Newly Admitted Transfer Students - Click Here for Spring 2008 Info
Information about Transferring to the School of Arts & Sciences
Welcome to the School of Arts & Sciences. We know you have many questions and concerns when transferring to any college or university. On this page, we have attempted to provide you with useful information, on the academic portion of your transfer, as it applies to Catholic University. Below are frequently asked questions that we have received from students requesting transfer.
We coordinate the evaluation of courses and the transfer of credit in the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Programs. In general, credits from another accredited college or university must be applicable to the student’s chosen major or minor. Courses to be transferred must also be equivalent in quality and quantity of work to courses offered at CUA.
1. I want to know if my courses will transfer before I apply to CUA. What should I do?
Courses will be evaluated for transfer after you have submitted your application to CUA.
2. I’ve applied for transfer to CUA. What is the process and how long before I know that I’ve been accepted and if my courses will transfer?
The Office of Admissions will work with you to get all the necessary information (college and high school transcripts, letters of reference, etc.). They will notify you of your admission status.
Once you are admitted, the Office of Admissions will forward your file to us. The entire academic transfer process can take anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks depending on your cooperation with us. Due to the high volume of applicants (esp. in June and July) for Fall transfer, the process may take longer.
This is what we do for you:
Review
-
Review the high school transcript for AP and other potential college credit courses.
-
Determine the foreign language experience and whether a placement test is necessary.
-
Review college transcript(s) for any course(s) that meet our grade and credit requirement.
-
Check courses against our database of previously evaluated courses from other institutions.
-
Contact you via email for confirmation of your chosen major and request any necessary documentation (i.e. syllabi, AP score reports, additional transcripts, etc.).
Course Evaluation
- Evaluation of courses not previously approved at CUA begins when you respond and deliver requested documentation.
- Course documentation is sent to academic evaluators for CUA equivalent.
- Accepted courses are placed, based on your intended major, on an unofficial tracking sheet.
Advising
-
Tracking sheet is sent to your assigned academic advisor for review.
-
Academic advisor contacts you and recommends courses for which to register.
-
Final review and adjustment, if necessary, of course recommendations by Undergraduate Dean.
Registration
-
Transfer package is mailed to you.
-
If matriculated (i.e. paid your registration fee and activated in CUA’s system), you begin to register.
- If your official transcripts are in your file, your courses/credits will be officially transferred to your CUA record.
- NOTE: Financial Aid is dependent on credits, so it is most important that final official transcripts are in your CUA file.
3. What documentation do I need to supply to know if my credits/courses will transfer to CUA?
-
If you are transferring from a community college, provide a syllabus (not course description) for each course that you have taken and are currently taking.
-
If you are transferring from a 4 year college or university, a course description is sufficient to start the course evaluation. You will be notified if a syllabus is required.
- Exceptions – the following courses always require a syllabus:
- Writing/composition
- Philosophy
- History
- Art History
- Your latest transcript from your current, and if applicable, former schools attended
4. What core courses must I take to get my degree?
At CUA, courses outside the major, that must be fulfilled in order to receive your degree are called distribution requirements. Please click here to see the distribution requirements for the B.A. degree. For more information on the requirements for the B.A. and B.S. degrees, click here.
5. I know my credits will not transfer if I received an “F” in a course, but what if I received a “D”?
Only courses with a grade of “C-” or better will be considered for transfer.
6. Do you accept courses of less than 3 credits?
The School of Arts & Sciences accepts courses of 3 or more credits. The only exception is a science laboratory of one or two credits.
7. Does my GPA transfer along with my credits?
No, course grades do not transfer, only course credits.
8. Is there a limit to the number of courses I can transfer?
A maximum of 20 courses are permitted for transfer. A maximum of 6 courses may be applied to the major and 2 may be applied to the minor.
9. I am currently a double major at my school and want to continue with it at CUA. Can I do this?
Whether you are eligible to double major is determined after you complete one semester here at CUA. Requirements for the double major can be found here.
10. I’m transferring from a university on the quarter system. How will this affect my credit transfer to CUA, which is a semester school?
Because the quarter system credit hour is 2/3 of a semester hour, it is difficult to do a direct transfer of credit. However, we work with the student to get as many credits as possible transferred to CUA.
11. Can I receive credit for AP courses that I took in High School?
Credit may be awarded for Advanced Placement examinations taken in high school provided the test score meets CUA’s standard. The CUA standards for AP credit can be found here.
If your AP course scores meet CUA standards, have your official score report sent to CUA. You can request the report from the College Board either by phone (888-225-5427) or by email (apexams@collegeboard.org). CUA's school code is 5104.
12. Can I receive credit for IB courses that I took in High School?
In order to be eligible for review of credit from an IB program you must have completed the entire IB program and present the IB diploma to the office of the Dean. All awards of credit are subject to review of IB Program requirements.
IB Diploma recipients may receive credits up to a maximum of nine courses evaluated as follows:
-
Higher Level (HL) subjects with scores of 5-7 are eligible for credits equivalent to two semester courses each.
-
Subsidiary (SL) subjects with scores of 5-7 are eligible for credits equivalent to one semester course each.
13. I took a course in high school and received college credit for it at another college. Can I receive credit for it at Catholic?
CUA reserves the right to determine whether or not courses taken from a college or university by high school students are transferable. The following criteria are used, in addition to other factors, to determine whether or not a course or courses are transferable.
1. The course was taught on the campus of the college or university granting credit, by a faculty person of that institution.
2. The course was not needed to complete high school graduation requirements – this includes electives. Note: we do not accept credits for “Dual Credit Programs” or “High School Extension”.
3. The course is evaluated for equivalency here at CUA and may be used in your program, in one of the distribution areas, or as a free elective.
4. The course is completed with at least a grade of “C”.
5. An official transcript from the college or university must be received in the Office of the Dean, 107 McMahon.
6. The student must also submit the High School Confirmation Form, completed by the high school guidance counselor, and the course syllabus.
14. I am an international student. How do I get credit for my courses from an overseas university?
Students presenting transcripts from non-US or Canadian countries must also provide a credential evaluation issued by the WES (World Education Services), or other recognized academic credential evaluation organization. As with US colleges and universities, the syllabus or detailed course descriptions must be provided, and if needed, be translated into English.
15. How do I find out about my housing and/or financial aid?
We only provide assistance in the academic portion of your transfer. Here are the links and phone numbers to all the offices you may need to contact with specific concerns.
Office of Enrollment Management (Admissions) Phone: 202-319-5305
Office of the Registrar Phone: 202-319-5300
Office of Financial Aid Phone: 202-319-5307
Office of Housing Services Phone: 202-319-5615
Office of Residence Life Phone: 202-319-6631
Student Health Services Phone: 202-319-5744
Office of Student Life Phone: 202-319-5714
Office of Disability Services Phone: 202-319-5211
Office of Student Accounts Phone: 1-800-787-0242
Questions? Contact: Martha Krichbaum, Transfer Coordinator (202)319-5114 krichbaum@cua.edu
Last Revised 19-Feb-08 11:54 AM.
