Transfer Credit, AP Credit & More
Transfer Credit Information
Students are responsible for ensuring that official copies of transcripts from each institution at which they have taken college-level coursework are submitted to the Saint Michael’s College for evaluation. This includes college credit earned through high school dual enrollment programs, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). Saint Michael’s College accepts both hard-copy and electronic official transcripts.
Transfer Credit Information
(see SMC catalog for complete policy)
Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis. Transferred courses are assigned an equivalent Saint Michael’s College course prefix/number (e.g. PS 101) when appropriate. If no equivalent course is designated, general credit in the appropriate discipline may be awarded.
In order to be eligible for transfer credit at Saint Michael’s College, a course must meet the following criteria:
- Institution where the course was completed is a regionally accredited, degree-granting college or and university in the US; or is recognized as a post-secondary, degree-granting institution by the foreign government or state governmental agency in the country where the institution is located.
- Course is comparable in content, nature, and rigor to course offerings in the corresponding discipline at Saint Michael’s College.
- Course is completed with a grade of C- (or equivalent) or higher. A course with a grade of ‘P’ (Pass) or ‘S’ (Satisfactory) will be accepted only with official documentation verifying successful completion of the course at the C- or higher level.
A course is not transferable under the following circumstances:
- Course discipline is not offered at Saint Michael’s College, e.g. nursing, physical education, or culinary arts.
- Course is considered remedial or developmental in nature, and doesn’t count toward degree requirements at sending institution.
- Course appears on transcript without credit and/or a grade assigned.
- Course credit was awarded based on life or work experience.
- Course credit was earned based on internship or cooperative education experience.
- Course credit is awarded in Continuing Education Units (CEU).
Grades in transferred courses are not transferable, and they are not used in the computation of the GPA at Saint Michael’s College.
Transfer credit is awarded based on the credit value of the course in semester credit hours (or equivalent) at the sending institution, not based on the credit value of the comparable course at Saint Michael’s College. However, a three-credit transferred course may be used to satisfy a requirement if it is deemed equivalent to a four-credit Saint Michael’s College that meets that requirement.
To earn a Saint Michael’s College degree, students must earn a minimum of 32 credits at SMC. At least half of the credits used to satisfy major and minor requirements must be earned at SMC, or through a college-approved study-abroad or study-away program. 24 of the final 32 credits must be earned at SMC, or through a college-approved study-abroad or study-away program.
Use the process outlined below to request transfer credit for a graduate program that was not requested during the admission process.
Instructions
- Review the transfer credit policy in the SMC Graduate Catalog.
- Request an official transcript from the sending institution. Note that most transcripts are now transmitted electronically, often through secure third-party partners such as the National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment. In such cases, select Saint Michael’s College as the recipient, and your transcript will be routed appropriately by the receiving office. If you are able to enter an email address for the recipient, please use registrar@smcvt.edu. Paper official transcripts are also accepted; they must arrive from the institution (or its designated official transcript vendor) in a sealed envelope. Please use the following address: Registrar’s Office; One Winooski Park, Box 3; Colchester, VT 05439.
- When the Registrar’s Office receives your official transcript, they will consult with the program director regarding any credit that may be transferable to your current program. They may reach out to you to request course descriptions and/or course syllabi.
- Once your coursework has been evaluated, the Registrar’s Office will add the appropriate transfer credit to your record and make any necessary adjustments to your program evaluation. The Registrar’s Office will notify you by email when your evaluation is complete, copying your advisor, program director, and the administrative assistant for your program. You will be able to view the evaluation in KnightVision.
Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and International Exams & Credentials
Students with the following Advanced Placement scores are eligible for transfer credit at Saint Michael’s College. The Registrar’s Office requires that official score reports from the College Board. More information about requesting score reports is available on the College Board’s website.
| Test Name | Score | Course Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| AP Research | 4 or 5 | General Elective credit (credit towards a major, minor, or the Core will be considered on a student-by-student basis) |
| AP Seminar | 4 or 5 | General Elective credit (credit towards a major, minor, or the Core will be considered on a student-by-student basis) |
| Art History | 4 or 5 | AH-251 (Literature & the Arts Core) |
| Biology | 4 or 5 | BI-001 (Scientific Inquiry Core) does not count towards Biology (major or minor), Biochemistry, Neuroscience or Pre-Pharmacy |
| Calculus AB | 3 | MA-130 (Quantitative Reasoning Core) |
| 4 or 5 | MA-150 (Quantitative Reasoning Core) | |
| Calculus BC | 3 | MA-150 (Quantitative Reasoning Core) |
| 4 or 5 | MA-150 and MA-160 (Quantitative Reasoning Core) | |
| Chemistry | 4 or 5 | CH-110 (Scientific Inquiry Core) |
| Chinese Language | 3 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for CHI-102 | |
| Computer Science A | 4 or 5 | CS-111 (Quantitative Reasoning Core) |
| Economics - Macro | 4 or 5 | EC-101 |
| Economics- Micro | 4 or 5 | EC-103 |
| English Language | 4 or 5 | EN-101 |
| English Literature | 4 or 5 | EN-001 (Literature & the Arts Core) does not count towards English major or minor |
| Environmental Science | 4 or 5 | BI-001 (Scientific Inquiry Core)* |
| European History | 4 or 5 | HI-001 (History & Society Core) |
| French Language | 3 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for FR-102 | |
| German Language | 3 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for GE-102 | |
| Government & Politics - Comparative | 4 or 5 | PO-285 (History & Society Core) |
| Government & Politics - U.S. | 4 or 5 | PO-120 (History & Society Core) |
| Human Geography | 5 | GG-101 (History & Society Core) |
| Italian Language | 3 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for IT-102 | |
| Japanese Language | 3 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for JA-102 | |
| Latin: Vergil | 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for LA-102 |
| Music Theory | 4 or 5 | MU-201 |
| Physics 1 and 2 (formerly B) | 4 or 5 | PY-220 (Scientific Inquiry Core) |
| Physics C | 4 or 5 | PY-210 (Scientific Inquiry Core) |
| Psychology | 4 or 5 | PS-101 |
| Spanish Language | 3 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency and credit for SP-102 | |
| Spanish Literature | 4 or 5 | Establishes Language Proficiency |
| Statistics | 3, 4 or 5 | ST-120 (Quantitative Reasoning Core) |
| Studio Art | 4 or 5 | AR-205 (Literature & the Arts Core) |
| U.S. History | 4 or 5 | HI-002 (History & Society Core) Note: students opting to receive credit for the US History AP Exam will not earn credit for HI-101 or HI-103 at SMC. |
| World History | 4 or 5 | HI-003 (History & Society Core) |
Students who complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program are eligible to receive up to 32 credits at Saint Michael’s College, which is equivalent to one full year of study, or sophomore status.
International Baccalaureate students not completing the Diploma Program are also eligible to receive advanced standing and/or credit, which may be awarded for Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL) courses with grades of 5, 6, or 7. A maximum of 32 credits will be awarded.
Official IB score reports should be sent directly from International Baccalaureate to the SMC Registrar’s Office.
Click here to view more information regarding IB course equivalencies and credit.
Coursework and/or exams for all international secondary school credentials and leaving exams are evaluated on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic department. Official transcripts or score reports from the institutions or examining boards are required. Country-specific information is available below.
Canada (Province of Quebec)
CEGEP
Transfer credit may be awarded for coursework completed in the final year of CEGEP, which is generally considered equivalent to college-level coursework in the United States. Transfer credit for CEGEP courses are awarded in accordance with SMC’s transfer credit policies.
United Kingdom
A-Levels (Cambridge International Exams)
Students earning grades of A, B, or C on Advanced Level (A-Level) exams may be eligible to earn transfer credit. Saint Michael’s College will not award transfer credit for AS or O-level exams.
Norway
Vitnemål fra den Videregående Skole/Vitnemål for Videregående Opplæring
Transfer credit may be awarded for scores of 3 or higher in subjects completed in the final year of Videregående Skole.
Switzerland
Matura
Transfer credit may be awarded for exams completed with scores of 4, 5 or 6.