Online Colleges That Accept Transfer Credits
If you’re thinking about switching to another university, you are not alone. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 13.2% of students transferred colleges in 2023, up from 12.5% in 2022 —a growth of 5.3%.
Transferring from one college to another isn’t always easy. Every school sets its own policies regarding prerequisites, credit acceptance, and degree recognition.
The good news is that transferring between colleges has become increasingly commonplace, especially if you’re transitioning from a traditional in-person program to an online college. The best online colleges have simplified the transfer process to accommodate the growing number of aspiring transfer students.
Use our guide below to explore how transfer credits work and discover a few of the many online colleges that accept maximum transfer credits.
Do Online Colleges Accept Transfer Credits?
Yes! Most accredited online colleges accept transfer credits. Many online colleges operate on the premise that they are serving busy nontraditional students who may have prior educational experience and even prior college degrees.
This is why most online colleges allow students to transfer college credits. You just have to meet a few basic criteria first.
How to Know if Your College Credits Are Transferable: 4 Key Criteria Points
Transferring college credits is a common practice. However, not all credits are created equal. While many online schools accept transfer credits, they have standards for which credits they can accept.
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Accreditation
Accredited online schools typically only accept transfer credits from other regionally accredited institutions. Regional accrediting agencies, such as the Higher Learning Commission and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, provide accreditation to schools within their geographic region.
National accrediting agencies, such as the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, offer accreditation to specific kinds of schools. While some nationally accredited schools provide quality educational programs, credits from nationally accredited schools are usually much more difficult to transfer to another institution.
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Academic Record
Your GPA also plays into whether your new school will accept your credits. Generally speaking, you need at least a 2.0 (C average) for your credits to count. Although some schools will evaluate a D on a case-by-case basis, you typically need a C or higher in each course you want to transfer.
Pass-fail courses may also require additional steps for approval to transfer. If you have questions about how your academic record could affect your transfer options, check with your registrar’s office.
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Two-Year Degree
It’s also important to remember that transferring an entire two-year degree, like an associate degree, is generally easier than a handful of loose credits. However, the credits from your associate degree may need to be relevant to your online bachelor’s degree program in order to transfer.
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Articulation Agreements
Some community colleges and universities have articulation agreements that allow you to complete your first two years of study at a community college before seamlessly transferring your credits to a four-year university, where you can complete your bachelor’s degree program. The process may be as simple as completing a certain amount of general education credits and maintaining a minimum GPA.
How Many Credits Can You Transfer?
Most schools that accept transfer credits set a cap of 90 credits on what can be applied toward a degree. In other words, you may find that not all your credits count toward your graduation requirements. For example, your new school may require upper-level courses that your previous school did not offer.
There is also a minimum number of credits you must earn to be considered a transfer student. This number varies by school. A college could require a minimum of 12-30 transfer credits. If you have less than the minimum, you will likely be treated as a new student rather than as a transfer student.
How to Transfer the Most College Credits
Typically, degree completion programs provide the most flexible transfer options. Often, these programs accept 90 transfer credits, letting you complete your bachelor’s degree program in one year or less. However, most schools only let you transfer credits from accredited institutions where you earned a minimum 2.0 GPA or higher.
Check transfer policies at the schools you are considering before you make a final decision. Getting a firm answer from your admissions counselor about which courses will transfer and how they will count toward your graduation requirements is best.
8 Online Colleges That Accept Max Transfer Credits
There are many online schools that have generous transfer credit policies. Depending on how many of your transfer credits are accepted, you could graduate in as little as a year. The schools below are just a few examples of the many online schools with maximum transfer credit policies.
| Colleges and Universities | Max Transfer Credits (Bachelor’s) | Max Transfer Credits (Master’s) | Minimum Grade Required (Credit for Undergrad Courses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University Online | 64* (Up to 90) | 12 | C- |
| Charter Oak State College | 87 | 6 | D- |
| Excelsior College | 113 | 15 | C- |
| Franklin University | 94 | 12 | D |
| Purdue University Global | 90 | 30 | C- |
| Southern New Hampshire University | 90 | 12 | C- |
| University of Phoenix | 87 | 9 | C- |
| Western Governors University | 90 | Varies by degree | C- |
How to Transfer Credits From One College to Another: 5 Key Steps
If you’re transferring from an accredited community college or four-year school, most accredited online colleges will accept your previously earned credits. The process can be a bit tricky, so we’ve broken it down into five easy steps to help walk you through it.
- Contact Your Prospective School: Contact the office of the registrar or admissions office to confirm that the school accepts transfer credits and ask about specific credit transfer requirements.
- Apply to the School: Once you’ve confirmed the school accepts transfer credits, you’ll need to apply and follow the transfer student application process.
- Gather Your Transcripts and Required Documents: Upon acceptance, you’ll need to gather or contact your previous schools to request official transcripts and any other required documents.
- Submit Your Transcripts and Paperwork for Credit Evaluation: Many colleges let you submit your transcripts and paperwork online to estimate transfer credits. Finalizing credits typically takes around four weeks.
- Review Your Credit Evaluation: Once your evaluation is finalized, review the credits your school has accepted. If the results don’t meet your expectations, consider applying to other programs to see if they accept more transfer credits.
How Financial Aid Works for Transfer Students
Transferring schools can affect your financial aid package. Scholarships, grants, and loans don’t always transfer with you. If you qualified for federal aid at your old school, chances are you will still qualify at your new school, but that’s not automatic. You need to follow a specific process.
Federal Aid
If you transfer at the school year’s end, you must complete exit counseling at your old school and entrance counseling at your new school. You also have to add your new college to your FAFSA. Transferring midyear means adding the new school to your FAFSA when you transfer.
Private and College-Specific Aid
You should also contact your new institution about private aid, such as scholarships. Whatever scholarships your old school awarded to you will not transfer, but your new college may offer other scholarships that could help replace that funding.
Other private funds may or may not follow you to your new school. Talk to your financial aid specialist at both schools to ensure you aren’t missing critical steps.
Do Transfer Credits Affect GPA?
A perk of transferring colleges is that while you will transfer college credits, you won’t transfer your GPA. Yes, your GPA is used to help determine your admission eligibility, but after being accepted to the new school, your GPA becomes a blank slate.
What ultimately counts is your GPA at the institution from which you graduate. This factor makes community college programs particularly attractive. It’s no secret that community colleges allow you to complete general education courses at a reduced cost, but they also allow you to get a few difficult courses out of the way.
For example, if you want to enter a sociology program but dread college algebra, earn your math credits at an accredited community college. As long as you get a C or better, your credits should transfer, and your GPA won’t take a hit in the end.
Transferring credits from community college to a university can be a great way to ensure your final GPA at graduation reflects your knowledge and skills in your area of study, not your struggles in outside fields or unrelated prerequisites.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Schools That Accept Transfer Credits
You may want to transfer if your current school does not offer the major you want or if you have personal reasons for wanting to go to school elsewhere.
Transferring colleges can be the right choice, but you should consider all the pros and cons, talk to your new school’s admissions team, and seek advice from a career counselor before taking this step.
