Education
Getting a transfer credit decision in writing
How much previous study counts is decided by the receiving institution and varies more than anyone expects.
Credit transfer is decided by the institution receiving you, against its own requirements. Two schools can evaluate the same transcript very differently, and accreditation type is often the reason — credit from an institution accredited by a body the receiving school does not recognise frequently does not transfer at all.
The answer changes both the length and the cost of what is in front of you, which makes it a decision input rather than an administrative detail to sort out later. A verbal 'most of it should transfer' is not something you can plan against.
Ask for a written credit evaluation before enrolling. Many institutions will do a preliminary one from an unofficial transcript, and some states have articulation agreements that commit to specified transfers between public institutions.
Where credit does not transfer, ask whether credit for prior learning is available by examination or portfolio, which is a different route to the same reduction in time.
What to do next. Get a written credit evaluation from each institution before you enrol, not after.
studentaid.gov outranks this page. Rules, figures and dates change
between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
Nothing here is a determination. We cannot tell you what you qualify
for, and no website can. The programme and the office that runs it decide that, after
you apply.
Still have a question?
Describe what you are trying to work out and a member of the team will answer, or direct you to the office that makes the decision.