Placement by Previous Coursework

To ensure your success in your coursework, the College can use your previous coursework from secondary school or another college/university to help determine the proper level course in which to register.

Prerequisites

Some courses require that you successfully complete or receive a certain grade in other courses before you can register for them. You can find the prerequisites for any College course listed in its description on the Course Descriptions Course Schedules (CDCS) website. (Learn how to navigate the website on the CDCS Guide page.) You can also view prerequisites for each subject area's recommended courses for first-semester students on the Advice by Subject Area page.

Select secondary school courses

Completed Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Program coursework may count for credit towards placement in more advanced courses in a subject area. Use the buttons below to view credit and placement charts for both programs:

AP credit placement        IB credit placement

Transfer credit process

Transfer credit policies

Transfer credit is awarded using the guidelines established by the College faculty and by the individual academic departments.

  • First-year and transfer students entering in fall 2024, will be limited to a maximum of 16 credits total through examination scores (AP, IB, A-Level, CAPE) and college coursework on a college campus while in high school. See the Transfer and Pre-Matriculation Credit policy for more information.
  • A maximum of 64 credit hours can be transferred to the University of Rochester from two-year schools. There is no specified limit to the amount of credit that can be transferred in from a four-year school. In all cases involving transfer credit, students are subject to the College's enrollment policy.
  • Each academic department has the authority to determine the maximum number of transfer courses that can be applied toward a major or minor in that department. In all cases, it is assumed that the majority of courses being used for your major or minor will be completed at the University of Rochester.
  • Courses taken while you were in high school which were sponsored by a college/university but were taught on your high school campus will not be approved for transfer credit. However, if you were enrolled in college/university coursework on a college/university campus, you will be eligible to receive transfer credit assuming the courses were taught by that college/university's faculty and you received a grade of C or better.

Because transfer credit policies can be complex, we strongly advise that you consult with your College advisor, an advisor in the College Center for Advising Services, or with an advisor in an academic department.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Upon enrollment, an initial Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) will be emailed to you based on the information you provided in your application materials. This initial evaluation will tell you what previous coursework will most likely transfer as credits towards a degree. Once the advising team receives your final transcript, they will begin reviewing your initial TCE and make adjustments based your final transcript and academic department guidelines. Your final TCE will emailed to you in the first few weeks of your first semester.

When you receive your initial TCE, you should review it carefully. If there are additional courses that you would like to submit for transfer credit, you can do so by completing a Course Approval Form (see instructions below). While you can reach out to departments directly to request approval for transfer credit, we strongly recommend that you wait to connect with your academic advisor(s) to seek their advice on what courses will most likely be approved.

How to complete the Course Approval Form
  1. Download the Course Approval Form (CAF).
  2. Obtain a description of the course(s) you would like to be transferred to the University from the catalog, bulletin, or website of the school you attended. Some University of Rochester departments may require a syllabus for each course, too. If you are able to obtain one or more syllabi, it is recommended that you include them with your completed form.
  3. List the courses you would like to be transferred to the University on the CAF with the attached course descriptions (and syllabi, if available).
  4. Seek approval for the courses using the following guidelines. Authorized approvers must type their name in the appropriate approval box.
    1. Elective Courses: can usually be approved by any advisor in the College Center for Advising Services. However, in the case of an ambiguous description, or when a department has requested it, the College Center for Advising Services may send you to a department for approval. Note: courses may not be transferred into clusters.
    2. Major or Minor Courses: must be approved by the authorized faculty member in the appropriate department. A list of faculty members who approve transfer credit on behalf of their departments is available here.
    3. Study Abroad Courses: Courses taken on a study abroad program require approval from the Center for Education Abroad. Email your CAF as an attachment to ceaaadvisors@rochester.edu to obtain approval.
    4. Certificate Courses: Courses to be used toward a University of Rochester undergraduate certificate first require approval as noted above and may require additional approvals based on the certificate:
      1. Actuarial Studies and Mathematical Modeling: Request the written approval of the chair of their Certificate Committee and return the Course Approval Form to the attention of the Multidisciplinary Studies Center.
      2. Polish and Central European (PCE) Studies: Request the written approval of your PCE advisor and likewise return the form to the Multidisciplinary Studies Center.
    5. Please note: transfer credit is not given for CLEP exams.
  5. Submit the completed and approved CAF to the College Center for Advising Services at ccasrec@ur.rochester.edu. 

Petition to fulfill your primary writing requirement

You can petition to fulfill your primary writing requirement by transferring in a course from another college or university. Use the button below to learn more about this option and how to complete the petition.

Learn more