Transfer Credit

Whether you’re planning to transfer to UA from another school or a currently enrolled UA student, here’s how to transfer in the credits you’ve earned elsewhere.

All Students

How course credits are evaluated

Whether you are a current UA student taking courses over the summer or a transfer student recently admitted to the University, if you are enrolled in a major within the College of Arts and Sciences, any courses you’ve taken at other institutions will be evaluated by A&S.

For information about how specific courses taken elsewhere might apply to UA requirements, visit the transfer credit page of the University Registrar’s website. If you have questions about how courses might apply to your major requirements, contact the A&S Student Services Center.

Transfer credit and your GPA

Does transfer work affect your grade point average? Yes … and no.

We tend to think of GPA as a single number, but there are actually three grade point averages in play:

  • Overall GPA: the grade point average for all coursework you complete at any institution of higher education, anywhere (i.e., not only UA)
  • UA GPA: the grade point average for all coursework you complete at The University of Alabama
  • Major GPA: the grade point average earned for coursework completed for your major program of study (if you have a minor, you also have a minor GPA)

Courses you transfer in from another school will affect your overall GPA, but not your UA GPA. Whether they affect your major GPA depends on whether your department accepts transfer credit toward major requirements. Students sometimes take classes elsewhere to boost their overall GPAs, which is OK. But in order to graduate, they must still earn at least a 2.0 average in courses taken at the University.

Future A&S Students

What you need to know when transferring to UA from another univeristy

If you are or have been enrolled at another university and want to transfer to a program at The University of Alabama, you must first apply for admission to the University.

If you are planning to transfer to The University of Alabama from a junior or community college in Alabama, you will need to know the junior or community college equivalents to the College’s courses. STARS (the Statewide Transfer Articulation and Reporting System) facilitates the process of moving from Alabama state schools to UA. Learn more by reviewing the University Registrar’s transfer credit page, the STARS website, and the College of Arts and Sciences’ STARS Area V requirements.

As part of the application process, you’ll have each collegiate institution you’ve attended send a transcript to the UA Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the UA registrar. If you are admitted to the University, those transcripts will then be evaluated by the College of Arts and Sciences to determine how the course credits you’ve earned apply to UA degree requirements and your chosen major. You will receive a copy of this evaluation, and the results will also appear in DegreeWorks.

For more information about how courses taken elsewhere might apply to UA requirements, visit the transfer credit page of the University Registrar’s website.

Current A&S Students

How to transfer credit earned elsewhere to UA

The A&S Student Services Center strongly advises that you seek approval for any course you plan to take at another school before enrolling in it. It’s possible the course won’t translate into UA credit, or that the course actually duplicates work you’ve already completed, so it’s best to check with your advisor and the Registrar’s office before taking courses elsewhere. In the case of duplication, you’ll lose the credit and grade earned the first time you took the course.

Whether you are seeking permission to take a specific course at another school or credit for a course already completed, the process is the same: log in to myBama to complete a letter of transiency (found under the Student tab). The letter of transiency is essentially a contract between you and the University granting you permission to take the course elsewhere. After you complete the course, remember to request that a transcript be sent to the UA registrar so that you will receive credit.

For more information, visit the transfer credit site or contact the UA registrar.