How to Negotiate College Transfer Courses

**Note: the following tips, suggestions and advice come from the writer's personal experience as a college senior, having transferred to and from an out-of-state university. The following article is in no way reflective of said universities. For many students, transferring colleges or universities across state lines can be academically challenging, frustrating and even damaging. Oftentimes course credits do not transfer and student advisors refuse to budge on university rules and policies. A student may find himself set back an entire academic year or more after transferring, only prolonging his or her graduation date. Unfortunately, in some cases, this is completely unavoidable. However, given a student's past academic transcript, some course substitutions may be possible. Here are a few suggestions and tips for negotiating these substitutions with your academic advisor and other university leaders:

1. Bring your Former University's Course Catalogue/Bulletin to your Advising Appointment

When meeting with your academic advisor for upcoming course registrations, be sure you bring your course catalogue from your previous university. This is a crucial part of your ability to argue convincingly for a course substitution. Your advisor will need to see the full description of the course in question before agreeing to the credit transfer. This description will be found in your course catalogue or on that university's official web site. Either way, bringing this catalogue to your advising appointment will allow your advisor to hold the proof in his or her hands.

For example, if you have taken an upper-division course for your major, say a senior level Anthropology course entitled "Social and Cultural Change," the institution you are transferring to may have a different title for the course. This often results in the university not accepting the credit in place of their version of the class, because they believe it is a completely different class. However, if you can convince your advisor that, based on what you learned in the class and, supported by the official description of the course, the content is the same or very similar, you may win the battle.

Use this methodology for each roadblock you run into. You may not win each one. But you can certainly give it your best shot. Do not allow your advisor to sign you up for a class you feel you may have already taken, even if the course names are not precisely the same. Question it first.

2. Voice any Extenuating Circumstances

Some colleges and universities are willing to grant course substitutions to students with extenuating circumstances. These situations often include students who were forced to transfer to another state because of a parent's job, a mom or dad who is in the military, or for medical reasons. If you are a student with such a circumstance, be certain that your advisor is aware of it. He or she may plead your case to the dean of your specific department. This can sometimes result in a little more understanding in terms of your academic transcript and transfer courses.

3. Bring your Out-of-State Academic Transcript to your Advising Appointment

While your advisor will likely have this on file, it never hurts to have a hardcopy as backup. Your academic transcript will show every course you took at your out-of-state college or university and total number of credit hours you completed there. It will, of course, also list the year(s) you attended that university. If you have not taken any time off from school, and your advisor sees this, he or she may be more willing to negotiate possible course substitutions. Your advisor will also likely examine the total number of credit hours you have completed up to this point. Because you only need a certain amount to graduate (this number will be different for every major/program), your advisor may be willing to work with you, depending on the number of hours you have accumulated. Oftentimes most or all of your courses will transfer, but consequently end up being considered "electives," rather than the courses they were in reality. If you plan on remaining within the same major/program, you will likely need several course substitutions so as to avoid starting your degree over from scratch. Bear in mind the three aforementioned pieces of advice and good luck fighting for your course transfers!