Transfer Credit Policy

Courses transferred to Drew’s College of Liberal Arts from other institutions: 

Whether taken by a matriculated Drew student at another college or by a new student transferring to the College of Liberal Arts, credits will be transferred if the following criteria are met:

  • The course must be listed on an official transcript from an institution, in which the credit was originally taken, that has been accredited by a body duly recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or be officially recognized by the appropriate government agency/ministry of education for foreign institutions.

  • Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S. and not accredited by a U.S. agency must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES).

  • The course must be a course that would or could be offered at a liberal arts college.

  • A grade of C- or better must have been earned in the course. Pass/fail courses are not eligible for transfer.

  • The course must have been taken within the past 10 years. Courses that were taken more than 10 years prior to the request for transfer credit will require departmental approval for transfer.

  • Transfer credits are not calculated in the GPA, credits earned in Drew’s exchange program with Saint Elizabeth University or Fairleigh Dickinson University are not counted as transfer credit and so are calculated in the Drew GPA.

  • Students may transfer up to 80 credits toward Drew’s bachelor’s degree and must earn a minimum of 48 credits from Drew.

Transfer of credit from a U.S. military transcript

Veterans enrolling with a military transcript of college-level work will be granted credit at the discretion of the department according to the criteria enumerated by the American Council on Education for credit/course-type equivalencies (http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Transcripts-for-Military-Personnel.aspx). A maximum of 16 ROTC credits may be transferred as elective credit toward bachelor’s degree.

Applicability of Transfer Credit to Majors and Minors

A student transferring credits toward a major or minor from another institution must complete at least 16 Drew credits at the intermediate- or upper-level to earn a major in that area. They must complete at least 8 intermediate- or upper-level Drew credits in order to earn a minor in that area. If Drew transfers 2.5 credits or more for courses that satisfy required or elective courses for a major or minor, that student may complete the major or minor with up to 3 fewer total credits.

Applicability of Transfer Credit to General Education Requirements

  • Transferred courses are eligible to fill general education requirements in cases where they meet the learning objectives of a specific Drew requirement.

  • The Drew Seminar (DSEM) is waived if a student transfers in two semesters of college writing from a community college or one semester from a four year college or university.

  • If Drew transfers 2.5 credits or more for a course taken at another institution, that course may be used to satisfy one 4-credit Drew general education requirement.

  • If Drew transfers 2.5 credits or more for courses at the intermediate or upper-level, that student may complete the 64 credit intermediate or upper-level requirement with up to 3 fewer intermediate or upper-level credits.

  • If Drew transfers 2.5 credits or more for courses at the upper-level, that student may complete the 32 credit upper-level requirement with up to 3 fewer upper-level credits.

Pre-Approval Credit Study Elsewhere

  • Enrolled Drew University bachelor’s students must receive permission PRIOR to taking courses at another institution in order for the credits to transfer to Drew.

  • Students planning to study away in the U.S. for a Fall or Spring semester or an entire academic year must also file a Pre-Approval for Credit Study Elsewhere form available online. 

    • Depending on the host institution, students may need to submit course descriptions.

  • Official transcripts reflecting the final grade must be sent to Drew University Office of the Registrar within 4 weeks of course completion.

  • Only approved courses with a grade of “C-” or above will be accepted for transfer. Courses accepted for transfer will count as credit toward the Drew University degree and the grades will be recorded on the Drew transcript, but these grades will not be calculated in the grade-point average. 

  • Once grades are entered, the coursework will pull into any requirements the equivalencies fulfill in Ladder. Students can meet with their advisor to review Ladder and submit any petitions, if necessary, after grades are processed.