Transferring College Credits is Hugely Beneficial! Here is How it Works at UoPeople!
Updated: January 23, 2024
Published: December 18, 2018
If you’re a year or two into your college experience, but having second thoughts about your choice of university, you’re not alone. According to recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, over a third of American college students will transfer between institutions at least once. Maybe you’ve been feeling like you need a change, but aren’t sure where to go next or if they’ll even accept the credits you’ve already earned. Or maybe you started a degree years ago and now you’re ready to finish the race. Wherever you are in your academic journey, we can help. This blog will cover everything you need to know about college credits, how to transfer them, and how it can save you both time and money.
What are College Credits?
College credits can be thought of as the currency of academia, representing the workload of a given course. To put it in perspective, a standard 3-credit course typically requires around 9 hours of dedicated study time per week. Courses can vary in credit value, depending on their depth and complexity. If you’re looking to earn your bachelor’s degree, you’ll need somewhere between 120-130 credits. If you’ve earned credits from previous university-level courses, you might be able to take them with you and apply them to your degree progress at another school. In the next section, we’ll show you how.
What You Need to Know About Transferring Your Credits?
Speak with an Admissions Advisor
It’s a good idea to get in touch with an admissions advisor from the school you’re planning to transfer to. They’ll be able to give you the inside scoop on what courses are accepted and how to submit them for transfer. Even if you don’t think your courses qualify, just ask! You might be surprised.
Test Your Way Out
Sometimes you don’t even need to have taken a course to get credits applied at your new school. It’s not uncommon for universities to let you take a test to prove your knowledge and skip the course altogether. There are nationally recognized testing companies, like CLEP and DSST that offer tests on a number of subjects. The exams cost money, but it’s likely going to be a lot less than paying for the course itself.
Professional Experience and Military Service
Think outside of your traditional academic experience. Courses you took for work or unique professional experiences might be eligible for transfer, especially if they earned you a certificate. Even your time spent in military service might apply. It’s always best to ask!
Benefits of Transferring Credits
If you’re moving from one university to another, it’s worth the time and effort to see which of your credits will transfer. By transferring credits, you can potentially reduce tuition expenses and graduate earlier, saving both time and money. It’s essential, however, to carefully review and consider the credit transfer policies of your new school.
How Universities Handle Transfer Credits
Each university is going to handle transfer credits differently, so take the time to review their policies before applying. Most will ask you to send in your official transcripts from your previous university, some even require you to mail the physical transcript. In addition to transcripts, you may be asked to take a placement test proving you’re familiar with the core concepts of the course.
What Makes UoPeople a Transfer-Friendly College?
University of the People prides itself on making the transfer process as easy as possible for as many students as possible. We accept a significant number of transfer credits based on your chosen degree. And we don’t require endless complex forms or aptitude tests, and we even accept transfer credits from accredited non-U.S. institutions.
All you need to do is upload your transcripts and our team will do the work for you, letting you know which courses are accepted. You’ll usually get your free transfer report within 72 hours. Or you can check out this database of courses previously accepted by UoPeople and see if yours are listed. Don’t forget to send in your AP (advanced placement) classes from high school. We may be able to apply them to your UoPeople transcript.
Up to 50-75% of your degree’s progress can be transferred from other institutions.
Ready to Transfer?
Don’t spend another semester at a college that isn’t right for you. Continuing your degree at UoPeople has never been easier. Click here to get started today.
Note: During the month of October, UoPeople is celebrating transfer students with additional savings. Find out more at our upcoming webinar, on October 18th, 2 PM, ET.