Transfer Credits

University Policy

Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Policy

In addition to courses taken prior to formal admission, candidates may also take courses at other accredited institutions as part of their degree program within the limits of the transfer credit policy. Undergraduate students are encouraged to create an account with Transferology to see how courses taken at other colleges or universities may transfer to Boston University, assuming the minimum required grades are met. Additionally, please keep in mind that transfer courses, even those granted course equivalency, do not earn HUB General Education units at Boston University. The BU Hub Transfer Student Curriculum has been designed specifically for transfer students, to recognize the work that transfer students have already done while still providing them with the educational benefits of the Hub program.

Courses submitted for transfer credit approval must have been completed within the following time limits:

  • For BS—credits received five or more years before a student’s matriculation will not be accepted without additional review of current applicability
  • For EdM, MA, MAT, MS, CAGS—six years
  • For EdD and PhD—seven years

Grades earned for transferred courses will not be calculated into the Boston University GPA.

Incoming Undergraduate Students with Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate Credit

Advanced Placement is received, posted, and evaluated by staff in the Office of the University Registrar. Students should submit International Baccalaureate test score information to International Admissions, intadmis@bu.edu.

Incoming Undergraduate Students with External Transfer Credit

Incoming transfer students and incoming first-year students with college credit must submit official transcripts and syllabi to the Office of the University Registrar for review via the MyBU Portal.

For undergraduates, the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development reviews transfer courses from accredited schools that have been completed with a grade of C or higher.

Current Undergraduate Students

Before registering at another institution, undergraduates must obtain written approval by the academic department in which comparable course content is housed and by their advisor. Students should submit an online Pre-Approval for Transfer Credit Petition (including syllabi) to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management well ahead of any potential course for transfer. Credit cannot be guaranteed for courses taken prior to approval being granted. Students may not exceed the total transfer credits allowed by Boston University toward their degree. No partial course credit is given.

Additional approval is required for external credit taken internationally. Please see Global Programs at 888 Commonwealth Avenue before submitting international transfer credits to Wheelock for preapproval.

No more than two classes may be taken at an external institution and applied to a Wheelock minor.

Courses with a grade of C or better will be considered for transfer. Courses taken on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis will not be considered for credit. Grades from courses transferred into Boston University from another university are not calculated into the Boston University Grade Point Average.

Study Abroad Credit

For students who are studying abroad through BU, credits taken abroad will show up on the transcript as BU courses. Students who are studying abroad through a BU-affiliated program should consult BU Study Abroad for more information and preapproval for summer study abroad courses. Students studying through a non-BU study abroad program during the school year or over the summer must consult with the BU Global Programs staff prior to registering and submit a signed Transfer of External Credits form, and an official transcript from the offering school when coursework is completed, to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management.

No more than two international summer courses intended to cover a full semester’s work in a single 6-week summer term will be considered for transfer credit. No more than one course intended to cover a full semester’s work in a single 4-week summer term will be considered for transfer credit. Normally, courses shorter than 4 weeks are not eligible for transfer credit. For more information regarding transfer credits from non-Boston University International Programs please refer to the University-wide policy.

IUT into Wheelock with External Credit

The Wheelock College of Education & Human Development accepts external credits that have already been approved and equated by other schools and colleges. If a student would like a re-evaluation of external credits, the student should submit the Transfer of External Credits form to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management for review.

Graduate Students

With permission, 8 credits at the graduate level (not previously used toward a graduate degree or another degree) may be transferred into a master’s or CAGS program. With permission, 16 external or 20 internal credits (not previously used toward another degree) may be transferred into a doctoral program. Courses older than 7 years from the date of the credit transfer petition will not be considered for transfer.

After matriculation, graduate candidates who wish to have credits accepted for transfer must submit a petition to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management. Faculty advisors, in consultation with the Program Director and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, review requests for approval of credits applied to specific degree programs.

The course grade must be a B– or higher (for graduate students) in order to be accepted for transfer.

Courses approved for transfer from external institutions will only receive the number of credits awarded on the official transcript from that institution. However, please note that Boston University is on a semester system. Course credit that is being transferred to Boston University from institutions that are on a trimester or quarter system will be transferred not by number of credits earned but by number of classroom hours attended.