Transfer of Work Taken Elsewhere

Work Taken during High School

College-level courses taken elsewhere prior to matriculation at Duke may be considered for prematriculation credit provided they meet each of the following criteria: were taken after the commencement of the junior year of high school and yielded a grade of B- or better, not used to meet high school diploma requirements, taken on the college campus, taken in competition with degree candidates of the college, taught by a regular member of the college faculty, part of the regular curriculum of the college, not taken on a study abroad program completed prior to matriculation at Duke, and not precalculus or English composition courses. Formal review of courses meeting these criteria will proceed after an official transcript of all college courses taken and documentation pertaining to these criteria are received by the university registrar. (See also the section on entrance credit on this page for a discussion of the number of prematriculation credits that can transfer and how they may be used at Duke.)

Work Taken after Matriculation at Duke

After matriculation as a full-time degree-seeking student at Duke, a student in Trinity College may receive transfer credit for no more than two courses taken at another accredited four-year institution, whether in the summer, while withdrawn from Trinity, or while on leave of absence for personal, medical, or financial reasons. A student in the Pratt School of Engineering is limited to four of these types of transfer courses. In cases that involve transferring study abroad credit, a student in Trinity or Pratt may transfer up to four credits for a semester or eight credits for a full year, plus two for a summer. In no instance, however, may a student transfer more than ten courses when combining study abroad and the allowable number of transfer courses. No credit will be accepted for coursework taken while a Duke student is withdrawn involuntarily.

Only those courses taken in which grades of C- or better have been earned are acceptable for transfer credit; courses taken at other institutions with P/F grading or the equivalent are not accepted for transfer credit. The course credit unit of credit awarded at Duke for satisfactorily completed courses cannot be directly equated with semester-hour or quarter-hour credits. Credit equivalency is determined by the university registrar. Courses for which there is no equivalent at Duke may be given a 100 or a 300 number, lower to upper level. All courses approved for transfer are listed on the student’s permanent record at Duke, but grades earned are not recorded. Once the limit of transferred credit has been reached, no additional transferred work will be displayed on the record or used as a substitute for a previously transferred course. Further information is available from the university registrar.

Courses taken at other institutions that, upon evaluation, yield transfer credit at Duke may be given Areas of Knowledge but not Modes of Inquiry. (The same is true of courses taken as a part of a study abroad program, with the exception of the FL Mode of Inquiry, for which students may apply upon completion of the course). They could count toward the major, minor, or certificate if approved by the relevant academic unit. For purposes of this regulation, interinstitutional credits (see the section Agreements with Other Universities in the Duke University Bulletin) are not considered as work taken at another institution.

At least half of the courses submitted toward fulfillment of a student’s major field must be taken at Duke, but departments may make exceptions to this rule in special circumstances. No credit is given for work completed by correspondence, and courses taken online are not eligible for transfer credit. Credit for not more than 2.0 course credits is allowed for extension courses.

Approval forms for Duke students taking courses at institutions other than Duke may be obtained online or from the offices of the academic deans. Students wishing to transfer credit for study at another accredited college while on leave or during the summer must present a catalog of that college to the appropriate dean and director of undergraduate studies and obtain their approval prior to taking the courses. Students wishing to receive the FL Mode of Inquiry code for transfer coursework taken in study abroad must apply for the FL code using the Transfer Course FL Mode of Inquiry Request Form available at trinity.duke.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies/transfer-credit.

Transfer Credit for Students Transferring to Duke

Students transferring from a degree program in another accredited institution may be granted credit for up to 17.0 course credits. Courses accepted for transfer in this circumstance may be given, upon evaluation, Areas of Knowledge and Modes of Inquiry codes. They may count toward a major, minor, or certificate program if approved by the relevant academic unit. See the section above for information on the evaluation of courses for transfer and the limitation on transfer courses for the major.

Transfer Credit and the Foreign Language Requirement

The same rules that apply to the transferring of courses to meet other curriculum requirements apply to foreign language courses. Foreign language courses taken elsewhere and approved for transfer as credit to Duke may be used for language placement. Students who request placement on the basis of non-Duke courses will be required to show their work (including books, syllabus, writing samples, exams) to the director of undergraduate studies in the department of that language, and/or to pass an in-house proficiency exam appropriate to the level.