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Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs

Transfer Credit

Purchase College, State University of New York, accepts transfer credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education and from recognized candidates for accreditation that are received on an official transcript by the Registrar’s Office.  These regional accrediting bodies include:

Credit recognized by the National College Credit Recommendation Service of the University of the State of New York and the American Council on Education, recorded on official transcripts will be evaluated and may be accepted for applicability to specific degree requirements.

Students who have attended non-regionally accredited institutions of higher education may request that their coursework be evaluated for transfer credit. Credit will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and students will be expected to provide course descriptions and/or syllabi to assist in evaluating the coursework.

The U.S. Department of Education provides a searchable database of colleges and universities and their accreditation. We do not accept credit with national or specialized agency accreditation.

College-level credit taken at institutions outside of the US must be evaluated by a NACES member translation/evaluation service. We highly recommend World Education Service and Spantran. A course-by-course/course analysis evaluation is required.

What is an official transcript?

Hard-copy transcripts and other academic records are considered official when they arrive in a sealed, stamped, official envelope with the seal and any other security feature intact. Electronic transcripts are considered official when we receive them from a secure site formally linked to the sending institution or testing service.

Academic records received in any other condition, such as transcripts that arrive in an unsealed envelope, or that are emailed or uploaded by the student, or that are printed from the university portal, are not considered official.

Award of Academic Credit by Evaluation

Purchase College awards academic credit by evaluation for the following: 

  • Standardized published examinations

Note: 

  • Purchase College currently does not award credit on the basis of faculty/department developed challenge exams or portfolio review.

Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

  • All students, regardless of credits transferred, must satisfy all academic requirements (or their equivalencies) for the major and the degree.
  • Students must disclose all prior college work on their application to Purchase. Transfer credit will not be awarded from work that was omitted on the application to the College.
  • Credits are converted to semester hours/credits.  For example: unless otherwise specified, one quarter credit equals ⅔ of a semester hour.  5 quarter credits equals 3⅓ semester credits.
  • A maximum of 4 physical education credits can be applied toward a degree. 
  • Remedial, college-prep, college success and college experience credits are not transferable.
  • Grades of D or higher are accepted in transfer credit of General Education/core courses at Purchase College.
  • Several departments have higher grade requirements for satisfaction of major or minor requirements. If a higher grade is required for a requirement then the higher grade is the minimum accepted in transfer for that course or requirement.
  • Advanced Placement (AP) exam scores of 3 or better can transfer as credit, with the exception of AP language and composition. Students receiving a 4 or 5 on the language and composition exam will be given credit and are waived from the Basic Communication requirement. Students who receive a 3 may be given credit, but will be required to take the course to fulfill that requirement. A maximum of 30 AP credits will be accepted. Purchase’s AP code is 2878.
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) credit can be awarded for higher-level (HL) exams with scores of 5 or better.
  • A maximum of 30 credits will be accepted through the College Level Examination Program* (CLEP). Transfer is evaluated by review of each individual test score. 
  • Acceptance of a course for transfer credit does not guarantee applicability to degree, major, or minor requirements.  
  • Credits are transferred for the semester hour equivalent that they are taken. For example, courses taught elsewhere for 3 credits, which are taught at Purchase College for 4 credits, will transfer as 3 credits.
  • Transfer grades do not factor in to the Purchase GPA.
  • Once matriculated at Purchase, if a student wishes to transfer college-level work to transfer back to Purchase, they must complete a pre-approval to transfer credits form prior to registration if they wish to ensure transferability. 

BA and BS Programs

  • A maximum of 90 credits—including a maximum of 75 lower-level (freshman-sophomore) credits—may be accepted in transfer to an undergraduate BA or BS program at Purchase College. The maximum of 90 can only be achieved if the student has at least 15 junior and/or senior level credits.
  • A maximum of 30 non-liberal art credits may be applied to a BA degree. A maximum of 60 non-liberal art credits may be applied to a BS degree. Non-liberal arts credits include (but are not limited to) business, nursing, education, accounting, social work, engineering, physical education, as well as visual and performing arts.
  • BS in Visual Arts:  a maximum of 20 studio art credits and 9 art history credits are transferable. All upper-level studio art courses required for the BS major in the School of Art+Design must be completed at Purchase College. Art credits from other schools are not automatically transferable. Studio Art credit is awarded only for courses completed with a grade of “C” or better and if a comparable course is taught at Purchase with the approval from the Department Chair.

BFA and MusB Programs

Dance: Students may transfer a maximum of 36 general education (“core”) credits.  Dance credits are not transferable. The Dance major takes 8 semesters to complete regardless of transfer credit. 

Classical Composition, Instrumental Performance, Jazz Studies, Studio Composition, Studio Production, and Voice and Opera Studies: Students may transfer a maximum of 66 credits:  36 general education (“core”) and 30 music credits.  The music credits are accepted if approved by the conservatory.  Under extraordinary circumstances, a student may transfer up to 54 music credits with permission from both the Department Chair and the Director of the Conservatory of Music.

Acting, Film, and Theatre Design/Technology: Students may transfer a maximum of 36 general education (“core”) credits.  Major requirements in acting, stage/set design/technology and filmmaking are not transferable. These BFA majors take 8 semesters to complete regardless of transfer credit. 

Graphic Design, Painting/Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Visual Arts: A maximum of 75 credits (a maximum of 24 studio art credits, 9 art history credits, 6 credits non-arts electives and an additional 36 general education (“core”) credits. All upper-level studio art courses required for the BFA majors in the School of Art+Design must be completed at Purchase College. Studio Art credit is awarded only for courses completed with a grade of “C” or better and if a comparable course is taught at Purchase with the approval from the Department Chair.

Graduate Transfer Credit Policy

  1. Credits are converted to semester hours/credits.  For example: unless otherwise specified, one quarter credit equals ⅔ of a semester hour.  5 quarter credits equals 3⅓ semester credits.
  2. A maximum of 9 graduate-level credits with a grade of “B” or better may be accepted in transfer to an MA, MM, or MFA program at Purchase College, so long as these credits have not already been applied to a graduate degree awarded by Purchase College or another institution. Evaluation of which credits transfer are subject to approval from the Director of the program and the Registrar on a case by case basis.
  3. Credits are transferred for the semester hour equivalent that they are taken. For example, courses taught elsewhere for 3 credits, which are taught at Purchase College for 4 credits, will transfer as 3 credits.