Transfer Credit

Transfer Credit Policies

Smith accepts the number of credits granted by another college or university unless the school is on a quarter system, in which case the credit is multiplied by two-thirds (that is, a 5-credit course from a school on the quarter system is equivalent to two-thirds of a semester credit, and transfers in for 3.33 credits).

With the exception of grades received for domestic exchange programs and study abroad, grades for work completed at other institutions will not appear on the Smith record. All grades for courses completed through 12 college exchange and Smith-approved study abroad will be recorded on the Smith transcript but will not be calculated in the Smith GPA.

Work completed elsewhere will not be counted for Dean’s List or Latin Honors GPA but can be counted towards the Latin Honors distribution.

Credit will only be considered for transfer if the host institution awards academic credit and the grade earned is equivalent to a C or better. Students on academic probation must earn a B- or higher for a course to transfer. Grades of pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory or credit/noncredit earned in courses completed at other institutions are not acceptable for transfer toward the Smith degree unless the transcript clearly states that the minimum level of performance for that grade is a C or better.

Students may use transfer credit to fulfill the distribution requirements for latin honors. Upon the initial evaluation of transfer credits, the registrar will determine and assign the appropriate category to each transfer course. Students may apply to have unclassified transfer courses considered for distribution credit.

No transfer or exchange grades will be counted for Latin Honors GPA.

Although transfer credit may be awarded for the first semester of an introductory language not taught at Smith, Latin Honors distribution is awarded only upon completion of the equivalent of the full year of introductory language study.

Interterm/winter session courses taken at other institutions will be considered for pre-approval when courses do not overlap with the Fall or Spring semesters at Smith. The number of credits accepted for each Interterm course (normally up to 3) will be determined by the registrar upon review of the transcript. Any interterm course designated 4 credits by a host institution must be reviewed by the class deans and the registrar to determine whether it merits an exception to the 3-credit limit. Students may accrue a maximum of 12 approved interterm credits at Smith or elsewhere toward their Smith degree. Students may not take more than 4 credits during any one interterm at Smith or elsewhere. For transfer students, interterm credits completed prior to enrollment at Smith College are included in the 12-credit maximum.

Independent study courses that you wish to have transferred to Smith must first be evaluated by the appropriate department at Smith. You should present a copy of your work to the department chair and request that it be reviewed. If approved, the department chair should contact the registrar.

Many language departments at Smith require that students complete a full year of introductory language study before credit is awarded. You may earn retroactive credit for the course if you complete the second semester.

Students wishing to use transfer courses towards major or minor requirements must gain approval of the appropriate department through their advisers or department chairs.

Students who plan to major in art must have all studio work reviewed by the Smith Department of Art before major credit will be granted. Portfolios should be presented directly to the department upon arrival/return to campus.

After credit has been transferred to a student’s record at Smith, credit may not be removed. The only exception is when a student earns credit for a Smith course that duplicates the earlier transfer course. In that case, the credit weight will be removed from the transfer course but the course will remain listed on the transcript.

Students may not be enrolled in coursework at another institution during the Fall and Spring semesters at Smith. This includes summer and interterm/winter session courses that overlap with the start and end of the regular Smith semesters. Courses taken through the Five College Interchange during the Fall and Spring semesters are not considered dual enrollment.

If you wish to complete part or all of your senior year away from campus on a Smith or non-Smith program or at another undergraduate institution, you must petition the administrative board. The petition must include a plan for the satisfactory completion of the major and degree requirements (including residency) and must have the approval of the department of the major. The petition must be filed in the Office of the Class Deans by the deadline to request approval for off-campus study.

If you are studying away from campus during your final semester, you will not be awarded your degree or diploma until the Office of the Registrar receives a final official transcript and confirms completion of the degree requirements.

Criteria

A maximum of 64 transfer credits may be recorded on the Smith transcript. Transfer credit is accepted from accredited institutions of higher education in the United States and abroad. Normally only those courses falling within the scope of Smith’s liberal arts curriculum will be approved. Credit is evaluated and transferred on a course-by-course basis with approval from the registrar.

Enrolled students interested in studying elsewhere must have their work approved in advance by the registrar for domestic study or the Office for International Study for courses abroad.

For domestic transfer credit, complete the transfer credit application and submit it to the registrar's office with course descriptions for in-person courses and course syllabi for online courses. You will be notified of pre-approval status after all materials are submitted.

Transfer Credit Application

Students may not be enrolled in coursework at another institution during the Fall and Spring semesters at Smith. This includes summer and interterm/winter session courses that overlap with the start and end of the regular Smith semesters. Courses taken through the Five College Interchange during the Fall and Spring semesters are not considered dual enrollment.

  • Courses falling within the scope of Smith's liberal arts curriculum
  • Math courses at the level of pre-calculus and above
  • Computer science courses which involve problem solving and use of a language such as Java, Python, or JavaScript to receive credit. Courses such as Introduction to Data Processing will not receive credit
  • Journalism courses upon review of the syllabus by the registrar and the director of the Journalism Concentration
  • Group performance music courses (i.e., choir, orchestra, band)
  • Independent study which has been evaluated and approved by the appropriate academic department at Smith
  • One course in accounting (up to 4 credits)
  • One course in speech (up to 4 credits) upon review of the syllabus by the registrar and director of the Jacobson Center
  • Online courses may be considered for credit for currently enrolled Smith students. Courses that do not count for degree credit at the host institution for their own students are not accepted for transfer credit.

