Transfer Credit Process and Procedure

When applying, transfer students must present at least 12 college-level credits with a minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA);some specific majors may have higher GPA requirements. Some majors have specific course requirements for transfer students. William Paterson University adheres to the principles stipulated in the New Jersey Comprehensive State-Wide Transfer Agreement. For more information on the state-wide transfer agreement, visit https://www.njtransfer.org/transferagreement/. William Paterson University has articulation agreements with many New Jersey community colleges to facilitate transfer from those institutions to this University. Click here for more information on articulation agreements.

  • The appropriate academic department at William Paterson University will evaluate academic courses from accredited and non-accredited institutions on an individual basis. Technical or professional courses may or may not be eligible for consideration, as determined by the accepting academic department.
  • Courses should be similar in scope, content, and academic rigor to courses offered at William Paterson University.
  • Each course considered should have defined learning outcomes or objectives.
  • The mode of delivery is not taken into account when evaluating transfer credits.
  • William Paterson University may require a review of the syllabus and textbook(s) used for the course.
  • Courses must be college-level. Courses numbered below 100 (3-digit system) or below 1000 (4-digit system) are commonly considered remedial, not college-level, and will not transfer.
  • Transfer credit is given for all earned credits except in such cases where the earned grade does not meet program requirements. There is no limit to the number of credits that may be transferred. However, students must complete a minimum number of credits at WP as defined in the Undergraduate Degree Requirement Policy and must satisfy course and grade requirements established for their WP program of study.
  • Courses are to be equal in credits (or equivalent). Courses that are on the quarter system will be converted. Typically, semester credits times 1.5 equals the minimum number of quarter hours. 30 credits for the baccalaureate degree must be taken at William Paterson University. The minimum number of credits that must be completed at William Paterson University are defined in the Undergraduate Degree Requirement Policy: https://www.wpunj.edu/policies/docs/degree%20requirements.pdf
  • Major credits earned 10 years prior to the date of admission are accepted at the
    discretion of the University in consultation with the academic department; University Core Curriculum and general elective credits do not have an expiration date.
  • Evaluated courses and the credit awarded for each course are listed on an official William Paterson University transcript.
  • Transfer credit may be awarded for prior learning and experience (including military credit) as described in the credit by Examination Policy: https://www.wpunj.edu/policies/docs/academic/CreditbyExam.pdf
  • Students may transfer prior learning assessment credit that has been completed through the NJ PLAN partnership at Thomas Edison State College (http://www.njplan.org/index.php ).
  • If William Paterson University has a signed articulation agreement with the transferring school, the number of credits accepted with an associate degree may be greater than 60 credits.
  • Transfer credit may be received for college-level courses taken while attending high school. Students will need to provide official transcripts from the institution of higher education in which they were enrolled. Students must indicate any institution that they attended while in high school on their admission application.
  • Transfer students who completed, or are in their final semester of completing, the requirements for an A.A., A.S. or A.F.A degree from an accredited college or university with a general education program similar to that specified in the NJ State transfer agreement wll be considered to have completed all lower division university core curriculum requirements. These students will have junior status upon entering William Paterson University (with exception of courses that may be required for the major). A.A.S. degrees that include 30 credits or more of courses identified as general education will be treated the same as A.S. degrees.

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