Transfer Credit Guidelines for New Undergraduate Students

When planning your move to SMU, it will help to keep the following transfer guidelines in mind:

  • University policy requires that of the 122 minimum required term hours for a degree, at least 60 hours must be earned in residence at SMU. Therefore, regardless of the number of transferable credits completed elsewhere, to receive an SMU degree you will need to earn 60 credit hours in residence at SMU. All students must also complete the General Education Curriculum requirements of SMU in order to earn an undergraduate degree at the University.

  • Official college transcripts are required for ALL college-level work attempted, regardless of transferability.

  • How will my credits transfer to SMU? - Transfer Equivalency Guides will help you see what courses may transfer to SMU from other schools. General Education Curriculum guides for Dallas County Community College District, Tarrant County College and Collin College will also help you determine which of your courses may be applied to the General Education Curriculum.

    Note:  These General Education Curriculum guides are for the use of students transferring to SMU with 30 or more hours prior to the fall 2014 semester.  First-year students entering in fall 2012 and after, and first-year transfer students entering in spring 2013 and after, should NOT use these guides as they will follow the new University Curriculum.
     

  • Courses that do NOT transfer to SMU include the following:

    • Courses below college level (e.g., Developmental English, Math and Reading courses; ESL courses)

    • Vocational -Technical courses

    • PE activity courses in excess of two hours

    • Correspondence courses

    • Courses completed at a school that is not regionally accredited

    • Courses with a grade below a "C-" (Note: Although the course is non-transferable, the grade received below a C- will count towards a student’s admission eligibility and is calculated into his/her all-college GPA, which is used when calculating Latin degree honors at graduation time.)

    • Credit by examination earned at another college or university

    • Petition for Credit Re-Evaluation Form
       

  • For courses not taught at SMU, free-elective transfer credit may be awarded for appropriate courses completed with a grade of C- or better at regionally accredited colleges or universities that meet SMU’s academic standards.

  • Note: Transferable courses for which there is no exact SMU equivalent are given an "XX", "YY" or other two letter designation.

NOTE: Please be aware that graduate and professional programs have certain limits regarding the transferability of courses. You should consult with your specific school or department concerning transfer courses.
 

Credit Hours
If you are currently attending a college or university on the quarter system, your course credits will be converted to semester credits. Quarter hours are converted to semester credit hours by multiplying by two-thirds (0.67000). If you are unsure what type of credit system your institution follows, refer to the transcript legend on your transcript or your institution’s catalog or website.

Passing Credit
SMU accepts the grade of Pass for transfer courses with regard to the grading scale used at the awarding institution. For example, if the transferring institution defines "P" as passing and earning credit, then we will evaluate it as a "P" and award credit. All SMU students are limited to a total of 12 hours of Pass credits. This includes grades earned for accepted transfer courses. This requirement cannot be waived.


 

 

 
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