Transfer & Entrance Credit

Transfer of Work Taken Elsewhere

Work Taken during High School

College-level courses taken elsewhere before matriculation at Duke may be considered for prematriculation credit provided they meet each of the following criteria:

was taken after the commencement of the junior year of high school
yielded a grade of B- or better
was not used to meet high school diploma requirements
was taken on the college campus in competition with degree candidates of the college
was taught by a regular member of the college faculty and part of the regular curriculum of the college
was not taken on a study abroad program completed before matriculation at Duke
was not a precalculus or English composition course

A 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credit for no more than two courses taken at another accredited four-year institution, whether in the summer, while withdrawn from Trinity, or while on leave of absence for personal, medical, or financial reasons.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 No credit will be accepted for coursework taken while a Duke student is withdrawn involuntarily.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.

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.

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, except 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.

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, towards the 34 credits required to graduate. 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. For questions about transfer credit for transfer students that have been offered admission to Duke, email transferstudents@duke.edu.

Transfer Credit and the Foreign Language Requirement

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, and 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.

Entrance Credit & Placement

A limited amount of elective course credit may be awarded in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences on the basis of precollege examination and/or credits earned of the following three types: Advanced Placement (AP), international placement credit (IPC), and prematriculation college credit. Trinity College will record on students’ permanent Duke records courses of these three types completed prior to their matriculation at Duke. The three types of precollege work are regarded as equivalent and may be used for placement into higher-level coursework and to satisfy departmental major and minor requirements at Duke to the extent allowed by the individual departments.

Additionally, Trinity College students may be granted up to two elective course credits toward the degree requirement of 34.0 course credits for any combination of AP, IPC, or prematriculation credits.

AP, IPC, and prematriculation credits may not be used to satisfy Areas of Knowledge or Modes of Inquiry.

Up to six additional credits may be awarded for acceleration toward the degree. Acceleration is defined as completing the requirements for the bachelor’s degree one or two semesters earlier than the original expected graduation date. Specifically, the two electives, as well as up to two acceleration credits, may be included in the graduation total for students graduating in seven consecutive semesters. The two elective credits, as well as up to six acceleration credits, may be included in the graduation total for students graduating in six consecutive semesters. Students may not use acceleration credits in order to compensate for time taken away from their studies due to a leave of absence, voluntary or involuntary withdrawal from the university, or a period of practice-oriented education that does not include credit-bearing coursework taken to satisfy graduation requirements.

The Pratt School of Engineering evaluates AP and IPC credits as Trinity College does. These courses, with limitations, may be used to satisfy general education requirements toward the BSE degree. The criteria for evaluating such work are the same as in Trinity College (see the section Work Taken during High School above).

Forfeiture of Precollege Credit Awarded

Students who successfully complete a course at Duke for which they received precollege credit may not use that or any higher precollege credit in that subject to satisfy degree requirements. The precollege work will remain on the Duke transcript. A Trinity College student who enrolls in a course for which precollege credit was awarded and who subsequently fails or withdraws from the course after the Drop/Add deadline will be allowed to apply the precollege credit toward graduation requirements according to the policy governing use of such credits (see above). A Pratt School of Engineering student enrolled in a course for which precollege credit was awarded and who subsequently fails or withdraws from the course after the Drop/Add period will not be allowed to use the precollege credit nor any higher credit in that subject to satisfying degree requirements.

College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) Examinations

A score of four or five on College Board Advanced Placement Program Examinations, taken prior to matriculation in college, is the basis for consideration of placement in advanced courses in some departments. Departmental policies regarding Advanced Placement may vary. Approval of the director of undergraduate studies or supervisor of first-year instruction in the appropriate department is required before final placement is made. Scores must be submitted directly from the appropriate testing service to the Office of the University Registrar.

Advanced Placement courses completed with a score of four or five will be recorded on a student’s permanent Duke record. Students may use all of these courses for placement into higher-level courses and to satisfy departmental major and minor requirements at Duke to the extent allowed by individual departments.

International Placement Credit (IPC)

Duke University recognizes the International Baccalaureate Program; the French Baccalaureate; the British, Hong Kong, or Singapore A-Level Examinations; the Cambridge pre-U; the Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination; the German Abitur; the Swiss Federal Maturity Certificate; the All India Senior School Certificate Examination; the Indian School Certificate examination; and the Israeli Matriculation Certificate. Scores acceptable for consideration are determined by the faculty and evaluated by the university registrar. Course equivalents for these programs may be recorded on a student’s permanent Duke record for placement and credit according to the same policy governing the use of AP and prematriculation credits (see above).

Placement

For information about placement, students should refer to the placement guidelines on the website of the relevant department, or consult with the relevant program director. Information about mathematics placement is available here, and information about physics placement is available here.

Placement in Languages. Students may consult the placement guidelines linked below for information about placement in French, German, Latin, and Spanish.

In French and Spanish, students must receive permission from the relevant language program director to enroll in a course one level below their placement. Without permission, no credit will be allowed for courses two levels below the achievement score. No credit will be given for French 101 or Spanish 101 to students who have completed more than two years of French or Spanish in high school without permission from the relevant language program director.

Students who wish to continue in any language other than French, German, Latin, or Spanish should consult with the appropriate director of undergraduate studies or language coordinators. In the case of Russian, Polish, and Turkish, the department offers a written examination and oral interview, which are used in conjunction with other criteria for placing students at the appropriate level.