Transfer and External Credit

Overview

SJSU accepts credit transferred from a variety of external sources, including AP, IB, another institution, and active military duty. Transfer credit must be sent to SJSU for evaluation and processed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

This information is not meant to be a substitute to official stated policies by official University offices and CSU statues of governance  which manage these policies. For questions, please visit an academic advisor at the H&A SSC.

Use the links here to go to an area that might interest you.

• Transferring from a Community College
• Transferring from a 4-Year Institution
• IGETC/GE Certification
• Credit by Exam
• Concurrent Enrollment
• Frequently-Asked Questions

Credit from External Institutions

To transfer credit from an external institution, you should request that an offiicial transcript sealed in an official envelope be sent to SJSU, or receive a copy of the official transcript in a sealed envelope and submit it to the Office of the Registrar.

You transfer credit will be processed for all courses that have received a grade. As a result, if you are taking courses in the semester that you submit transcripts to SJSU (ex. submitting community college transcripts in June, while taking summer courses that are being taught that will not end until after June), you will not receive credit for the courses at that time.

In order to have these courses receive credit, you will need to resubmit these transcripts after you receive a grade for these courses. 

Transferring from Community College

SJSU applies up to 70 units towards the graduation requirement of 120 minimum units. To evaluate and articulate GE courses, you should look at SJSU's GE Breadth page to see what classes you took at your community college fulfill which GE areas.

If you obtain an AA-T (SB 1440) from a community college, ensure that all of your core GE requirements are designated as fulfilled on MyProgress. 

To evaluate what major and minor classes from you took will apply to courses in your major/minor, take a look at SJSU's school-to-school articulation page.

Transferring from a Four-Year Institution

SJSU does not impose a limit on the number of units transferred from a four-year institution. Credits earned at regionally accredited colleges are evaluated by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and application of credits towards university requirements are at the discretion of Undergraduate Admissions on the basis of evidence submitted.

See the policies and procedures regarding transfer credit from a four-year institution in the SJSU catalog.

IGETC/GE Certification

Students are recommended to follow an IGETC or GE certification pattern prior to transferring to SJSU. Upon completion of an IGETC/GE certification, you should send the certificate to the Office of the Registrar. Completion of a full IGETC or GE certification fulfills all lower division core General Education requirements.

Completion and submission of a full IGETC or GE certification does not necessarily fulfill American Institutions requirements or University physical education requirements. You may choose to transfer courses fulfilling American Institutions and/or physical education requirements, but an IGETC/GE certification alone will not fulfill these graduation requirements.

AA-T (SB 1440)

Students transferring with an AA-T from another instutition will fulfill their lower division core general education requirements, but not American Institutions or physical education requirements.

The following majors in the College of H&A have the physical education requirement fulfilled upon completion of an AA-T.

Credit By Exam

AP (Advanced Placement)

To receive credit towards graduation for an AP exam, students must score at least a 3 on the AP test. Several AP exams fulfill one or more GE sections, while others will not receive credit for GE. Consult the SJSU AP exam guide for more details.

CLEP (College Level Exam Program)

To receive credit towards graduation for CLEP, students must score at least a 50 for subject exams. The maximum number of units a student can receive from CLEP is 30. Consult the SJSU CLEP guide for more details.

IB (International Baccalaureate)

To receive credit towards graduation for IB, students must score at least a 4 before college matriculation. Consult the SJSU IB guide for more details.

Tips for Transferring Credit

When transferring credit to SJSU, there are several things to keep in mind regarding timing of transfer units, who to speak with, and what happens when something doesn't go right.

• If you are currently taking classes in the semester that you submit a transcript (ex. taking summer courses at DeAnza, and submitted your transcript during the summer), your transcript will not include the classes you are currently in. You will need to resubmit your transcript after you receive grades for the classes you are currently in.

• In the case you receive a fraction of a credit (ex. 3.3 units), SJSU will round down the number of units to the nearest whole digit (3).

• Many times, transferred courses can fulfill more than one requirement. If you are under the impression that you fulfilled a specific requirement that is not reflected on MyProgress, speak with an advisor at the H&A SSC.

• If you are attending a college not on the SJSU Articulation website, see TES (Transfer Evaluation System) for comprensive information on class articulation.

Concurrent Enrollment

You may find that you want to take classes at another institution at the same time (same semester) while taking courses at SJSU. It might be useful for you, especially if you want to take a few GE or other major requirements at another institution.

Who might find it useful? Students who want to take a course or courses that specifically focuses on a subject that SJSU does not have a course for.

Learn about Concurrent Enrollment on the Registrar's Website →

Frequently-Asked Questions

• How do I transfer my credits to SJSU from an outside institution?

  • A : Contact the school which you wish to transfer courses from and request them to send a transcript to SJSU. If you do not have transcripts on file with SJSU that verify the courses you wish to transfer, you need to send original transcripts to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

• Can I take community college courses while I'm here at SJSU?

  • A. Yes. Students may be enrolled and attending classes concurrently in a community college while attending classes at SJSU.

• How many units can I transfer to SJSU?

  • A : Students may transfer up to 70 units outside of SJSU to SJSU from a 2-year institution, like a community college. Students may transfer an unlimited amount of units from a 4-year institution, like another CSU, UC, or other private 4-year university.

• Do I get credit for home study?

  • A. SJSU does not offer and rarely accepts credit for home study courses.

• Do I get credit for work experience?

  • A. SJSU does not grant credit towards graduation for work experience including teaching. Department-specific requirements may be fulfilled at the discretion of the department on the basis of previous experience.

• Do I get credit for military training?

  • A. SJSU does grant undergraduate degree credit for completion of military duty. See this page for more details.