  • The first semester only of an introductory language taught at Smith in a department that requires a full year of language study (consult the college catalog for departmental policies)
  • Internships of any kind, including those linked to course work
  • Pre-professional courses including but not limited to legal studies, business, marketing and management, communications, criminal justice, nursing, social work
  • English as a Second Language or other remedial courses
  • CLEP or placement examinations
  • ROTC and/or military courses
  • Participation in team sports

You may transfer up to 64 credits to your Smith record.

  • 12 approved summer school credits (including pre-matriculation summer credit)
  • 12 approved interterm credits at Smith or elsewhere
  • No more than 4 credits during any one interterm at Smith or elsewhere
  • 16 pre-matriculation credits toward a Smith degree
  • No more than 32 credits of combined summer, interterm, Advanced Placement or other pre-matriculation credits
  • Students are allowed up to 12 credits at any one level of language study; consult with the chair of the relevant department
  • ESS performance courses are normally awarded no more than one semester credit with a combined maximum of 4 transfer and Smith ESS credits allowed toward the degree
  • Dance Performance courses are normally awarded no more than 2 credits with a combined maximum of 12 transfer and Smith dance credits (for non-dance majors) and 20 credits (for dance majors) allowed toward the degree
  • 24 Music performance credits
  • No more than 8 credits may be transferred for courses in expository writing
  • No more than 4 credits may be transferred for math courses at the pre-calculus level

Students who enter Smith as traditional, first-time/first-year students may transfer up to 16 transfer credits for online courses meeting the outlined criteria. This includes both pre-matriculation course work that has been awarded credit (AP Credit/College Credit Earned Before Matriculation, below) and course work taken after matriculation at Smith.

Students who enter Smith as transfer students, including Ada Comstock scholars, may transfer in more than 16 credits of online coursework if taken prior to matriculation at Smith. Students entering with more than 16 credits of online transfer work must receive Academic Board approval to take additional online transfer work during their period of enrollment.

All existing policies governing transfer credit at Smith College apply to courses taken online. Please see general transfer credit requirements on this page for additional information and Transfer Credit Policies. In addition to those general requirements, online courses must also meet the following criteria to be approved for transfer credit:

  • Online course work completed prior to spring 2020 semester is not normally eligible for transfer credit.
  • Online courses must be offered by a regionally accredited college or university, and must be applicable to an undergraduate degree at that school. For that reason, MOOCs and other non-credit or credit-optional courses (e.g., edX, Coursera, Udacity, etc.) are not eligible for transfer credit.
  • Online courses must be offered during a defined term/session, with a definite beginning and end date, and may not be self-paced or entirely asynchronous.
  • Online courses may only be taken during the summer or winter break (not overlapping the fall or spring semesters) or while the student is on leave from Smith (for matriculated students).
  • Online courses must have structured progression through course material.
  • Online courses must include significant student-faculty and student-student interaction, in addition to assignments and feedback.

Students must submit a full syllabus with the transfer credit application form to the registrar’s office for review by the office. The syllabus should provide clear indication of the above requirements. Students should provide ample time for the review process and are advised not to register for an online course until pre-approval has been confirmed.

AP Credit/College Credit Earned Before Matriculation

Credits completed prior to matriculation as a degree student (college level work, AP, IB, and A-levels) are not applied to the degree immediately upon approval. The courses are added to your record and credit may be applied only in the following circumstances (see your class dean for more details):

  1. to make up a shortage of credit incurred through failure.
  2. with the approval of the class dean, to make up a shortage of credit incurred as a result of withdrawing from a course for reasons of health.
  3. to undertake an accelerated course program (completing the degree requirements in six or seven semesters). 

Any credits completed in summer school before matriculation are counted in the 12-credit limit of summer credit allowed toward the degree. A maximum of one semester (16 credits) of any combination of pre-matriculation credit may be counted toward the degree.

Individual academic departments are responsible for determining if the transfer courses may be counted toward the requirements of the major. Pre-matriculation credits may also be used to count toward the 64 credits outside the department of the major or as pre-requisites for higher level courses without credits being applied towards the degree.

Pre-matriculation credits may not be used to reduce your course load or to fulfill the distribution requirements for latin honors or the writing intensive requirement.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit

Smith accepts AP scores of 4 or 5 on most AP exams and IB scores of 5, 6, and 7 for most higher level exams. 

Exams accepted and course equivalents determined by the departments are listed below.

Test Credit Course Equivalencies 2024–25

College Credit Earned Before Matriculation

College credit earned at an accredited college or university before matriculation as a first-year student may be accepted if it meets the following criteria:

  1. The course is taken on a college/university campus with matriculated degree students, and is taught by a college/university professor.
  2. The course is not listed on the high school transcript as a course counting towards the high school diploma.
  3. A grade of B- or better is earned in the course.
  4. The course meets the Smith College guidelines for transfer credit.

To have pre-matriculation credit reviewed a completed pre-matriculation certification form signed by the high school must be submitted to the registrar's office along with an official transcript from the college.

Pre-Matriculation Credit Certification

A-Levels, French Baccalaureate, and Other Diploma Programs

Smith accepts A-level grades of A and B on most Advanced level exams. Upon review by the registrar French Baccalaureate and some 13th year programs outside of the United States may be accepted.

Study Away Transcripts

A transfer credit applicaiton form must be completed for any courses taken for credit elsewhere in the United States. Official transcripts should be submitted to:

Office of the Registrar
College Hall 102
Smith College
Northampton MA 01063

registrar@smith.edu

We accept transcripts in unopened, sealed envelopes or sent by secure electronic transcript providers. Hand delivered transcripts are not accepted if opened.

Transcripts for credit earned abroad should be sent to the Office for International Study.