Transfer Credit

Regulations and procedures for transfer credit vary depending on student level.

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students may transfer credit that is earned from a regionally accredited institution. Credit is not accepted for developmental coursework or coursework receiving a failing grade. Transfer credit evaluations are completed when a student has been admitted to National-Louis University and all required official transcripts for previously attended institutions have been received.

National Louis University has several transfer guides for community college students who are seeking to complete their Bachelor's degree. Students may view our updated transfer guides page to obtain information on how their credit will transfer to National-Louis University programs. Community college students matriculating from a college that does not have a transfer guide listed should contact their enrollment representative for transfer credit information.

Graduate Students

In general, National-Louis University permits the transfer of graduate-level credit into graduate degree program from other accredited institutions.

Students wishing to transfer credit must submit to the Office of the Registrar a Graduate Request for Transfer Credit form (available at the bottom of this web page) along with an official transcript reflecting the credit to be transferred. After verifying that the credit meets University standards, the Office of the Registrar sends the request to the student's advisor.

The student's advisor determines the suitability of the transferred course into the student's program of study. After the advisor gives approval, the request is forwarded to the Dean's Office (National College of Education) or the Program Director (College of Arts & Sciences, College of Management & Business) for approval.

Once all of the necessary approval signatures have been obtained, the Office of the Registrar posts the transfer credit to the student's official transcript.

Before any transfer credit can be accepted, the following minimum conditions must be met:

• Students in the National College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences must be admitted before submitting a request for transfer credit. In the College of Management & Business, the request for transfer credit must be submitted at the time application for admission is made.
• The credit must be bona fide (actual) credit from a graduate-level course taken at an accredited institution that would accept the credit for a graduate-level degree. (Accredited institutions are those approved by one of the regional accreditation associations, e.g. The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, or by some of the agencies recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Education, e.g. the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.)
• The course must not have been towards another degree.
• The student must have received a grade of "B" or better in the course. If the student has received any type of grade other than a traditional letter grade, a letter is required from the Registrar of the institution where the course was taken verifying that the grade is equivalent to at least a "B."
• An official transcript from the institution where the course was taken must be submitted.
• Quarter hours are converted to semester hours.
• Transfer credit from institutions outside the United States must be submitted to an approved outside agency for evaluation. These agencies translate and interpret the transcript according to American university standards. The interpretation of the outside agency, along with the original transcript, is then submitted to the Registrar for processing. A list of these approved agencies is available here.

In addition to the above requirements, each of the colleges have their own transfer credit restrictions.

National College of Education

Upon the approval of the faculty advisor and the appropriate graduate school administrator, a maximum of six semester hours of graduate credit toward a master's degree may be transferred from another institution. A maximum of six semester hours of post-master's degree course work may be transferred into the Educational Specialist degree. A maximum of one-third of post-master's degree course work may be transferred into the required semester hours of the Certificate of Advanced Study. This must be graduate work for which a degree was not awarded.

• Transferred credits are included in the number of maximum credits allowed for off-campus work.
• Transfer credit must be bona fide graduate credit that would have fulfilledgraduate degree requirements in the institution at which it was offered and courses must have been taken within the time limits of the degree program.
• Transferred credit may not be substituted for core courses.
• Courses can be transferred at any time after admission until finalization of the degree.
• Transferred credits are included in the number of maximum credits allowed for off-campus work.
• The institution where the credit to be transferred originates must be approved by a regional accreditation association.
• For graduate degrees, there is a six-year limit between the first course and the last course used for the degree, including any transfer credit. (Graduate degrees include the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.), Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.), and Educational Specialist (Ed.S.).
• Transfer credit is limited to six semester hours of graduate credit for those pursuing the M.S.Ed., M.Ed., or M.A.T degrees.
• Those who are pursuing an Ed.S. degree may transfer a maximum of six semester hours of post-Master's degree coursework.
• Up to a third of the C.A.S. degree candidate's required hours can be post-Master's degree transfer credit.
• Doctoral students (Ed.D.) can bring up to twelve hours of post-Master's degree courses taken before admission into the program. However, this includes courses taken at National-Louis University.
• Doctoral candidates have eight years to complete their degree.
• Students can petition the Admissions and Retention Council for approval of transfer credit beyond the number allowed by their program.

College of Arts & Sciences

Graduate hours completed in a regionally accredited institution that offers graduate degrees may be transferred into a graduate program at National-Louis University (NLU) unless departmental or other institutional regulations prevent it. Such institutions are those approved by one of the regional accreditation associations recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The number of credit hours that may be transferred is determined on an individual basis. For those graduate programs which accept transfer credit, a maximum of nine semester hours or 25% of the coursework required for the degree, whichever is greater, may be transferred. The following criteria apply to the transfer of credit:

• Credit must be bona fide graduate credit that would have fulfilled graduate degree requirements at the institution where the course was offered.
• It must not have been used toward an awarded degree.
• It may be graduate work completed at another institution after admission to National-Louis University.
• The maximum number of hours that can be transferred is the greater of nine semester hours or 25% of the credit hours for the degree.
• Departmental rules may further limit this number.
• These courses must have been taken within six years of admission and meet all university requirements for transfer courses.
• Courses can be transferred at any time while the student is pursuing a degree.
• Exceptions to these rules may be appealed to the Academic Standards Council of the College of Arts and Sciences. Petitions must be presented to the Council by the student's advisor.

Ordinarily, credit earned more than six calendar years before admission to National-Louis University is not transferred. Transfer of credit must be approved by the advisor and program director after verification of level and school accreditation by the Registrar's Office. Courses with a grade below B cannot be used for transfer credit.

College of Management & Business

Graduate hours completed at an accredited institution that offers graduate degrees may be transferred into College of Management and Business graduate programs. Such institutions are either approved by one of the regional accreditation associations or agencies recognized by the Council on Recognition of Postsecondary Education. The number of credit hours that may be transferred is determined on an individual basis. No transfer is automatic. A maximum of nine semester hours may be transferred. The following criteria apply to transfer credit:

• The transferred course must have been bona fide graduate credit that would have fulfilled graduate degree requirements at the institution at which the course was taken.
• The credit must not have been used toward a degree which was awarded.
• The credit may be for graduate work completed at National-Louis University or elsewhere for which a degree was not awarded.
• Credit earned more than six calendar years before graduate admission is not transferable.
• Courses with a grade below B cannot be used for transfer credit. A "Pass" grade for a completed pass/fail graduate course is acceptable.
• Transfer credit may be prohibited or limited in certain academic programs.

Students must petition for transfer of credit at the time of application for admission. This petition must include a transcript showing satisfactory completion of the course and such supportive evidence as may be needed to establish relevance of content to the student's degree program. Transfer of credit will be approved by the appropriate local program administrator pending verification of the graduate course level and institutional accreditation by the Registrar's office.

Student Adjustment Form

Student Adjustment Form