Transfer Credit

Link to Application for Transfer of Credit Form (online)

• Students are encouraged to speak to the appropriate Bowdoin department/program before submitting potential transfer courses through the form. 
• Students should submit one form for each course they are seeking pre-approval to transfer. 
• The appropriate Bowdoin department/program faculty representative will receive email notification prompting them to review the student's request for pre-approval to transfer credit.
• If pre-approved by the department/program faculty representative, the Office of the Registrar will review the application to ensure that all conditions of approval are met. 
• Both the student and the department/program faculty representative will receive email notification each time an approval/denial is requested and processed.  

The Application for Transfer of Credit Form should be used for: 

• summer terms, 
• credit while on a medical leave or suspension (if official permission has been granted), 
• or pre-matriculation credit.

The Application for Transfer of Credit Form should NOT be used for: 

• Seeking transfer credit for courses taken during an approved study away semester,
  • Contact the Off-Campus Study Office for more information about that process. 

• Transfer credit is awarded only for liberal arts courses analogous to those in the Bowdoin curriculum, in which a grade of C- or above is earned (courses may not be taken pass/fail). 
• The College may decline to grant transfer credit if the course or the student's work in the course does not satisfy Bowdoin academic standards. 
  • Bowdoin courses generally meet for 45 hours a semester (3 hours a week), with the expectation that a minimum of 9 additional hours a week will be spent in lab, discussion group, film viewings, or preparatory work.
• Permission to transfer credit from other institutions requires approval in advance from the appropriate Bowdoin department/program and the Office of the Registrar.
  • Students are encouraged to begin the process of seeking pre-approval for transfer credit at least 6-8 weeks prior to the start of the course they're interested in taking elsewhere. 
  • Without pre-approval, transfer of credit is possible only by petition to the Recording Committee.
• Some departments/programs require students to submit supporting documents, e.g., syllabi and all papers and exams, before granting final approval for the credit to transfer. 
• Credit is not granted for courses taken elsewhere when Bowdoin classes are in session (the first day of classes through the last day of final exams) except in special circumstances and with the prior approval of the Recording Committee. 
  • Bowdoin's official, academic calendar can be referenced here.
• Outside of the United States, consultation with the Off-Campus Study Office is required to confirm transfer credit eligibility and obtain pre-approval.
• Students may apply for transfer credit from online or hybrid courses (as of 2014), courses taken at two-year institutions (as of 2021), and courses taken during abbreviated terms (as of 2021).
• Students may apply for pre-matriculation transfer credit providing the following criteria have been met: 
  • The coursework must have been completed on a college campus at an accredited two- or four-year college/university in courses taught by college faculty;
  • The coursework must have been completed in a class with matriculated college students; 
  • The courses may not have been used to satisfy any high-school graduation requirements; and
  • The coursework must represent a standard of achievement comparable to what is expected at Bowdoin in a field of study characteristic of the liberal arts. 
• No credit is transferred for:
  • Non-liberal arts/professional focus, e.g., business, marketing, communications, or journalism
  • Domestic for-profit institutions
  • Vocational study
  • Bridge programs
  • Correspondence courses
  • HBX CORe
  • Outdoor education or similar field-study areas if required assignments consist of only reports or reflective summaries.
  • Internships

• Pre-matriculation credit sources include:
  • Advanced Placement,
  • International Baccalaureate,
  • other approved international exams,
  • college credits for courses that were completed on a college campus, taught by college faculty, completed in a class with matriculated college students, and were not used to satisfy any high school graduation requirements.
• Study away:
  • Maximum of 4.0 credits per semester of work done in an approved study away program.
  • Students who study away for two semesters may apply a cumulative total of 8.0 credits.   

There are three types of transfer credit for which a student can seek approval:

General Credit: 

• All transfer credit must meet the minimum requirements of a general credit to be pre-approved by the appropriate Bowdoin department/program and the Office of the Registrar to count towards the Bowdoin degree. 
  • This means that the rigor and content of the coursework is equitable to a course at Bowdoin and the credits earned (not the grade) will be counted towards the Bowdoin degree.
• Before final approval is granted, departments/programs may want to evaluate coursework and students must always send an official transcript directly from the host institution to the Office of the Registrar showing the course(s) taken, grade(s) earned, and number of credits/hours. 
• In most cases, courses taken elsewhere will appear as GENL XXXX in Polaris Degree Progress for advising purposes only. 
• Official Bowdoin transcripts only reflect the semester, institution, and total credits earned (no course information is listed).

