Transfer & Exam Credit

Transferring credits from course work and exams

If you have previously completed classes at another college or university or have received specific scores on exams through programs like Advanced Placement or the International Baccalaureate, you may be eligible to receive transfer credit to count towards your academic program at IU Indianapolis. 

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.

Transferring science credits: Due to our realignment into IU Indianapolis, your credits equivalencies that would normally be awarded as School of Science credits may change as new course numbers are being assigned. 

Frequently asked questions about undergraduate transfer credit

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 policy for undergraduate transfer credit

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

Learn more about transfer credit policy