The proposed policy sets a standard for accepting transfer credit. It does not require a change to a campus’s grading system or indicate what courses and credit are included in official GPA calculations. The policy also does not require campuses to calculate a transfer GPA.

If a campus decides that calculating a transfer GPA is necessary to apply consistent academic standards, the campus may choose to do so. However, the policy does not require that transfer GPA to be officially included in the student’s GPA or shown on the transcript.

Because campuses implement their student information systems (SIS) and Degree Works differently – and retain local authority over configuration and programming – each institution may have unique needs and priorities. All major SIS platforms and Degree Works are capable of calculating GPAs that include transfer coursework.

As the policy evolves, we anticipate working collaboratively with campus technical teams, the SICAS Center, and vendor partners to provide guidance and support.

The proposal asks campuses to apply aligned academic standards for transfer and non‑transfer students and to avoid creating additional inequities. The approach seeks to ensure that both transfer and non-transfer students have the knowledge and skills needed for a course or program.

To support this goal, campuses may consider a student’s transfer grades or transfer GPA when establishing or ensuring equitable program or progress requirements. Each campus will determine how best to apply these standards locally.

Campuses may have technical needs and may require additional guidance and examples to operationalize the policy without compromising or altering existing campus standards. As the policy evolves, we anticipate working collaboratively with campus technical teams, the SICAS Center, and vendor partners to provide guidance and support.

The proposed policy does not establish a specific minimum grade; it requires that equivalent transfer course grades be treated as grades earned in residence for the purposes of requirement fulfillment. Therefore, any grade that applies to a non-transfer student, would apply to a transfer student. Campuses may continue to determine the appropriate letter grade required to demonstrate that students have the knowledge and skills needed for a course or program.

When academically justified, campuses may maintain higher grade standards for courses or programs, provided those standards apply equally to both transfer and non‑transfer students.

The proposed policy applies only to coursework completed at SUNY institutions prior to a student’s admission to the receiving campus.

Campuses may continue to use transfer‑permission processes for currently enrolled students, and may maintain existing grade acceptance thresholds for students, provided such policies are fully documented.

Campuses are encouraged to adopt uniform policies wherever possible to ensure students receive clear and consistent guidance.

Under the proposed policy, campuses would accept alternate grading modes, such as pass/fail, only when those modes are already accepted for current non‑transfer students to fulfill a particualr requirement.

In addition, a pass/fail grade is only required to be accepted if the grading standard is clearly defined on the transcript key and the grade equivalent meets the campus’s minimum grade requirement.

Campuses may continue to restrict pass/fail grades from fulfilling specific requirements (e.g., major core or general education) as long as the restriction applies equally to transfer and non‑transfer students. Campuses may also limit the number of courses taken using alternate grading modes, provided such limits are applied uniformly.

Campuses may continue to have courses‑in‑residence (residency) policies requiring a certain number of credits be completed at the receiving institution. If a student’s transfer credits exceed those limits, the campus should prioritize accepting the courses that best satisfy degree requirements and provide the greatest benefit to the student.

The policy proposal uses the SIRIS definition to identify transfer students. The definitions included in the proposed policies are aligned with the SIRIS standard. The full SIRIS definition is provided below.

“TRANSFER STUDENT: An UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT who is enrolled at the reporting institution for the first time in the current term but who has attended another college or university prior to the current term. The actual number of CREDIT HOURS the student is allowed to transfer is not relevant to the distinction between a transfer student and a FIRST-TIME STUDENT, even if no credits were ultimately transferable. A student who moves from one level of study to another at the same institution (e. g. from an associate’s degree program to a baccalaureate degree program) is not considered a transfer student but rather a TRANSITION STUDENT.

A student who has only changed his or her field of study without changing institutions is not a transfer student as here defined. A student whose previous post-secondary education is only at a non-collegiate institution such as a business school or technical institution should be considered FIRST-TIME STUDENT unless the reporting institution expects to give credit for such activities, in which case the student is a transfer student.”

The policy does not prohibit a campus from having a policy or process where the student can actively elect to remove or decline credit for a course – which is a practice many campuses allow. Campuses would be asked to document the request process in their transfer policies and procedures. Campuses should also ensure that the action will not negatively impact student aid or aid eligibility. Additional guidance and paramaters for this may be included in final guidance.

The proposed policy does not directly address this. There are several possible ways this could be implemented operationally, depending on the approach a campus chooses. Generally speaking, if a transfer policy provides parity, enables academic progression, and recognizes student academic work without extending time-to-degree it would be in line with the goals of the proposed policy. Depending on the outcomes of the ongoing campus review, final policy and/or guidance may address this interest specifically.

The proposed policy does not address this issue directly. In other comparable policies, language was included indicating that lower grades (e.g., “D” grades) would only be accepted when the overall average GPA for accepted transfer courses was above a 2.0. In drafting the policy, the 2.0 standard was indicated as unnecessary because admission policies generally require a minimum 2.0 GPA, and the policy only applied to pre-admission coursework.

Because of the interest expressed in explicitly addressing this, and since students commonly bring in coursework from multiple experiences, it has been flagged as something to address in the policy revision or through guidance issued in the Memorandum to Presidents (MTP) pending the outcome of campus feedback.

Yes. Campuses may award credit for AP scores below 3 and IB HL scores below 4 based on local academic standards. Campuses may also award credit for IB Standard Level (SL) exams at their discretion.

Campuses should award either elective credit or disciplinary‑area credit within the appropriate academic field, applied in a way that best supports the student’s progress toward degree completion.

Even if a campus accepts a lower AP or IB score for credit, it is not required to grant the same course equivalency that is reserved for a higher score. Campuses may award elective or disciplinary‑area credit when a lower score does not meet the standard for a direct course match.

Campuses may appropriately withhold credit for examinations when a satisfactory score was earned where:

• the equivalency cannot be applied to any course requirement, degree requirement, general elective credit requirement, or disciplinary‐area elective requirement; or
• awarding the equivalency would be duplicative of coursework previously earned; or
• the credit earned will result in a student exceeding the campus residency (courses-in-residence) policy.

Campuses may set limits on how many exam scores they accept and how many exam‑based credits can count toward a degree, as long as those limits are part of a documented residency (credits‑in‑residence) requirement and are applied equally to both transfer and non‑transfer students.

Campuses must publish their AP and IB credit‑award policies and equivalencies in a location readily accessible and viewable by student (e.g.; the academic catalog, transfer credit policies, or admissions materials). These charts must list score thresholds, credit hours awarded, course equivalencies, and any General Education requirements the exams may satisfy. Any campus‑specific limitations or restrictions on exam acceptance must also be clearly included.