Transfer Credits Office of the Registrar

• Coursework must be taken at institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) or by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for the level of credit awarded. Foreign institutions must be recognized by their country’s official regulating agency on education. Only coursework taken while the institution was recognized will be accepted.
• Only courses with grades of C- or better will be accepted.
• Courses taken Pass/No Credit may not be applied to General Education (GE) or Major requirements and are only transferable if the transcript states P = C- or above.
• Only one PE activity course (PEA) per semester will be accepted. A maximum of 8 units of PE activity may be applied to your degree; transfer students must complete 1 PEA course for each full year at Westmont, including PEA-032 Fitness for Life.
• Technical or vocational courses are not accepted (e.g., EMT, Real Estate, Interior Design, etc.)
• Remedial or college-prep courses are not transferable (e.g., Geometry, Study Skills, etc.)
• Transfer grades are noted for information only; they will not be computed in your Westmont GPA.
• All courses taken at 2-year colleges are classified as lower division unless approved by the major department.
• No more than 64 semester or 96 quarter units may be transferred from 2-year institutions.
• The conversion of quarter units to semester units is: 1 quarter unit equals 2/3 semester unit.
• Institutions/courses without set term dates are not transferable.

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Your entering class level at Westmont is based on the total units transferred according to the following scale:

0 - 25 units Freshman
26 - 58 units Sophomore
59 - 91 units Junior
92 or more units Senior

For example, a student who receives transfer credit for 58 units is classified as a sophomore, even though she/he is only 1 unit away from junior standing.

A minimum of 124 units are required for your Westmont degree.

Your class level is based solely on transcripts received by Westmont and evaluated by the Student Records Office. It is used to determine the following:

• Advising for and placement in classes
• Priority at registration
• Athletic eligibility for intercollegiate sports
• Cal Grant eligibility
• Eligibility for Federal (Stafford) Loan and the Westmont College Interest-Free Loan - the amount you may borrow is based on your class level
• Eligibility for a Westmont parking permit

Transfer courses that are used to meet GE requirements must be at least 3 semester units or 4 quarter units, with exception of PEA courses.

Transfer students must complete one course at Westmont from subcategory A. Biblical and Theological Canons and one course at Westmont from subcategory B. Introduction to the Christian Liberal Arts for each full year of attendance at Westmont until either graduation or both subcategories have been completed.

Students who transfer from a Christian College Consortium (CCC) or a Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) campus may receive credit for appropriate Common Contexts classes that fit Westmont’s General Education categories. Consult with Associate Registrar Tara Sturges.

Students taking summer courses are required to complete all course requirements prior to the first day of fall semester classes. 

“Writing for the Liberal Arts” – Transfer students who have not completed a college-level English composition course but who have qualifying test scores (e.g., ACT or SAT Writing) may take any writing-intensive course at Westmont rather than ENG-002 to satisfy this requirement.

Transfer students who have not completed 3 years of high school math, including Algebra II, or who do not have a Math SAT I score of 570 or an ACT Math score of 22, must have successfully completed (C- or above) a course in College Algebra or above at another college or university before they will be allowed to enroll in a mathematics course at Westmont.

To receive consideration for credit, students must have official copies of all exam scores sent directly to the Student Records Office. AP scores of “4” and “5” and IB scores of “5”, “6” and “7” (HL level only) are eligible for credit

Transfer courses that are accepted by Westmont that do not meet GE requirements are considered electives. Some of them may meet major and/or minor requirements.

Application of transfer courses to major and/or minor requirements is made in consultation with your academic advisor in your major/minor department. You will meet and work with your major advisor as part of the registration process.