Subject Examinations and DSST Exams. Applicants should request official examination scores to be sent to the Office of Admission when you apply or as soon as your scores become available. Sending your transcripts and scores on time helps with credit review, advising, and registration.
Students may also earn credit by taking an exam for certain WCU courses, if the department offers this option. You must have approval before taking the exam and submit the completed permission form afterwards. Grades from these exams do not affect your GPA. All credit by examination attempts must be completed prior to the semester of graduation.
Students who transfer in with an AA, AS, or AE from a North Carolina Community College, a bachelor’s degree from a UNC System School, or a master’s degree from a U.S. institutionally accredited school will receive a waiver of their Liberal Studies (general education) requirements. Waivers are not guaranteed for any other degrees earned and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis; this includes AAS degrees. Please allow at least a week from the time your transfer work appears in your myWCU account for your waiver to be applied. WCU cannot apply the waiver unless the Registrar's Office has an official transcript that shows a degree has been awarded/conferred. If you think you should have a Liberal Studies waiver and do not, please reach out to the registrar's office at registrar@wcu.edu.
To receive credit for military service, a veteran must have at least 12 months of continuous active duty and provide the registrar with an official copy of their DD214 form. After the DD214 is received, the student will be awarded seven elective credit hours and will have the Wellness Liberal Studies requirement waived. Military courses from official Joint Services Transcripts will be reviewed on a course-by-course basis using guidelines from the American Council on Education (ACE). The UNC System also provides a that shows how military credits transfer to each UNC System school.
These credits do not replace other degree requirements. Questions about military credit should be directed to the Office of Military Student Services at 828.227.2135.
Transfer credit rules for graduate programs vary by program. The number of credits you can transfer depends on the total number of hours required for your program.
- For programs with 30-39 hours, up to 6 credits may be accepted
- For programs with 40-49 hours, up to 9 credits may be accepted
- For programs with 50 or more hours, up to 12 credits may be accepted
Transfer credit is evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate School. You can contact the Graduate School at 828.227.7398 or gradadmissions@wcu.edu.
Transcripts from international colleges and universities must be evaluated by an approved agency. You can find a list of approved agencies on the (NACES) website. Course descriptions may be required for specific course credit evaluation.
Credit for courses taken at unaccredited institutions (those that do not hold appropriate institutional accreditation, such as SACSCOC) is generally not accepted.
North Carolina's Reverse Transfer Program is a state initiative in which students are rewarded for credit they have already earned or will earn at a four year university. The program is designed to help students combine credits earned at WCU with credit already earned at the community college to meet the requirements for an associate's degree at their community college. Please see the official website for eligibility and additional resources. More information can be found on the North Carolina Community Colleges' website.
Students will need to request to have their WCU transcript sent to their community college in order to be awarded the degree. Students may have already completed a degree, and this initiative ensures that they will receive the degree they have earned. This could contribute to earning potential or be added to a resume to help apply for a job. Students can also have their community college transcript sent back to WCU in order to qualify for a Liberal Studies waiver (for Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, or Associate in Engineering degrees).
The University of North Carolina Common Numbering System (UNC CNS) improves the transfer of courses between the .
If your Common Numbering System (CNS) course isn’t transferring the way you expect, initiate the .
