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General Standards for Transfer
The College’s general standards apply to all courses considered for transfer to Reed. The following are NOT eligible for transfer to Reed:
- Courses that are inconsistent with the Reed curriculum.
- Courses that are vocational, technical, or experiential in nature.
- Courses graded “C-” or below.
- Courses that duplicate work completed (or that might be completed) at Reed.
- Courses that are equivalent to courses offered at Reed during the same academic year.
- Courses taken at an institution that is not appropriately accredited or via an educational program with whom Reed has no agreement.
- Courses taken while participating independently in a study abroad or off-campus study program while on leave, withdrawn, suspended, or denied registration from Reed College.
In order to transfer credits to Reed, the Registrar’s Office must receive documentation in the form of an official transcript or grade report sent directly from the transfer institution or program to Reed College.
Residency
A minimum of 15 of the 30 units required to earn the degree must be completed at Reed. For new First Year students (non-transfers), no more than 8 of those 15 may be earned prior to matriculation to Reed. (See Transfer Credit for First Year Students below.)
Transfer Credit for First Year Students: Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other Pre-Matriculation Credit
Pre-matriculation credit is credit earned for academic work prior to enrolling at an institution of higher education. It includes:
- College courses completed while in high school or as a non-degree-seeking student after high school graduation but prior to matriculating at Reed. These courses must appear on an official transcript from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution and meet Reed’s general standards for transfer. These courses may apply towards Reed’s group, division, major, or minor requirements - subject to approval.
- Advanced Placement (AP) credit, International Baccalaureate (IB) credit, or other exam credit. These credits may NOT apply towards Reed’s group, division, major, or minor requirements. For departments that grant credit for AP and IB exams, scores of 4 or 5 are required for AP, and scores of 5 and above are required for IB Higher Level exams. A current list of scores accepted for credit can be found here.
Students may receive no more than 8 total units of pre-matriculation credit. Those 8 units may be from regular college courses, exam credit, or a combination of both. The successful transfer of pre-matriculation credit does not affect class standing at Reed. Students who successfully transfer pre-matriculation credit are still classified as first-year students and held to the Humanities 110 requirement.
Transfer Credit for Transfer Students
Credits earned by transfer students at a previous institution must meet the General Standards for Transfer and are subject to the policies and procedures outlined in the Application of Transfer Credit to Requirements section below. Credit earned by transfer students prior to enrolling at an institution of higher education are evaluated and subject to the same policies and procedures outlined in the Transfer Credit for First Year Students section above.
Requesting Transfer Credit
Matriculated students who plan to earn credit at another institution and transfer it to Reed must submit a completed Request for Transfer Credit to the Registrar’s Office. (Students studying via a Reed-approved off-campus study program follow a different process. See Off-Campus Study Credit.) Prior to registering for courses at another institution, students must secure approval for transfer from their academic adviser and the Registrar’s Office. Approval from the appropriate academic department or committee is also required in order to apply transfer credit toward major requirements, minor requirements, and/or to serve as equivalent to an established course at Reed. (See Application of Transfer Credit to Requirements.) Once the course is completed, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that an official transcript is sent directly from the transfer institution to the Registrar’s Office at Reed. There is no guarantee that credit earned prior to submitting a formal Request for Transfer Credit will successfully transfer or apply to Reed requirements.
Transfer Grades
- Transfer courses and grades do not appear on the Reed College transcript, only the name of the transfer institution and the number of Reed units earned. One exception to this are courses from Reed-approved Off-Campus Study. Courses and grades transferred from these programs DO appear on the Reed College transcript.
- The grades from any type of transfer credit are NOT calculated into the Reed grade point average (GPA).
- Transfer course grades cannot replace grades in courses completed at Reed College. To replace a grade completed at Reed College, the course must be retaken at Reed.
- Courses graded Credit/No Credit (Pass/Fail) may be accepted for transfer to Reed provided the transfer institution only awards Credit (Pass) grades for work graded “C” and above. Like all courses taken optionally as Credit/No Credit at Reed, transfer courses graded Credit/No Credit (Pass/Fail) may NOT be used to satisfy Reed College requirements.
Credit Conversion
One Reed unit is equivalent to four semester credits or six quarter credits. As a result, transfer courses often transfer to Reed as a fractional value. (See the table below.)
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Credit Type
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Number of Credits
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Reed Units
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Semester
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3
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0.75
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Quarter
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4
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0.67
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For this reason, it is important that students consult with the Registrar’s Office and submit the completed Request for Transfer Credit prior to enrolling in courses at another institution. (See Requesting Transfer Credit.) Credit from courses taken at an institution or program outside the United States, including those completed under the auspices of a Reed-approved off-campus study program, will be converted in accordance with the best recommendations available to the Registrar, as published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and similar organizations. (See also Transfer Credit from International Institutions and Off-Campus Study Credits below.) The number of Reed units awarded is not final until an official transcript has been received by the Registrar’s Office.
Application of Transfer Credit to Requirements
With the necessary approvals - excluding exam credit - some transfer credit may be used to satisfy Reed College requirements. For matriculated students, such approvals are ideally secured in advance of enrolling in courses at another institution. (See Requesting Transfer Credit.) Approval from the appropriate academic department or committee is required to apply transfer courses toward major and minor requirements and/or to serve as equivalent to a specific course at Reed. Approval from the Registrar’s Office (often in consultation with the appropriate academic department, committee, or division) is required to apply transfer courses toward group distribution and/or division requirements. Students are encouraged to consult with the Registrar’s Office about all necessary approvals.
Transfer Credit from International Institutions
Courses appearing on official documentation (e.g. a transcript) from an institution outside the United States and completed outside the auspices of a Reed-approved off-campus study program will be evaluated in accordance with the best recommendations available to the Registrar, as published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and similar organizations.
Off-Campus Study Credits
Students who apply for and are accepted to participate in a Reed-approved off-campus study program must complete the Off-Campus Study Course Approval in order to transfer credit earned via these programs back to Reed. This form is ideally submitted in advance of off-campus study. There is no guarantee that courses submitted for transfer approval during or after off-campus study will successfully transfer or apply to Reed requirements. Credits earned via Reed-approved off-campus study programs must meet the General Standards for Transfer and have the necessary approvals to be applied toward Reed requirements (see Application of Transfer Credit to Requirements.)
Transfer Credits While Separated From The College
Credits earned at another institution while on leave, denied registration, suspended, or withdrawn from the College must meet the General Standards for Transfer. If there is any possibility that credits earned at another institution while separated from Reed may need to transfer to Reed, students are encouraged to consult with the Registrar’s Office prior to registering for those courses.
Credit for Military Service
Credit may be granted for courses taken under the auspices of the United States Armed Forces. Such credit shall be given on an individual basis and will be granted only after the satisfactory completion of a semester of work at Reed. These courses will be evaluated in accordance with the recommendations given in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Forces. Credit may also be given for correspondence work taken from an accredited college under the United States Armed Forces Institute Program.
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