Transfer Credit

Students transferring from other institutions must arrange to have official transcripts from each college/university attended be sent to Samford University.

Transfers

The Registrar Office is here to make the transfer to Samford as smooth as possible. We are responsible for processing all transfer credit, including AP, IB, CLEP, dual enrollment and military credit. Our office also facilitates all transfer credit evaluations for both prospective and current Samford students.

Students transferring from other institutions must arrange to have official transcripts from each college/university attended be sent to Samford University. New students should have all official transcripts sent directly to the Office of Admission at Samford’s physical address or email admission@samford.edu. Current Samford students who have taken transient coursework at other schools should have official transcripts sent directly to the Office of the Registrar or email transfer@samford.edu. Please select your transfer path:

Entering Freshman Transfer/International Military Current Student

Entering Freshman

Dual Enrollment (Effective for students starting in Fall 2024)

College courses taken in a high school setting without external testing (e.g. AP, CLEP, DANTES, IB) or fulfilling a high school requirement will be treated as dual enrollment credit. Entering freshmen are allowed limited dual enrollment courses as transfer credit. Students may transfer up to 30 semester credits of dual enrollment credit in which the student has earned a grade of C- or higher. Transferred coursework must be comparable to Samford courses offered at the 100 and 200 level. Only one core curriculum course (UCR 101) may be transferred as dual enrollment credit.

The aggregate of credit earned in extension, AP (Advanced Placement), and CLEP may not exceed 30 credits, and may not count toward residency requirements. At least 50% of the credit in a first degree must be earned at Samford. A minimum of 15 credits in the major field (with nine at the 300/400 level) must be taken at Samford. A minimum of nine credits in the minor field (with six at the 300/400 level) must be taken at Samford.

Credit by Examination

Institutional Codes: 1302 for AP and CLEP

Advanced Placement Credit

PDF Table | AP Website

CLEP Credit

College-level credit is awarded for scores of 50 or higher in most subject areas; however, students should consult with their advisors or the Registrar before scheduling any CLEP examinations. With the sole exception of UCR 101, CLEP credit is not acceptable for university core curriculum courses.

PDF Table | CLEP Website

DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)

DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) are exams taken to earn college credit that may exempt students from certain courses. DSST is available to all students but is funded primarily for military personnel. Exams are evaluated on a case-by-case basis upon acceptance to the University. All scores of 50 or above will be considered if they are on the list of approved exams. DSST exams that satisfy core courses will not be accepted if taken while enrolled at Samford.

Samford’s four-digit site code is 9516. The closest testing center is located at UAB. For more information, see the DSST website.

PDF Table | DANTES Website

International Baccalaureate

Samford University recognizes the quality of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and welcomes application for admission from students who have taken coursework in the IB program. Credit is given for the IB Higher Level Examinations passed with grades of 5, 6, or 7. No credit is given for the IB Subsidiary Examinations. In cases of ambiguity, the dean of Howard College of Arts & Sciences, in consultation with the registrar, will determine the credit to be awarded.

PDF Table | IB Website

How Will My Courses Transfer to Samford?

Credit Transfer

Transfer/International Credits

Transfer by Institution Accreditation Status

Transfer work from institutionally accredited (formerly regionally accredited) colleges and universities will be accepted if the student has earned a grade of C- or higher (D grades will not transfer into Samford).

Coursework will be considered for transfer credit from postsecondary institutions that offer the baccalaureate degree or associate degree leading to the baccalaureate degree and are fully accredited by one of the six accrediting agencies below.

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges; Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)

Non-Accepted Work

Non-academic courses
Remedial courses
Highly technical courses
Vocational courses
Duplicate credit
Pass/Fail graded courses, unless documentation is received from the awarding institution stating that a grade of P is equal to a C- or better.
Participation beyond limits in sports and music ensembles. NOTE: Not more than eight credits in music ensembles, drama participation, and physical education activity courses may apply toward the minimum of 128 credits required for graduation. No more than two credits in physical education activity courses beyond those required for graduation may be part of the combined eight credits.

