Transfer Credit

The Registrar's Office is responsible for USI's transfer credit evaluation service. Official transcripts from other institutions will be reviewed to determine what academic credits will transfer to USI, and their equivalent USI courses. The Registrar's Office is also responsible for awarding credit approved through the Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) policy.

Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

Course credits earned from regionally accredited colleges and universities* will be accepted as transfer credit subject to the following guidelines:

• Only courses taken while a school is regionally accredited will be accepted.
• Only courses with grades of "C-" or better will transfer. Exception: D grades (D-, D, D+) will transfer when the transcript indicates an associate degree (other than applied degrees) or baccalaureate degree has been awarded, or if the transcript indicates completion of the Indiana College Core (formerly known as the Statewide Transfer General Education Core-STGEC) and a course with a D grade was required for ICC. Some degree programs may require a higher minimum grade in certain courses.
• Grade point averages do not transfer. Transfer courses accepted for credit are included in earned hours but are excluded from GPA hours, Quality Points, and GPA. Therefore, credit from a transfer course will not replace the credit and grade of a USI course. If a student has earned credit in a course both at USI and transfer, the transfer course will be considered a duplicate; the earned hours will remain with the USI course and the grade will be retained in GPA computations.
• Credit from quarter-system schools are equal to two-thirds credit at USI.
• Orientation and remedial courses will not be accepted as transfer credit.
• Competency or proficiency credit earned at another college or university will not be accepted as transfer credit.
• Noncredit courses earned at previous colleges or universities will not transfer.
• Transcripts from international institutions must be an official copy (not a photocopy). If records are in a language other than English, the student may also be required to provide an English translation and course-by-course evaluation report from an acceptable evaluation agency. This report will then be reviewed to determine acceptable transfer credit.
• Even though credit hours are transferable, the transferred hours may not necessarily apply toward a particular degree program. The applicability of credits toward a specific degree, as well as Core 39, can be determined in counsel with the appropriate departmental advisor. The time elapsed since the completion of the course may also prohibit it from applying toward requirements of a particular degree program and is subject to review by the department of the student's program.
• Effective summer 2015, new freshmen, new transfer students, and readmitting students are not limited on the number of credits that can transfer to USI. However, to receive a USI degree, all baccalaureate students must complete at least 30 credit hours at USI, 39 hours of upper-division courses, all Core 39 (general education), and major requirements for their plan of study. Associate degree students must complete at least 18 credit hours at USI, Core 39 (general education) coursework required for the program, and major requirements for their plan of study. (NOTE: Previously, students who matriculated at USI Summer 2013-Spring 2015 were limited to 60 credit hours transferred from all regionally accredited community and/or junior colleges attended. Students who matriculated at USI prior to Summer 2013 were limited to 64 credit hours transferred from all regionally accredited community and/or junior colleges attended.)
• For students with transfer work from Indiana colleges/universities, completion of the 30-hour Indiana College Core (formerly known as the Statewide Transfer General Education Core-STGEC) will impact the number of hours and classes required to complete USI’s Core39.
• A student's overall transfer grade point average will not be recorded on the student's transcript. Consequently, a transfer student will establish a grade point average from the University of Southern Indiana based only on coursework taken at USI. A transfer student must, however, meet the standards of progress which correspond to the sum of the total transfer hours accepted and total quality hours attempted at this University.

Graduate Transfer Credit Policy

Graduate Studies may accept transfer credit for coursework completed at other colleges and universities accredited for master's-level study or higher by the Higher Learning Commission or a comparable regional accrediting agency*. The total average in such study must be B (3.0) or above and no grade lower than B- will be accepted. Correspondence study will not count toward a graduate degree at USI, and such credit cannot be transferred from another institution. All transfer work must be approved in advance by the student's graduate program director or chair and by the Director of Graduate Studies.

• For master's-level programs, Graduate Studies may accept for transfer credit up to 12 credit hours of master's-level coursework.
• For doctoral-level programs, Graduate Studies may accept for transfer credit up to 40% of the total credit hours required to complete the program, depending upon specific program policy. Certain programs may accept additional transfer credit beyond 40% with the approval of the program director, college dean, and the Director of Graduate Studies.

The Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) policy allows for the granting of credit for previous experiential learning through a portfolio review. Not all graduate programs are approved to award PLA credit, and portfolio review credit can only be applied toward the student's graduate program with approval from the program director and the Director of Graduate Studies.

The combined maximum that can be awarded between transfer credit and portfolio review credit cannot exceed:

• 12 credit hours for master's-level programs requiring 36 or fewer total hours, or
• one third of the total hours required for the program for master's-level programs requiring greater than 36 total hours.

Within the limits noted above, each graduate program determines the number of transfer and PLA hours that can be awarded. Graduate Studies will approve no more than those determined acceptable by the respective graduate program. The student must consult the appropriate graduate program director for such information. All transfer and PLA credit must be appropriate to the particular program in which the student is enrolled.

* Acceptable regional accrediting agencies: