Transfer Credit from U.S. Colleges and Universities
Boston University accepts transfer credits only from institutions fully accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies (e.g., the New England Commission of Higher Education).
Credit is granted for courses in which a grade of C or better was earned and that are comparable in nature, level, and content to courses offered at Boston University.
Duplicate transfer coursework for which credit has already been received will only count as general elective credit.
Credit/Unit Conversion:
- The basic unit of credit at BU is the semester hour.
- Transfer credit is awarded on a 1:1 ratio for coursework from semester credit-hour systems.
- Transfer credit for quarter-hour credit systems is converted by awarding two-thirds of the total quarter hours completed.
| Calendar Systems | Units at External Institution | Accepted at Boston University |
|---|---|---|
| Semester | 3 credits 4 credits |
3.00 Units 4.00 Units |
| Quarter | 3 quarter credits 4 quarter credits 5 quarter credits 6 quarter credits |
2.00 Units 2.67 Units 3.33 Units 4.00 Units |
Transfer Credit Limits:
- First-year undergraduate students entering BU’s full-time on-campus schools or colleges may apply up to 60 external credits.
- Undergraduate transfer students entering BU’s full-time on-campus schools or colleges may apply up to 68 external credits.
Additional Transfer Credit Policies:
- Pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory courses are not normally transferable, except for courses completed as pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory during the Spring 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic OR if an institution requires a student to take a pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory course.
- No credit is awarded for vocational, remedial, physical education, or ROTC courses.
- Coursework completed more than five years ago requires additional review to determine current applicability.
- Only credits transfer—grades do not transfer and do not impact your BU cumulative GPA.
- Internships, research, and life experience are not considered for transfer credit.