College of Graduate Studies

Transfer Credit Information

Graduate courses completed at other appropriately accredited academic institutions or at an academic institution with high academic standards deemed appropriate and acceptable by the academic department, academic college, and the College of Graduate Studies may be offered in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduate degrees at The University of Toledo subject to the limits and approvals described below.  

The following conditions must be met in order to transfer graduate credit:

1. All graduate credits requested for transfer must carry a grade of A, A-, B+ or B. Credit for an S grade may be transferred only if the grading institution verifies that the S translates into a grade of B or higher.Research hours earned at another university are not transferable towards research hours for a project, thesis, or dissertation. Courses taken for professional development cannot be transferred for graduate credit.
   
   
2. The student must have been admitted and enrolled as a graduate student at the institution where the graduate credit was completed.
3. Courses requested for transfer from a non-United States institution will be evaluated on an individual basis. To be considered, the credits to be transferred must have been earned in a program judged by the University graduate program to be comparable to a graduate degree program of a   regionally accredited institution in the U.S. and appropriate documentation must accompany the request.
   
   
4. The credit requested for transfer must not have been applied in whole or in part toward any other degree from another university.  Requests for transfer or credits, applied in whole or in part toward a graduate certificate from another university, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  The final determination will be made by the Graduate Dean.
   
   
5. The student is actively pursuing a graduate degree program at UT.
   
   
6. Provisionally admitted students must meet the terms of their admission to achieve regular admission status before requesting transfer of credit. By definition, transfer of credit is not appropriate for graduate, non-degree students as they have no graduate degree program toward which credit can be transferred. If a graduate non-degree student becomes regularly admitted to a graduate degree program, transfer of credit can then be requested.(Graduate courses completed at UT in non-degree status and later applied toward degree requirements are not considered as transfer credit from outside the University.)
   
   
7. The amount of credit transferred does not exceed one-third of the hours required for the graduate degree. Requests for exceptions to this requirement will only be considered with supporting documentation and would only be approved in unusual circumstances. Academic colleges and/or programs and departments may have more restrictive policies with regard to the number of transferable credits or eligibility of specific courses. Transfer credit will only be considered by the College of Graduate Studies if it has been reviewed and approved through the required channels of the student’s academic department and college. 
   
   
8. Credit applied towards the master's degree and education specialist degree must have been earned within the period of six years immediately preceding the time the degree is awarded.Credit applied for the doctoral degree must have been earned within seven years immediately preceding the time the degree is awarded (combined M.D./Ph.D. program limit is ten years). Credit applied towards a graduate certificate must have been completed within the four years immediately preceding the time the certificate is awarded. Transfer credit is reviewed again at the time of graduation to ensure the course work falls within the time to degree limits. If the previously approved transfer credit is beyond the time limitation for the degree, it can no longer be used to fulfill degree requirements. Transfer credits are not eligible for recertification.

The following process must be followed to request transfer of graduate credit:

1. Application for transfer of credit must be made to the student’s advisor on a Request for Transfer Credit form available on the College of Graduate Studies’ website. If endorsed by the academic department and college, the form should be forward to the College of Graduate Studies.
2. A Plan of Study must accompany any request for transfer credit.  If an approved Plan of Study is already on file with the College of Graduate Studies, an amended Plan of Study or Plan of Study Course Substitution Form must accompany a request for transfer credit.
   
   
3. Students must attach a copy of the course description from the institution at which the course to be transferred was completed.  Students may also be asked to provide a statement from the institution confirming that the course was not used toward a prior degree. Additional documentation may requested by the College of Graduate Studies if necessary to make a determination on the transfer request. 
   
   
4. An official transcript reflecting the credit requested for transfer must be on file in the College of Graduate Studies or submitted with the Request form. Transcripts marked ‘Issued to Student’ will not be accepted.
   
   
5. Final approval for transferred credit is granted only by the graduate dean or designee. Any prior assurances for transfer of credit given by faculty or staff must be regarded as professional opinions and do not commit the University to final approval of the credits.
   
   
6. Once final approval has been granted and official transcripts received, the credits hours (not grades) for the approved courses are transferred to the student’s UT graduate degree program.

Additional Restrictions:

1. The transfer of credit for purposes of consolidating transcripts is not permitted.
   
   
2. A student may substitute an acceptable alternative for a required course in the case where a substantially similar course was completed as part of a previous degree. Such a substitution requires the approval of the advisor, department chair or program director, college associate dean and College of Graduate Studies and must not decrease the number of course hours required by The University of Toledo. Substitutions may be requested on the Plan of Study form.
   
   
3. A maximum of nine semester hours of post-master’s credit may be transferred to a doctoral program subject to all required approvals for the transfer of graduate credit.  This is in addition to the 30 credits that can transfer from a master’s program.
   
   
4. A maximum of twelve graduate course credits may be counted in common between two University of Toledo master’s degrees if the course work is appropriate for the student’s program and has received all required approvals.
   
   
5. Requests to apply up to twelve credits from an awarded University of Toledo graduate or advanced degree to another University of Toledo graduate degree will be evaluated on an individual basis subject to all required approvals.
   
   
6. In all cases, unless a specific exception has been approved, the total amount of credit transferred and/or applied in common between UT graduate degrees may not exceed one-third of the hours required for the graduate degree.