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Transfer Students

Transfer Student Core Curriculum Notes

Requirements that must be completed at SCU:

  • Civic Engagement; Science, Technology & Society; Advanced Writing; Experiential Learning for Social Justice; Pathways. 

Critical Thinking & Writing (CTW):

  • Transfer students who matriculate with credit for both CTW 1 and 2 have satisfied the requirement. This may include exemptions granted at other schools and credit granted through Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate test scores.
  • Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units and credit for CTW 1 will take an Advanced Writing course to complete the CTW requirement. A second Advanced Writing course will be completed to fulfill the Advanced Writing requirement.
  • All other transfer students will complete both CTW 1 and 2 at SCU.

Cultures & Ideas (C & I):

  • Transfer students who receive credit for both C & I 1 and 2 have satisfied the requirement. 
  • Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units and have previously completed a course that satisfies C & I 1 will take a C & I 3 course to substitute for C & I 2. A second C & I 3 course will be completed to fulfill the C & I 3 requirement. 
  • All other transfer students will complete both C & I 1 and 2 at SCU.

Religion, Theology, and Culture (RTC): 

  • Transfer students who matriculate with fewer than 44 units will take all three RTC courses in the required sequence. 
  • Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units may take any two RTC courses at any level to fulfill the RTC requirement.
  • SCU only allows transfer credit for RTC courses completed at other Jesuit institutions.

Pathways:

  • Transfer students will declare their Pathways by the end of their third quarter at SCU. 
  • Transfer students in the College of Arts & Sciences and Leavey School of Business who matriculate with fewer than 44 units will take four courses (minimum of 16 units) to fulfill the Pathways requirement.
  • Transfer students in the College of Arts & Sciences and Leavey School of Business who matriculate with more than 44 units will take three courses (minimum of 12 units) to fulfill the Pathways requirement. 
  • All transfer students in the School of Engineering will take three courses (minimum of 12 units) to fulfill the Pathways requirement.

 

Admitted Transfer Student Understanding Your Transfer Credit

Transfer Credit:

Coursework completed at other institutions is awarded as:
  1. A direct course equivalent at Santa Clara University, or
  2. A transfer credit (TRCR) code when a course does not have a direct course equivalent at SCU. TRCR Codes represent elective credit or a Santa Clara Core Curriculum requirement.
CodeCore Requirement
TRCR 1 Elective Credit
TRCR 12 Critical Thinking & Writing I
TRCR 14 Cultures & Ideas I
TRCR 15 Cultures & Ideas II
TRCR 16 Cultures & Ideas III
TRCR 18 Natural Science
TRCR 21 Social Science
TRCR 25 Ethics
TRCR 26 Diversity: US Perspectives
TRCR 27 Arts 
TRCR 31  1st Level, 2nd Language 
TRCR 32  2nd Level, 2nd Language 
TRCR 33  3rd Level, 3rd Language 
TRCR 34  Religion, Theology & Culture I

Note: Specific core requirements must be met at SCU: Civic Engagement, Religion, Theology & Cultures II and II, Science Technology & Society, Experiential Learning for Social Justice, Advanced Writing, and Pathways.

Grades:

Courses with a Grade Input of 'IP' (in progress) receive no credit. A final transcript must be submitted to the Undergraduate Admission Office to accurately post transfer credit. no credit will be given until a final transcript is received. 

SCU does not give transfer credit for P/NP, CR, or courses with a grade of C- or lower. Grades are not transferable to SCU, only units. However, awarding of Latin honors is based on all graded undergraduate courses attempted at SCU and courses taken elsewhere that are used towards the fulfillment of a student's degree. Honors will not be awarded above those merited by the students recorded at SCU.

The following courses are not transferable: most first-year seminars, internships, professional development courses, independent study courses, most physical education courses, most criminal/administration of justice courses, remedial English, and remedial mathematics courses. 

Maximum Number of Transfer Units Accepted:

Students are allowed to transfer in a maximum of one-half of the total quarter of units required to graduate in their specific program. The maximum number includes credit transferred from another institution, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate test credit. For student have completed credit above the maximum allowed, the Office of the registrar selects the credit most applicable towards cored and major requirements. If a change of major/minor should occur, a re-evaluation may be requested. 

Academic DivisionMinimum number of units required for graduationMaximum transferable quarter unitsMaximum transferable Semester Unit equivalency
College of Arts and Sciences 175 87.5 58.33
Leavey School of Business 175 87.5 58.33
School of Engineering:      
Bioengineering 191 95.5 63.55
Civil Engineering 195 97.5 65
Computer Science & Engineering; General Engineering 189 94.5 63
Electrical Engineering 190 95 63.33
Mechanical Engineering 192 96 64
Web Design and Engineering 175 87.5 58.33

Note: 1-semester unit is equivalent to 1.5 quarter units

Resources Tools:

Students may access the following tools online to better understand Santa Clara University's curriculum.

Contact:

For questions regarding transfer credit or AP/IB test credit, contact Sheli Whiting, Transfer Record Analyst at swhiting@scu.edu