Undergraduate Transfer Credit

The Office of the Registrar’s goal is to provide incoming and continuing students accurate information about our transfer credit evaluation policies and procedures. Our office oversees the transfer credit evaluation process for undergraduate students admitted to the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Elliott School of International Affairs, and the Milken Institute School of Public Health to determine the acceptability of courses and awarding of George Washington University credit and course equivalency to students.

Students admitted to other schools should contact their admission office for further information.

All domestic transfer credit must have been taken at a regionally-accredited institution. International transfer credit must have been taken at an institution recognized by the country's Ministry of Education.

Incoming Students

We recognize that many of our students have taken dual-enrollment or other college courses prior to enrollment at George Washington University. We encourage you to have your time and effort awarded with credit at GW. Our review and evaluation are on a course-by-course basis. Generally, courses that are similar in level, content, and learning outcomes to existing GW courses will transfer; provided the student has received a letter grade of C- or higher (or international equivalent).

George Washington University does not award transfer credit for:

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or institutional exams or waivers for credit
Physical education activities
the Joint Services Transcript (JST) to undergraduate students admitted to the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Elliott School of International Affairs, or the Milken Institute School of Public Health. Students admitted to other schools should contact their admissions office to inquire about JST credit.

George Washington University does not award transfer credit upon initial evaluation* for:

Internship, externship, co-op, shadowing, practicum, or other external work experiences
Courses that are non-academic in nature (college transition, study skills, etc)
Mathematics courses below the Calculus level

* Note: Students may petition to have transfer credit awarded with proper documentation. Please contact your academic advising office for information regarding this process.

A course that is approved for transfer, will be awarded credit using one of the three following criteria:

A direct equivalency to a George Washington University course
No direct course equivalency, but awarded credit in a relevant subject area
No direct course equivalency, but awarded general elective GW credit

While there is no limit to the number of credits a student may be awarded transfer credit for prior to attending George Washington University, please remember that a student must complete 60 credits to meet the residency requirement at GW. We believe students should contact their advisor early and often to determine how to apply their transferred credits and create an academic plan.

Students who have been offered admission should have their official college transcripts sent to our office in the following ways:

Hard copy paper transcripts should be sent directly from the institution to:

George Washington University
Office of the Registrar
44983 Knoll Square, Suite 260
Ashburn, VA 20147

You may request an electronic copy of your transcript to be sent to:

[email protected]

School-specific transfer of credit for transfer applicants can be found in the University Bulletin under Assignment of Credit for Transfer Students.

External undergraduate transfer students will receive a Transfer Credit Worksheet as part of the admissions process. See the university bulletin section on Assignment of Credit for Transfer Students for more information.

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and International Exam Credit

George Washington University accepts many domestic and international exams for credit. You may apply up to 24 credits earned through exams. If you have earned over 24 credits, you should work with your advisor to determine which credits, up to the limit, you wish to apply toward your degree.

For information regarding AP, IB, and A-Level exams for credit, please see the University Bulletin. Please see below for a list of international exams that are accepted.

Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)
- Awarded for full AICE credit subjects
- 6-8 credits per subject
- Please have your official scores sent to our office from the exam board.
Cambridge Pre-U
- Principal subjects only
- Short Course results are not accepted
- Minimum grade of Merit 3 (M3) is required for credit
Canada: CEGEP (second year)
Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE)
- Credit only accepted for Unit 2 exam results
- Minimum result of III (Three)
Denmark: Studentereksamen
France: Baccalaureat
- Awarded for subjects which carry a coefficient of 4 or higher and a minimum Note of 10
- For French language: combined coefficient of oral and written exams is four or higher, along with a Note of 10 or higher in both sections
- Up to 8 credits per subject
- Please have your secondary school send your official Baccalaureat transcript to our office with an official English language translation
Germany: Abitur
- Minimum score of 10 (gut) required for credit
Iceland: Studentsprof
Italy: Diploma di Maturita
- Maximum 15 credits awarded
Switzerland: Federal Maturity Certificate
Taiwan
- Graduate from 5 or 6 year junior college may receive 1-2 years of credit
United Kingdom: Advanced Level (A-Level)
- Minimum grade of C
- Up to 6-8 credits awarded per subject
- Please be sure your official certificates are sent in with your final secondary school transcript or have your official certificates sent to our office from the exam board.

As international exam scores, including IB scores, are not automatically reported to us, it is up to the student to contact our office at [email protected] if they wish to have credit awarded for exam scores. Please have an official translation sent along with your final score report.

Current Students

The following policies apply to all current students:

You must have prior department approval for a course to transfer back to George Washington.
You are only allowed to transfer nine credits or three courses (up to a maximum of 12 credits) from institutions outside of GW once you have started your studies at GW. This is a rule that applies to credits obtained from foreign institutions as well as domestic institutions.
Post-Matriculation transfer credit will not apply toward general education requirements.

Undergraduate students who wish to take courses outside of GW will use a Transfer Credit Approval form. You must receive prior approval in order to transfer the credits. The appropriate GW academic department must specify a GW equivalent course and your Advising Office and/or Dean's Office must approve the taking of the course for the transfer of academic credit. Please submit the faculty-signed Transfer Credit Approval form to your academic advising office. Your advising office has final approval of your form and will then send it to the Office of the Registrar; the form is not accepted by our office directly from students.

In order for approval to be granted for courses taken elsewhere, students must satisfy the residency requirements of the University and their home school as outlined in the University Bulletin. Students should speak with their academic advisor if they need clarification on these residency requirements.

Courses must be taken for a letter grade. Transfer credit is awarded for final grades of C- or better (or international equivalent). The grade earned does not appear on your transcript and is not included in the calculation of your GPA. Only the credits transfer to your GW academic record.

Courses taken at domestic institutions following a quarter or trimester calendar will be converted to semester credit (i.e., 3 quarter credits = 2 semester credits). Students are responsible for knowing whether their school follows a quarter/trimester or semester calendar. International institutions will have their credits converted to equivalent domestic semester credits. Students may contact our office to receive information on how equivalent credits are calculated.

You may not be awarded transfer credit for a GW course previously completed with a passing grade (except for designated courses with specific departmental approval).

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that an official transcript is sent from the outside institution to the Office of the Registrar following the successful completion of the course:

Hard copy paper transcripts should sent directly from the institution to:

George Washington University
Office of the Registrar
44983 Knoll Square, Suite 260
Ashburn, VA 20147

You may request an electronic copy of your transcript to be sent to:

[email protected]

Study Away or Study Abroad

Study Away is the completion of courses outside the US & Canada, independent of an official GW-sponsored Study Abroad program coordinated by the Office for Study Abroad. Study Away courses are eligible to transfer as post-matriculation transfer credit. Study Away credit will require a Transfer Credit Approval form and follow those policies outlined above.

Study Abroad courses are coordinated through the Office for Study Abroad. Up to 36 credits may be earned through GW-approved Study Abroad. All credit earned through GW-approved Study Abroad is processed by the Office for Study Abroad.