Transfer Units

College of Communication Policy

Undergraduate

The College of Communication follows Boston University’s transfer-credit policy.

• First-year students entering BU’s full-time on-campus schools or colleges may apply a maximum of 60 external or transfer units toward their degree. Undergraduate students transferring into one of BU’s full-time on-campus schools or colleges may apply a maximum of 68 external or transfer units toward their degree.
• Current students who wish to take courses outside Boston University and transfer those units to count toward their degree must have the courses evaluated and pre-approved by the appropriate BU school or department before enrolling. The College of Communication does not allow transfer credit to satisfy specific COM major courses, although communication courses taken outside BU may count as elective units toward the degree. Students may petition to use transfer units to waive particular major requirements or prerequisites; if a waiver is granted, the student must still take an additional course through the college or department.
• Transfer credit requires a minimum grade of C. Units are not awarded for courses completed on a pass/fail basis. For more information and details, see the COM Transfer Units Approval Form on the Undergraduate Affairs website or visit COM Room 123.
• Some courses have already been evaluated as BU equivalents. BU maintains a database called TES, where students can search to see whether coursework transfers without a syllabus review. BU also uses Transferology. Consult the Transfer Admissions office for more information.
• External transfer units cannot fulfill requirements within the BU Hub.
• All COM undergraduate students must complete a minimum of 128 total units to graduate from Boston University.
• Pre-approved courses taken at other colleges and universities carry no more than the number of units awarded by the host institution. For example, a three-unit course from another university on a term system will transfer as three units at BU. Courses from quarter or trimester systems transfer at two-thirds (2/3) of their original units (for example, a four-unit quarter-course transfers as 2.66 units). Non-BU courses do not count toward the BU GPA.
• Students considering non-BU study abroad courses for transfer credit must consult the BU Study Abroad program manager for external programs before applying to an international program to determine whether the program meets University policy.

Graduate

Graduate students cannot normally transfer units from other institutions. In certain circumstances, however, the Department Chair and the Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs may approve up to 8 units of transfer units after the student has been enrolled for one term of full-time graduate study.