College Credit Transfer Policies

Transfer Students

Students who transfer to Rhodes have their previous college work evaluated for transfer credit upon their acceptance for admission. Credit will be awarded following the guidelines outlined below for the evaluation of academic work for transfer credit. Transfer students are responsible for having final copies of transcripts sent from each institution attended. Official evaluation of transfer credit will not be completed until these final transcripts have been received in the Office of the Registrar.

As degree candidates, transfer students must satisfy all of the degree requirements outlined in the college catalogue. Of the total credits required for a Rhodes degree, a minimum fifty percent must be earned at Rhodes and a maximum of fifty percent may be accepted as transfer and Advanced Placement credit.

Transfer credit for students who transfer to Rhodes will be evaluated following these guidelines according to the Foundation requirements:

1. Courses presented with two or three semester hours or less than six quarter hours will be given the appropriate and corresponding number of credits of transfer credit.
2. Credit from several courses may be combined to total four or more credits and therefore satisfy a foundation requirement.
3. A three-credit course may be used to satisfy a Foundation requirement if the corresponding course in the Program of Study meets that same requirement.
4. A three-credit course may be used to satisfy a major requirement if the corresponding course in the Program of Study meets that same requirement unless specifically disallowed by the Program of Study chair where the course is offered.

Transfer Credit

Credit from Other Institutions. Rhodes students may enroll in courses at other colleges and universities and transfer credits to Rhodes. A student who desires to have a course transferred from another institution must have the course approved in advance of course enrollment. Courses not receiving prior approval may not be accepted for transfer credit at the discretion of the Program of Study chair and the Registrar. Transfer courses require the following approvals:

• A transfer course that has a Rhodes equivalent (including Foundations courses) must be approved by the appropriate chair.
• A transfer course that does not have a Rhodes equivalent and does not satisfy Foundation requirements must be approved by the appropriate chair.
• A transfer course that does not have a Rhodes equivalent and can potentially satisfy Foundations requirements must be endorsed by the appropriate chair first and then approved by the Foundation Curriculum Committee.

Students seeking concurrent enrollment at another institution during a regular semester must have permission from the Standards and Standing Committee prior to registering at the other institution. Concurrent enrollment credits are included in the computation of the total credits permitted in one semester but are not included in the determination of full-time status. Course credit earned at another institution during non-approved concurrent enrollment may not be accepted for transfer credit.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that an official transcript from the other institution is forwarded to the Registrar at Rhodes. Final evaluation of transfer work must be completed within twelve (12) weeks of the completion of the course(s) in question. In some programs of study, a proficiency examination must be passed in order for the transfer credit to be accepted.

Credit from Study Abroad/Away. Rhodes students who study abroad/away in an approved program or Maymester will normally satisfy the F11 requirement, unless the program has been noted by the Buckman Center for International Education’s Director as particularly unsuitable for this purpose.

In addition, students may, satisfy up to one additional Foundation requirement in a summer program, up to two additional Foundation requirements in a semester program,  and up to three for a year-long-program. The Director of the Buckman Center in consultation with the Registrar and the Foundations Curriculum Committee as necessary will determine the appropriateness of the course(s) taken abroad/away for Foundations credit.

Credit Conversion. Credits awarded for courses vary by institution and by international program. Rhodes adheres to the credit conversion guidelines specified below.

Credit from Special Programs. Students wishing to participate in special programs at other collegiate institutions are required to obtain permission and approval in advance from the appropriate academic officer acting on behalf of the Faculty Education Program Committee. In most cases, this approval will come from the Director of the Buckman Center, the Registrar, and the chair of the department at Rhodes in which the coursework will be pursued. The Registrar, in consultation with department chairpersons and the Dean of the Faculty, must approve all work at other institutions in advance of beginning the work. In some cases it may be necessary to postpone approval until course syllabi, papers, and tests are examined.

All credit earned on study abroad programs, exchange programs, and cooperative programs such as Washington Semester is evaluated as transfer credit.