• The appropriate Bowdoin department/program and the Office of the Registrar must pre-approve ANY course to count as general credit before it can be considered to apply towards a major or minor.
• Before final approval is granted, departments/programs may want to evaluate coursework and students must always send an official transcript directly from the host institution to the Office of the Registrar showing the course(s) taken, grade earned, and number of credits/hours. 
• If the Bowdoin department/program approves transfer credit to count towards a student's major/minor requirements, it means that the course content aligns closely with the materials in a student's major/minor; and, regardless of the amount of credit earned, the student can count that course taken elsewhere as part of X requirements for Y major/minor.
• Transfer credit approved to satisfy a major or minor requirement will still appear in Degree Progress as GENL XXXX. Departments/programs track approval of non-Bowdoin courses counting toward a student's major/minor internally. 
• Official Bowdoin transcripts only reflect the semester, institution, and total credits earned (no course information is listed). 

• The appropriate Bowdoin department/program and the Office of the Registrar must pre-approve ANY course to count as general credit before it can be considered for equivalent credit.
• Before final approval is granted, departments/programs may want to evaluate coursework and students must always send an official transcript directly from the host institution to the Office of the Registrar showing the course(s) taken, grade earned, and number of credits/hours. 
• In rare cases, a course taken elsewhere may be approved as a Bowdoin Course Equivalent and it will function during registration and degree audits as if it had been taken at Bowdoin. The transferred course will calculate as a pre-requisite for upper level courses.
• The difference between a Bowdoin Equivalent Credit and a class taken at Bowdoin is that only the credits and not the grade will factor into the Bowdoin degree for the course taken elsewhere.
• Transfer credit approved as a Bowdoin Course Equivalent will appear in Degree Progress with the Subject and Number of the Bowdoin Equivalent Course for which it was approved.
• Courses taken elsewhere will not earn distribution/division credit--even if it is approved as a course equivalent. All distribution/division requirements must be met with courses taken at Bowdoin.
• Official Bowdoin transcripts only reflect the semester, institution, and total credits earned (no course information is listed).

Credit Equivalency

• Effective summer 2021: 1.00 Bowdoin credit is considered equal to a minimum of 3 semester hours or 5 quarter hours at other colleges and universities. Please see the transfer credit equivalency charts below for more information.
• While some exceptions may occur, no course taken elsewhere will be worth more than 1.00 Bowdoin credit, even if the course has accompanying laboratory credits.

• Students seeking to transfer credit for courses taken prior to summer 2021 should email registrar@bowdoin.edu with any questions about how many credits will transfer back.

Off-Campus Study

• For detailed information, visit the Off-Campus Study Office's website.
• Students must register at the host institution full time, in the appropriate amount of courses that will equate to 4.00 Bowdoin credits.
  • In some cases, this will require a student to register in more than four courses.
  • Students should consult with the Office of Off-Campus Study to confirm their final course schedule is the equivalent of 4.00 Bowdoin credits per term during a study away experience.
• Should a student's originally approved study away course change, the student is required to notify the Office of Off-Campus Study at the start of term and in some cases may be required to obtain pre-approval from an appropriate Bowdoin department/program.
  • Changes to course load while studying away may result in a change in the amount of credit that will be transferred back to Bowdoin; students are advised to check with the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Off-Campus Study.

• Only credits transfer to the Bowdoin degree; no grades earned elsewhere impact the GPA.
• No credit will be awarded by the Office of the Registrar until an official transcript showing the number of credits or credit-hours and the grade(s) earned has been received from the host institution.
• A transcript is considered to be official only if it arrives at the Office of the Registrar in its original, sealed envelope or as a certified PDF. A faxed transcript, photocopy of the transcript, letter or email from the professor, or grade report is not acceptable.
• Bowdoin cannot request a transcript from another institution; it is the student’s responsibility to make certain that an official transcript is sent directly from the host institution to:
  • Office of the Registrar, Bowdoin College, 4500 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011-8436.
• Students should allow 2-4 weeks from Bowdoin's receipt of the official transcript for transfer credit to be applied.
• Students will receive email notification from the Office of the Registrar once credit is applied and viewable in Polaris and Degree Progress. 
• Bowdoin cannot release a transcript from another institution; it is the student's responsibility to request a copy of their official transcript from the host institution directly. 
• No course titles or grades are listed on an official Bowdoin transcript for courses completed at another institution. Only the term, institution attended, and total credit received will display on the official Bowdoin transcript.
• After transfer credit is processed, students will receive an email. Degree Progress, used for advising purposes only, will update to reflect the transfer credit within 24 hours.