Transfer Credit for Incoming Students

Transfer students have a variety of ways to receive CSULB credits earned through a number of avenues including test credit, transfer credit, military experience credit and workforce training credit.

Test Credit: 
Test Credit Exams Include:  Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Be aware:  Test credit granted by another institution does not automatically ‘transfer’ to CSULB.

Transfer Credit:
Students generally are granted transfer credit for baccalaureate-level courses successfully completed at regionally accredited colleges and universities. Transfer credit is reviewed by the Office of Enrollment Services and is granted in compliance with applicable national, state, CSU system, and CSULB policies. Approved transfer credit may be applied toward fulfillment of major, minor, general education or elective credit.

 

Enrollment Services evaluates transfer credit upon receipt of official transcripts from another institution. Once the courses from the transcript are posted, an initial evaluation is created based on transfer credit articulation agreements on file. At this time, the Evaluation Status on the student’s transcript credit summary is “Unofficial.” The Evaluation Status will change to “Official” following review by Enrollment Services staff and an email notification is sent to the student. 

To access the evaluation, go to your MyCSULB Student Center and choose Transfer Credit Report from the pull-down menu. Your Academic Requirements Report, also available from the pull-down menu, will reflect how evaluated transfer course work has been applied to your CSULB degree objectives.

Be aware that official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended prior to your CSULB graduation date must be submitted and considered in the awarding of your degree. All baccalaureate-level transferable units will be computed in the overall grade point average. In addition, all transferable units in the major will be computed in the overall major grade point average.

Students may receive academic credit based on the results of advanced placement exams and should have their official test scores sent directly to CSULB.  

Students who have completed College Board Advanced Placement examinations with a score of 3 or higher and submit an official College Grade Report directly from the College Board will receive up to 6 units of college credit for each examination. Credit is awarded based on when the exam was taken. If your exams were taken in prior years, please review the University Catalog from the specific year to see how credit will be awarded.

Advanced Placement results are only accepted directly from AP - College Board.  Please visit their web site for information regarding how to request your scores.

Note: If your most recent AP Exam was over four years ago, your AP scores are no longer viewable from our online score reporting system. They have been archived. Please visit the AP - College Board Archived web site for more information. Reports are mailed via first-class mail within 15 business days of receipt of the request. 

Once scores are received, credit will be granted automatically for students that have been admitted and the results can be seen once you are active as a CSULB student through your MyCSULB Student Center.

Note: A maximum of 6 units will be granted for each exam. If the number of units per course equivalency is less than the class at CSULB, the remaining units will be waived. Credit can only be awarded once per course. Example: if a student takes Calculus AB & BC, only 10 units can be awarded.

If a student passes more than one AP exam in physics, only six units of credit may be applied to the baccalaureate, and only four units of credit may be applied to a certification in GE Breadth.

Visit the webpage below for a complete list of AP examination credit.

Students who have completed International Baccalaureate Higher Level examinations with a score of 4 or higher and submit an official International Baccalaureate Transcript of Grades will receive up to 12 units of college credit for each examination. See the table below for a complete list of IB examination credit. Credit is awarded based on when the exam was taken. If your exams were taken in prior years, please review the University Catalog from the specific year to see how credit will be awarded.

Examination results are only accepted directly from International Baccalaureate. Please visit their web site for information regarding how to request your scores. Once scores are received, credit will be granted automatically for students that have been admitted and the results can be seen once you are active as a CSULB student through your MyCSULB Student Center.

Note: A minimum IB score of 5 is required for credit unless otherwise noted.

Visit the webpage below for a complete list of International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examinations Credit:

In addition to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Examinations, CSULB grants unit credit to those students who pass the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations in certain subjects that have been approved for credit by the CSU System. Scores must be submitted directly from College Board.

*Credit is awarded based on when the exam was taken. If your exams were taken in prior years, please review the CSULB Catalog for the specific year to see how credit will be awarded.

Visit the College Level Examination Program Credit link below for transfer credit awarded.

Units earned at a regionally accredited community college:

  • No upper-division credit is granted for courses taken at a community college.
  • A maximum of 70 transferable units may be earned toward the minimum unit requirement for graduation (typically 120). Courses beyond this limit may be used to satisfy specific subject requirements as appropriate.

Units earned at a regionally accredited 4-year college or university:

  • While there is no specific limit on transfer courses, students must satisfy the University’s 30-unit residency requirement to earn a CSULB degree.

Please note: Once you have earned credit for a specific course, either by exam or by transfer, you cannot earn credit again for the same course.

The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (SB 1440/Padilla) establishes a Transfer Associate of Arts (AA-T) or Associate of Science (AS-T) degree for California Community College students and is designed to provide a clear pathway to the CSU degree major, also known as the Transfer ADT program.   Upon receipt of an official transcript indicating the awarding of an approved Transfer AA or AS degree, a General Education certification will be recorded and transfer credit will be posted based on current articulation agreements.

If the Transfer AA or AS degree was earned in a subject area deemed ‘similar’ to the CSULB major being pursued, additional adjustments may be necessary to ensure the student can graduate within the timeline established for these programs (normally 60 units). It is important that you meet with your academic advisor within your first semester to identify the remaining requirements to be completed at CSULB and any adjustments needed to your record.

For additional information about this program, refer to Transfer ADT Program. 

If the transfer course is not showing at all in your transfer credit evaluation, first ensure that the transcript has been submitted. If it has been at least three weeks since the institution sent the transcript, contact Student Records to determine its status and if additional action is needed.

If the transfer evaluation has already been completed for the course, contact Student Records if the course is for General Education credit or if the credit you are seeking is posted on Assist.

If the outstanding requirement is a major degree requirement and has no approved articulation agreement on Assist, you will need to consult your academic advisor.  Students may be required to submit additional documentation such as a course description from the transfer institution’s catalog or the syllabus from the term the course was taken.

Need support? Contact Transfer Credit Evaluations by submitting a help ticket with Student Records.

CSULB grants undergraduate degree credit for successful completion of non-collegiate military instruction appropriate to the baccalaureate degree as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services.

*Official military transcripts must be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services for evaluation. 

*For the official transcripts to be accepted, they must come directly from JST or CCAF. 

Degree Credit is automatically considered for the following:

  • Three units of General Education credit in Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (Category E)
  • General elective credit for any units recommended by ACE in excess of the three units
  • GE credit for Department of Defense Foreign Language courses when the levels are comparable to language courses offered at the University

If you believe your military training has met the learning objectives for a specific GE requirement, you should obtain department recommendation and file an Academic Appeal, If you believe the training has met the learning outcomes of a specific major requirement, consult with your academic advisor. 

CSULB grants undergraduate degree credit for successful completion of non-traditional classroom instruction as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) in the National Guide to College Credit for Workforce Training.

Degree credit is automatically considered for the following:

  • General elective credit for any units recommended by ACE
  • Specific GE credit will be granted based on the recommendation and description of the course content

If you believe a specific GE requirement should be met, you should obtain department recommendation and file an Undergraduate Academic Appeal for Transfer GE Course Substitution. If the credit is needed for a specific major requirement, consult with your academic advisor.