The Transfer Credit Guidelines. The following guidelines are used in evaluating academic work from other institutions for transfer credit:

• To be accepted for credit, each course must be judged comparable in terms of content and quality to a course in the curriculum at Rhodes or be consistent with the liberal arts and science curriculum and of comparable quality to that expected of courses at Rhodes. Chairs make these judgments prior to the student enrolling in the course; in many cases the Registrar can act with the authority of chairs. In some Programs of Study, a proficiency examination must be passed in order for the transfer credit to be accepted. The chairs and the Registrar assign credit toward a degree in such a way as to match comparable work at Rhodes.
• The course work must be taken on the campus of a regionally accredited college or university or while on a study abroad program approved through the Buckman Center for International Education.
• For courses taken online prior to matriculation, up to 8 credits may count towards the 128 credits required for a bachelor's degree. After matriculation, up to 8 online transfer credits may be used for degree requirements with the preapproval of the chair in the relevant program of study. If the discipline is not represented at Rhodes, the student can request that the Registrar, in consultation with the Associate Provost review the course for credit. The student will provide requested documentation.
• Rhodes students who study abroad/away in an accredited long-term program that has been pre-approved through the Buckman Center for International Education will normally satisfy the F11 requirement. Students may satisfy up to one additional Foundation requirements while abroad/away in summer, up to two additional Foundation requirements in semester-long programs, and up to three additional Foundation requirements for a year-long program. The Director of the Buckman Center will recommend to the Foundations Curriculum Committee, in consultation with the Registrar, and chairs as necessary, the appropriateness of the course(s) taken abroad for Foundations credit. This recommendation will be done in accordance with guidelines as provided by the Foundations Curriculum Committee.
• No more than eight transfer credits may be earned in any one summer.
• All course work taken at other institutions for which Rhodes receives a transcript will be evaluated for transfer credit, and if pre-approved for transfer credit, will be posted to the student’s record.
• When a program of study course transfers as three (3) credits, the Registrar and Department/Program Chair may adjust the program of study requirement by no more than one (1) credit, though the student must still complete 128 credits to graduate with a bachelor's degree.
• A maximum of 64 credits or fifty percent of the total credit required for a degree may be accepted towards a Rhodes degree. No student may earn additional transfer credit once that credit limit has been reached.
• Transfer credits based on a quarter system are converted to the Rhodes credit basis using the formula that one quarter-hour equals two-thirds credit. Fractional transfer credits will be credited.
• Students earning both transfer credits and Advanced Placement, Cambridge Pre-U, International Baccalaureate, and/or Option International Baccalaureate credits may apply a maximum combined total of fifty percent of the total credit required for a degree to the Rhodes degree. A student with such credit must earn at least fifty percent of the total credit required for a degree in residence at Rhodes.
• Of the 32 credits earned to qualify for the senior year in residence, a maximum of eight credits may be transfer credit.
• Transfer credits are accepted if the grade is C- or higher. However, all grades earned by Rhodes students participating in study abroad/away programs with affiliated partners will be recorded on the transcript regardless of whether credit is earned. If the term grade point average at the end of any semester abroad or away falls below a minimum standard articulated in the Academic Probation and Suspension section of the catalogue, it is subject to review by the Standards and Standing Committee upon receipt of the official transcript.
• Transfer courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis must be passed with a grade of C or better. Confirmation of such a grade must be received by the Registrar before the course will be accepted for transfer credit. Transfer credits are credited to the Rhodes transcript as credits only; they are not computed in or used to determine the grade point average. With the exception of F11, courses taken Pass/Fail cannot be used to fulfill Foundations requirements.
• Courses taken on a college campus prior to matriculation by accepted students, including those which are taken in conjunction with a dual enrollment program at the secondary school level, will be accepted for credit under the same guidelines as stated above, including review by the appropriate chair at Rhodes, only if such coursework does not satisfy high school graduation requirements or requirements for admission to Rhodes. Such courses must be taken on a college campus, not in a high school even if taught by collegiate faculty. Credit for such courses must be requested during the summer prior to enrollment at Rhodes. Students who have not graduated from high school who present such courses for transfer credit are not considered transfer students.

The most current information can be found in the Rhodes College Catalog in sections related to Transfer Student Admission and Requirements for a Degree. For questions, contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@rhodes.edu for more information.