Transferring credits from course work and exams

The initial review and awarding of transfer credit will be done by the admissions office. Once you are enrolled, the school or department in which your program is housed will ultimately decide how your transfer credit will apply to your degree requirements.

You can use a course equivalency guide to determine how your credits might transfer from your school to IU Indianapolis. Regardless if your credits are coming from an Advanced Placement exam or are transferring from another institution, we have a tool to help you see what your previously completed work will look like at IU Indianapolis.

What coursework will IU Indianapolis award transfer credit for?

When IU Indianapolis receives your official transcript from each college or university you’ve attended, your prior coursework is evaluated to determine whether it will transfer to IU Indianapolis. There are several factors that affect what coursework will transfer.

Accreditation status of the school where you earned the credit

IU Indianapolis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and awards credit for coursework completed at a college or university that holds accreditation from a regional accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Whether a course is equivalent to an IU course

IU Indianapolis evaluates coursework from other institutions to determine whether there is an equivalent IU course. Coursework that is transferrable to IU Indianapolis but does not have an equivalent IU or Purdue course (as determined by an academic department) will be transferred as undistributed credit.

The grade you received for the course

You must receive a grade of C or better in a course to receive credit for it at IU Indianapolis. No courses with grades of C– or lower will transfer to IU Indianapolis.

None of your grades from transferred courses will count in your IU Indianapolis GPA; however, some IU Indianapolis academic units may consider those grades for admission or other academic purposes.

How long it has been since you completed the course

Courses that were completed 10 or more years ago (and in some cases more recently) may not be accepted in some programs of study and must be approved by the IU Indianapolis school and/or department that houses your degree program.

What coursework won’t IU Indianapolis award undergraduate credit for?

IU Indianapolis will not award transfer undergraduate credit for:

• Courses in which you received a C– or lower.
• Courses and/or credits awarded by another institution for placement examinations or credit by exam, such as Advanced Placement exams or the International Baccalaureate.
• Courses taken at nationally accredited institutions.
• Remedial, college preparatory, or personal development courses.
• Graduate courses.

How do I submit my courses for evaluation?

As part of your application for admission, you must have official transcripts sent to IU Indianapolis from each college or university you’ve attended, including:

• Transcripts from any college or university at which you were enrolled but did not complete any classes
• Transcripts from any dual-credit courses or college courses completed while you were in high school
  You must contact each school and request that your official transcript be sent to IU Indianapolis. Transcripts should be mailed to:

IU Indianapolis Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Cavanaugh Hall 147
425 University Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202

We also can accept official transcripts sent electronically from colleges and universities. However, we do not accept emailed PDFs of transcripts; your transcript must be electronically generated from an official system.

Electronic transcripts can be sent to mycredit@iu.edu. If your school will be sending limited-time credentials that allow us to access their system, be sure to make your request during regular business hours.

How does my transfer credit affect my GPA at IU Indianapolis?

The grades you received for coursework taken at other institutions do not transfer to IU Indianapolis, and they are not included in your GPA unless you are transferring from another IU campus.

How do I resolve issues with my transfer credit?

If you want to have undistributed credit considered for a direct equivalency to an IU Indianapolis course, you can contact a transfer credit counselor at mydegree@iu.edu.

When you discuss your courses with a transfer credit counselor, we recommend that you have syllabi ready for any courses for which you’ve received undistributed credit. This will help with the process of determining whether those courses have a direct equivalency to an IU Indianapolis course.

What if I’m transferring to IU Indianapolis from another IU campus?

If you’re transferring to IU Indianapolis from another IU campus, the credit you earned at that campus automatically will appear on your IU Indianapolis academic record. It will be reviewed by your academic advisor to apply it to an IU Indianapolis degree program.

IU’s University Transfer Operations manages the transfer credit policy for the entire university system, including IU Indianapolis.

The Office of International Affairs works with students to provide undergraduate transfer credit for courses taken at institutions outside the US. Below you'll find the process to have your credits reviewed and transferred.

Request your preliminary transfer credit evaluation

• Preliminary transfer credit evaluations are not a guarantee of credit because they are based on unofficial documents. Your preliminary evaluation is for your use only and cannot be used to schedule classes, to meet with an advisor, or to determine progress toward a degree here at IU Indianapolis.
• Your Preliminary Transfer Credit Evaluation lists the courses and how many semester hours may be transferred to IU Indianapolis.
• After you are fully admitted, the Preliminary Transfer Credit Evaluation will be sent to you via email attachment within 2-3 weeks.

• In order to proceed to the next phase, official documents must be submitted to Office of International Affairs.

Submit your official, final transcripts, and supporting documentation

• Official final transcripts must arrive in the original, unopened envelope as issued by the originating institution.
• Course descriptions and syllabi can help with course articulation

Receive your official transfer credit evaluation

• Credit will be posted to your IU Indianapolis academic record as undistributed or as articulated by IU Indianapolis faculty.
• An email will be sent to you once your official credit has been posted to your student account.

Meet with your academic advisor

• At orientation, set up a one-on-one meeting with your academic advisor. During this meeting, your academic advisor will advise you on:
  • How your undistributed credits could possibly be changed into specific IU Indianapolis courses and count towards your degree requirements.
  • How to work with departments outside your major to have courses articulated
  • The classes you register for will depend upon your placement test results and whether or not you can get your transfer credit to count for specific IU Indianapolis courses.
• Bring to the meeting:
  • A copy of your transcripts
  • Course descriptions as they would appear in a university prospectus or bulletin (mandatory)
  • Course syllabus (very helpful)
  • Textbook title(s) and assigned chapters (very helpful)
  • Table of contents from textbooks (helpful)
• The more documentation you can provide to your advisor and the department, the easier it will be to review your previous credits for transfer.
• Upon review of the information you provide, each department will send the completed Transfer Credit Distribution Form to our office stating whether the course can be distributed. Then we will post the course to your academic record. The evaluation can take several weeks, so start early if you need the IU Indianapolis course posted before registration.
• Courses that do not have IU Indianapolis equivalents will remain undistributed credits and can sometimes be used to fulfill degree electives (courses outside your major). Check back with your academic advisor to see if they may be able to fulfill any elective requirements towards your degree.

Understanding what credits will not transfer

• English courses from non-native English-speaking countries
• “C-” grade or lower
• Subjects that are not offered at IU Indianapolis

Please email tccredit@iu.edu with any questions about the transfer credit process.

When recommended by the department and approved by the dean, graduate and professional students may receive transfer credit for courses completed at another college or university with a grade of B or higher. To start this process, you will need to talk directly to the program to which you have been admitted.