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Transferring Your Course Credits from an Online College to a Traditional Campus School

Transferring Your Course Credits from an Online College to a Traditional Campus School

transferring credits

People often worry that the credits earned from an online college are not easy to transfer to a campus type college.  However, this is not true.  While transferring and credit takes a bit of time and sufficient paperwork, it can be accomplished with a little information gained beforehand. 

A common scenario involves people completing an associate’s degree through an online college in order to move on to a campus college and complete a bachelor’s degree.  This can help people save time and money by taking advantage of the flexible and less expensive online classes.

And then there are people who for one reason or another did not have the proper requirements to gain admission to the first college that they chose.  Attending classes online and earning an associate’s degree gives them a much better chance of being accepted into numerous colleges when they are ready to transfer.

Map Out Your Classes

If you are confident that you will later transfer to another college then you have the luxury of picking the right classes now that will make the transition much easier.  By investigating the degree of your choice at the next school you can pick the classes at an online college now that will be of most good to you.

Keep in mind that just because a school accepts your credits from an online college it does not automatically count towards your desired degree.  Often times a core curriculum course, as in history or math, may not be accepted since schools have different guidelines for each course.

Another important point is that most traditional colleges do not allow students to transfer a large number of credits.  Most schools allow a maximum between 30 and 50 percent of credits to come via transfer.  Thus it will serve you well to choose the right classes now to prevent repeating any classes later on.

Get Help from an Admissions Counselor

An adviser can be of great use to you during the transfer process.  They can point out potential problems, help you choose the best courses and answer any questions that may arise during the whole transfer. 

You will likely be asked to complete a form that will determine if your classes and credits are eligible for transfer to the next school.  Often times this form can be found at the school’s website.  You should still contact the admissions department and ask for advice from one of the counselors.  This will greatly improve your odds of receiving credit for the work that you have already done.

It is also a good idea to ask about life experience.  Some schools will give credits to people based on experience they have in the work force.  This experience can be documented based certain licenses, certifications, classes that were completed on the job and other similar experiences that are related to the degree you are seeking.

Strategy for Transferring Credits

  • Do your best in every single online class.  Some schools will not accept a credit if you earn a grade below a B.  Classes that are pertinent to your chosen degree are looked at with even more scrutiny.
  • You have a small window of opportunity to finish your online classes, transfer to another college and then complete your degree.  If you do not finish your degree in the allotted time you will have to re-take some classes.
  • Research the school’s admission policies to find out if they accept credit transfers all year long or only during certain periods.
  • You should consider applying to more than one school for your final degree.  If one school does not accept all of your credits it is possible that another school will.
  • Make sure you attend online classes at an accredited online school.  Credits from unaccredited schools are not eligible for transfer to traditional colleges.