Transfer Credit

Current Lawrence students may incorporate work taken at other institutions for credit towards their Lawrence degree. To do so, approval by the Faculty Subcommittee on Administration (preferably in advance of enrolling in another program) is required. It is greatly to your advantage to know in advance that the credits you earn will be applicable to your degree. Not all courses or programs of study offered by other institutions will be accepted for credit at Lawrence.

Students who will attend a Lawrence affiliated off-campus program (those listed in the current course catalog) do not need to petition for transfer credit. Credit for these programs will be automatically transferred to a student's record when the Registrar's Office receives a grade report from the program.

New transfer students do not need to petition for transfer credit from their former institution. The registrar will provide transfer students with an evaluation of their previous work which will describe the courses accepted and the requirements to be completed in order to earn a degree from Lawrence.

1. Procure catalogs or summer school bulletins from the schools you are interested in attending. It is recommended that you try to obtain a syllabus for each course you are considering. At the very least, you must submit a description for each course you wish to be approved.
   
2. Obtain a petition form(s) for the faculty subcommittee on administration. These are available in the registrar's office, academic building offices, and from the dean of student academic services.
   
3. Your petition statement should indicate you are petitioning for transfer credit and include the specific course (title, number, department, program if appropriate, and institution) for which you are seeking approval. If you wish the credit to fulfill a particular general education requirement, state that as well. Use the remarks section to indicate the amount of course credit in semester or quarter hours awarded by the institution/program for completion of the course, and when you intend to complete it. If the course will be taken during a summer session, please indicate the number of weeks in the session and the number of hours of participation (class, laboratory, field, or studio). Usually no more than two courses will be approved for six or eight week sessions.

4. Attach the course description, and syllabus if you have one, to the petition form and:
   • obtain your adviser(s) comments and signature,
   • obtain the comments and signature of the chair of the department in which the course would be given if the course were offered at Lawrence.
     
5. Submit the completed petition form to the registrar or to the dean of student academic services for review by the Faculty Subcommittee on Administration. You will be notified by memorandum of the action taken by the subcommittee. The subcommittee generally meets once a week when classes are in session.

Upon completion of the course or program, you must have an official transcript of your work sent to the registrar before credit can be awarded. Transfer credit is normally awarded on the basis of 3-1/3 semester, or 5 quarter, hours for 6 Lawrence units. For example, 3 semester hours are equivalent to 5 Lawrence units. Only courses in which you earn a grade of "C-" or better will be awarded credit. If you take a course on an "S/U" or "pass/fail" basis, the registrar must be able to verify that you earned an equivalent grade of "C-" or better before the course can be accepted for credit. The grade(s) you earn will be used in the computation of your composite grade point average. Application of transfer course credits to major requirements is determined by the appropriate academic department.

IF you are a senior within three terms of completing your degree and have not yet completed your major requirements, you must petition the faculty subcommittee on administration for a waiver of the senior residency requirement.

IF you are a senior and intend to complete your degree at the end of the term in which you will be off campus, please check with the registrar regarding the deadline for receipt of an official transcript of your work.

IF you are receiving financial aid from Lawrence, you should inquire about the availability of financial assistance from the program/institution you plan to attend. Lawrence does not provide financial aid to students attending non-Lawrence programs.

Revised 10-Sep-03

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