Transfer by Institution Status

A maximum of 64 semester credit hours (or 96 quarter credits) can be transferred in from junior or community colleges, where such coursework is comparable to Samford’s 100- or 200-level courses.

Students transferring work from upper-level or four-year institutions may be allowed to exceed the 64-hour transfer credit limit, but should keep the following in mind:

In order to receive a first undergraduate degree, students must earn at least 50% of their total credits at Samford. (regardless of the total number of credits required for that student's degree program).
Within the major field, a minimum of 15 credits must be earned at Samford, nine of those at the 300/400 level.
Within the minor field, a minimum of nine credits must be earned at Samford, six of those at the 300/400 level.

Credit earned via dual enrollment, extension, correspondence, AP (Advanced Placement), and CLEP may not exceed 30 credits, in aggregate. None of this work counts towards the 50% Samford residency requirement noted above.

Transfer of Core Curriculum

Transfer guidelines apply only to students who are applying for admission to Samford University who are not classified as entering freshmen (i.e., fewer than 18 hours). Currently enrolled or previously admitted students must take all core courses at Samford.

Transfer students with less than 18 semester credits (including credit by examination) may apply only one transfer course (UCR 101) towards the core curriculum. Students will only receive the credit they earned (not the credit of the course being replaced). Students may need to take additional coursework to meet the total credits required for their degree program.

Transfer students with 18 or more semester credits earned at another institution and/or through credit by examination may apply equivalent credit for any of the six core curriculum courses (UCBF 101, UCR 101, UCS 102, UCT 101, UCT 102, and UCHW 120).

Transfer students may be able to substitute some general education courses taken elsewhere for the interdisciplinary courses of the general education curriculum that meet 75% of the required credits in each course (e.g., a three-hour course taken elsewhere may be allowed to substitute for a four-hour Samford Core or Gen Ed course).

How Will My Courses Transfer to Samford?

Credit Transfer

International Transfer Credit

Samford accepts transfer credit that has been evaluated by World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) as long as it meets all relevant transfer policies. Syllabi may be requested for additional review.

World Education Services (WES)
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)

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Military

Military Credit

The Joint Services Transcript (JST), issued through the JST Operations Center, reports courses that may be considered for transfer credit from any of the military branches, one source for all. “The American Council on Education’s (ACE) Military Programs evaluates formal service courses and occupations approved by a central authority, employing the services of teams of subject-matter specialists from colleges and universities (professors, deans, and other academicians) that, through the discussion and the application of evaluation procedures and guidelines, reach consensus on content, description, and amount of credit to be recommended for selected courses and occupations.” (Quoted from the JST Official Transcript Explanation.)

Samford will consider transfer credit any course reported on the JST that has potential for academic credit. Courses that fall into vocational/career/technical areas are not considered for transfer credit. The course description reported on the JST transcript is forwarded to the appropriate academic department chair for evaluation. If a comparable Samford equivalent is approved, credit is applied for the ACE recommended credit hours and level. If additional course information is needed, the online Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services may be consulted.

In addition, the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) may be considered for world language credit if reported on the JST. The language and scores with ACE recommendations in listening, reading, and speaking are sent to the chair of the World Languages and Cultures Department for evaluation and assignment for comparable credit.

Current Student

Transfer of Transient Courses

Want to take and then transfer a course's credit to Samford? Current Samford students who plan to take a course at another school while away from Samford must complete a transient enrollment form and secure the appropriate signatures/approval prior to registering for the class. Students are responsible for arranging to have an official transcript of that coursework sent to the Samford University Registrar (not Admissions). Students planning to take a course at a BACHE-area school (UAB, Montevallo, Miles, Birmingham-Southern) while attending Samford must complete the BACHE Exchange Form instead. For more on transfer credit policies as they apply to current Samford students taking transient coursework, see the current catalog, Academic Policies & Regulation section or the Transient Enrollment Form.

How Will My Courses Transfer to Samford?

Transfers