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It's been awhile since I attended college

Will my old credits transfer and apply to my new degree? 

One of the main factors that will determine whether or not credits are eligible to transfer is how closely related they are to the program you wish to apply for.  If the courses you’ve taken previously are relevant to your proposed area of study, or they qualify as core curriculum or general education, they will likely transfer.

However, depending on the particular program you’re applying to, courses that do not fall into either of these categories may still count towards elective requirements.

Another common criteria for transfer credits is recency, or the length of time that has passed since the credits were earned.

Recency is more or less important depending on the type of course you would like to transfer. For instance, courses in areas that evolve rapidly—such as the sciences or technology—are likely to have a shorter shelf life than those that tend not to change drastically over the years—such as humanities, like History and English.

 

Set up an advising appointment to discuss the details of transferring into one of ISU's programs. 

Course Review Process

Transferable credit reviews are initiated once an official transcript for admitted degree seeking students are received.  Evaluations are completed within 7 business days and students are notified through their ISU email account.

  • All official transcripts must be sent to ISU directly from the issuing institution.
  • The Office of the Registrar evaluation specialists initially determine lower division course equivalencies based on content matches between the two institutions.
  • Students will work with their major department to determine equivalent upper division credit.
  • If the course content does not match a course taught at ISU or can not be determined based on the information available the credit will transfer as an elective (1XXX, 2XXX, 3XXX, 4XXX).  
  • Coursework that initially transfers to ISU as elective credit may go through a second review process.  The student will initiate the review process with their academic advisor.

Students should log into their myISU account for academic advisor information.  If the student needs assistance or would like to speak to an advisor contact ISU's Central Academic Advising office, 208/282-3277.

Transfer Course Policies

  • Courses are evaluated on a course-by-course basis for transferable credit.
    • Lower division courses go through an initial review process that starts with the Office of the Registrar.
    • Upper division courses must go through a faculty review by the department to determine equivalency. 
  • "T" before a grade means transfer grades
  • Direct equivalencies are denoted using the ISU course number.
  • Elective courses will display with the equivalent ISU subject code followed by a course with "XXX"
  • The 1st digit of the transfer course number denotes the level of the course
    • Remedial=00
    • Prof/Tech=0
    • Freshman=1
    • Sophmore=2
    • Junior=3
    • Senior=4

Transfer grades are converted to the ISU grade with a proceeding T (TA, TC, etc.) and do not affect the ISU GPA. 

  • Credits transfer to Idaho State University at the course level designated at the institution of origin (upper or lower division).
    • Lower division (1000-2000 level) credit MAY NOT be used to meet the university's upper division (3000-4000) credit minimum regardless of the appropriate course equivalencies.
  • Credits earned on a system other than semester hour will be converted to semester hours during the transfer evaluation course review.

Quarter Credit hour conversion

Credits transferred in from a quarter school have to be converted to the semester system. A quarter credit is equal to 2/3 (0.667) of a semester credit. If a course has been evaluated as equivalent, you will not need to repeat it to make up deficiencies in credit. You will, however, be responsible for earning the minimum total hours required for graduation.

Accreditation

In the United States, accreditation assures students, families, and government entities that an institution provides a quality education.

The United States Department of Education provides oversight over the postsecondary accreditation system through its review of all federally-recognized accrediting agencies. The Department holds accrediting agencies accountable by ensuring that they enforce their accreditation standards effectively.

The accrediting organizations listed below are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Recognition by CHEA affirms that the standards and processes of the accrediting organization are consistent with the academic quality, improvement and accountability expectations.

Regional Accrediting Agencies

  • Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
    Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
    The Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC)
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
    Commission on Colleges (SACS)
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges
    Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC-ACSCU)

Click here to find out if the institution you attended is accredited by one of the agencies listed above.

Idaho State University determines how courses will transfer at the undergraduate level by using the accrediting associations listed above's standards for evaluation and acceptance of college-level credit in our credit evaluation process.

If an institution you attended does not meet the standards outlined by these accrediting agencies you may ask for an academic review of the institution you attended by utilizing the undergraduate petition and exception process.

Awarding of Credit from Non-Regionally Accredited Institutions

The process for considering possible transfer credits and recognizing undergraduate degrees granted by non-regionally accredited colleges and universities is as follows:

The student must petition the appropriate academic department at Idaho State University.  In addition to formal evaluation of the request, the department may require competency verification.

In the petition, the student must explain how s/he wishes to deviate from university policy.