How do I request transfer credit?

Undergraduate students can request the following types of transfer credit. Full information about each request type can be found on this page. 

• Course-to-Course Equivalency
• Program Elective
• Non-Program Elective
• General Education Requirement (e.g. Ways, Writing, and Language)

For all request types, you must submit your official transcript to the Registrar's Office. Be sure you are familiar with the transfer credit timeline and ensure all requests are submitted promptly.

Transfer Credit Prior to August 2024: You may have transfer credit on your record that was posted prior to August 2024, when the transfer credit processes listed below began. This credit may still be used for course-to-course equivalency, program elective, and non-program elective credit. To use this credit for course-to-course equivalency or program elective credit, follow the steps below. By default, this credit is used as non-program elective credit (i.e. general elective credit). It is important to note that any transfer credit posted prior to August 2024 (that has not since gone through the course-to-course request process), may not be used to fulfill hard-coded course prerequisites. 

Types of Transfer Credit

Course-to-Course Equivalency

 This option is recommended for undeclared students who wish to have credit evaluated to support their pre-requisites and lower division requirements. When you request a course-to-course equivalency, your external course will be compared to a Stanford-taught course on a one-to-one basis. This evaluation involves comparing the content, depth, and rigor of the transferred course with the equivalent course offered at Stanford. If an external course from the transferring institution is deemed equivalent to a course offered at Stanford, the transferred credits can fulfill the requirements of the corresponding Stanford course. 

Course equivalency decisions are made by the course-owning department. For example, if you identify an external course that you'd like reviewed for equivalency to Math 19, your request will be reviewed by the Math department. As a general practice, it is a good idea to review the Transfer Credit Database to see if your external course has already been approved before submitting the evaluation request form.

Enrollment prerequisites: Credit awarded via the Course-to-Course equivalency process can be used to fulfill hard-coded class requisites.

How to submit: To request a course-to-course evaluation, submit the Transfer Credit Evaluation Request form. Your form will route automatically to the course-offering department for review. Keep in mind that different departments may have different processing times; it's a good idea to submit your request early to allow enough time for departmental review. If your course was pre-approved in the Transfer Credit Database, please submit the Request Transfer Credit for Coursework Pre-Approved in the Database.

Program Elective

This option is recommended for declared students or students at junior and senior standing. Stanford courses and programs are unique and don’t always have a 1:1 equivalency. If you have courses you would like to use towards your program requirements, requesting a review by your home (declared) department is recommended. As a first step, you should review the transfer credit procedures within your major/minor department. Only your department may determine if you can use an external course to meet your program requirements. Depending on your degree program, you may request this review either before or after taking the external course.

After your department has confirmed your external coursework may be used, they notify the Registrar’s Office. For the Registrar’s Office to post the credit to your record, you must send your official transcript (from the external institution) to the Registrar’s Office upon course completion. After the Registrar’s Office reviews your transcript, they will update your record accordingly.

Enrollment prerequisites: Credit awarded as a Program Elective cannot be used to fulfill hard-coded class requisites.

These approved courses will show as "UGXFER PRGM-TRANSFER COURSE CREDIT" under your degree audit's “University General Electives” section. Your SSO will submit a request to move them to fulfill the correct requirement(s). 

How to submit: This type of request is handled directly by your major department. Please contact your department administrator to inquire about your department's internal transfer processes. 

Non-Program Elective

Transfer credit can be awarded to count towards your 180 units required for graduation. When a course is approved for non-program elective credit, it is not considered equivalent to any Stanford-taught course and will not be used to fulfill any degree requirements; the credit will only contribute to your overall unit count needed for graduation. Each course is evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure it meets Stanford's academic standards and aligns with the university's transfer credit policies. A course-to-course evaluation or general education requirement request may result in a decision where non-program elective credit is granted if the external course does not meet the 1:1 or requirement threshold.

Enrollment prerequisites: Credit awarded as a Non-Program Elective cannot be used to fulfill hard-coded class requisites.

These approved courses will show as "UGXFER NONPRG-TRANSFER COURSE CREDIT" under your degree audit's “University General Electives” section. They are not eligible to be moved to other areas or satisfy requirements.

Note: Students may not request Non-Program Elective credit directly. This type of credit will only be awarded by the Registrar's Office in cases where a course-to-course equivalency was not established, but further review concluded that the work met Stanford's level of academic rigor, and transfer credit should still be awarded for the work completed. Students will be contacted via email by the Registrar's Office upon denial of their initial transfer credit request with instructions on how Non-Program Elective credit may be applied to their transcript. If the Registrar's Office places this credit on your account and you wish to have it removed, contact the office directly.

General Education Requirement

Students must review the Transfer Credit Database to see if their external course has been approved before submitting any of the evaluation request forms below. If your course is in the database, do not submit the below forms; instead, submit this help request.

• To request transfer credit to fulfill Ways Requirements, please visit this webpage to review the criteria and submit the applicable form. Please note that pre-approval is required, and the course must be taken in-person.  
• To request transfer credit to fulfill the WR-1 or WR-2 Requirements, please visit this webpage to review the criteria and submit the applicable form. 
• To request transfer credit to fulfill the Language Requirement, please visit this webpage for more information. To have a language class (or set of classes) evaluated for fulfillment of the language requirement, please fill out the applicable form here. Please note the course must be taken in-person.