Seattle Pacific University endorses the rights and responsibilities regarding transfer students as established by the Washington Student Achievement Council. Your credits earned at a recognized, regionally accredited institution in areas offered by Seattle Pacific University will usually be accepted without discount. (Information about regionally unaccredited institutions is found here.)
If you have earned, prior to matriculation at SPU, an approved transferable associate degree (Washington-DTA; Oregon-AA/OT or AS/OT; or California associate degree with IGETC), you are considered to have completed SPU’s Exploratory Curriculum and University Core (but not University Foundations) requirements, as well as the foreign language requirement. Most students who enter with an approved transferable associate degree will be awarded 90 credits and junior class standing.
SPU's Transfer Course Equivalency Guide may be helpful to you as you plan courses prior to transfer or if you would like to see how your coursework will transfer.
As a transfer student applying for admission to Seattle Pacific University, you must meet the following conditions, regardless of your previous institution, and be aware of the following policies:
- You must present transcripts from all institutions of higher learning at which you completed coursework after high school.
- You must be in good standing at all prior institutions attended.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that your final official transcripts reflecting coursework subsequent to admission are received by SPU. The absence of final coursework will affect your class standing, eligibility for financial aid, and progress toward degree completion.
- If you have successfully completed 45 college-level quarter credits or 30 college-level semester credits from an accredited institution at the time of your application, you are not required to take the American College Test (ACT) or the College Board Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT-I).
- The average grade in all your courses accepted for advanced standing from each school must be “C” (2.0) or higher. This means that for every grade of “D” accepted there must be another grade of at least “B” or its equivalent for an equal number of credits. Exception: For ABHE-accredited institutions and schools outside the U.S., no grade below “C” (2.0) will be accepted.
- No grade below “D” (1.0) will be accepted from any institution.
- Only courses taken for a regular grade (not “pass/fail” or “credit/no credit”) will be applied toward requirements in General Education, the Common Curriculum and Exploratory Curriculum, and toward your major and minor.
- The minimum grade that can be applied toward a major or minor is C- (1.7).
- Transfer associate degrees earned after matriculation at SPU will not be recognized toward fulfillment of the Exploratory Curriculum, University Core requirements, General Education, or the foreign language proficiency requirement.
- A combined total of not more than 90 quarter credits will be accepted from all 2-year colleges, approved test programs (such as AP, Cambridge International, CLEP, and IB) and unaccredited schools. Existing Washington, Oregon, and California community college associate degree transfer agreements will be honored as they apply to General Education requirements.
- No more than 45 quarter credits will be accepted from approved testing programs (such as AP, Cambridge International, CLEP, and IB).
- Usually credit will be awarded without regard to the date at which the course was completed.
- In some degree programs, especially in scientific and professional subjects, you may be required to repeat a course in order to acquire current knowledge or to refresh your knowledge.
- You will not be awarded credit twice for the same course material.
- Credits in excess of 20 quarter credits in any one term will not be transferred. This includes courses taken concurrently by media, correspondence, or extension at more than one institution, as well as non-credit courses.
- To be eligible for a degree, you are required to earn a minimum of 45 credits in residence at SPU, including no fewer than 15 upper-division credits in your major (more, if specified by the major). See individual majors for additional degree requirements.
- Independent study, internship, field experience, and practicum courses generally do not transfer unless an SPU faculty member, upon reviewing a course, requests that it transfer.
- Credits will not be transferred for experiential learning.
- Questions about how courses have transferred to SPU (or not transferred) should be directed to your undergraduate academic counselor.
See also Transfer Student and SPU Rights and Responsibilities.