How to apply for transfer credits
We recommend you thoroughly review the following steps for applying for transfer credits.
To receive transfer credit your course must be relevant to your new program of study. Before you proceed, review the Academic Calendar to see if your courses can be applied to your Dalhousie degree.
To locate your specific program in the Calendar, please click the link above and follow these steps:
Select your appropriate level of study (i.e. undergraduate, graduate, etc.)
Select the Faculty that offers your program.
Select your program/major from the drop-down menu on the right-hand side of the page. Depending on the program, you may need to select a specific Faculty or School before you see your program / major listed
Please note: Arts & Social Science and Science students intending to major in a particular subject will need to click on their faculty name twice. Once in the list of all undergraduate faculties and again on the next page to view the various majors offered by that Faculty.
Review the Transfer Credit Equivalency Table (login required) to see which of your courses have been pre-approved to transfer to Dalhousie.
Pre-approved equivalencies that fit within your degree requirements will be added to your academic record during the initial assessment (see Step 5).
If you have completed coursework that has not been pre-approved, you may be eligible for a departmental assessment (see Step 6).
Once you've reviewed your eligibility to be considered for transfer credits, you must apply for admission into Dalhousie.
Remember to indicate that you've previously studied at the post-secondary level when filling out the application form. You must include all previous post-secondary institutions attended.
If you are successful and receive an offer of admission, you must confirm your admission. Transfer credit request forms will not be accepted unless the deposit has been paid.
Submitting transcripts
Transfer credit assessments are typically based on the most recent transcript submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Transcripts submitted for admissions consideration can be used during the transfer credit assessment. In-progress courses will be granted pending transfer credits until a final transcript is provided.
Official English translations are required for any transcript not provided in English or French. The translator must be certified, which should be indicated with a stamp or seal and signature on the documentation.
Transcript reassessments
If you choose to submit an updated transcript that includes new courses after submitting your initial or departmental assessment forms, you must complete a transcript reassessment form for the document to be reviewed for potential transfer credits. A transcript reassessment will extend the processing time for your request.
Carefully read the instructions below before starting your Initial Assessment Request Form.
Submit this form if you:
Have an acceptance letter that indicates you are eligible for transfer credit consideration
- Have previously completed academic work at the university, college or CEGEP level
- Have been accepted to an undergraduate program (other than those listed below)
Do not submit this form if you:
You are a high school student who has only completed higher-level course work (i.e. IB, AP, etc.). Visit Transfer Credits for further instructions.
Have been accepted to Social Work, Dental Hygiene, the Diploma in Health Services Administration, a professional program or a graduate program. Please contact the appropriate Faculty for more information about how to request transfer credits.
Have been accepted to Nursing under advanced-standing entry. You will be automatically assessed for transfer credits.
Have been accepted as a non-degree/visiting applicant.
Are a student at the University of King's College. Transfer credit assessments are coordinated directly by the King's Registrar's Office. Please contact Tara Wigglesworth-Hines at tara.wigglesworthhines@ukings.ca for more information.
What to expect
During the initial assessment, we will determine which courses are eligible for transfer credit consideration. Any courses with preapproved equivalencies on the Transfer Credit Equivalency Table will be added to your academic record if they fit within your degree requirements (see Step 1).
Courses that do not appear on the Transfer Credit Equivalency Table may not have been assessed by Dalhousie in the past. These courses may be eligible for a departmental assessment. Your eligibility for a departmental assessment will also be determined during the initial assessment (see Step 6).
If you've completed coursework that doesn't appear on the Transfer Credit Equivalency Table (login required), you may be eligible for a departmental assessment. You'll be notified via email if you are eligible, and you will then be required to complete a Departmental Assessment Request Form. The form, along with further instructions on submitting official course information, will also be sent to you via email.
Submitting course information
Official English translations are required for any course information not provided in English. The translator must be certified, which should be indicated with a stamp or seal and signature on the documentation. Exceptions are made for non-English language and culture courses taken in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish, which the department can evaluate.
Most departments will accept course descriptions to review for potential transfer credit, but the following departments require a course outline or syllabus.
Anatomy
Architecture
Commerce
Computer Science
Engineering
Food Science
French
Health
Health and Human Performance
Health Promotion
Indigenous Studies
Journalism
Kinesiology
Leisure Studies
Management
Microbiology and Immunology
Physiology
Planning
Possible outcomes of a departmental assessment
Once you return the completed form and the correct course information, the request will be forwarded to the department for review. You may receive one of three possible decisions:
- You may be given an exact equivalent credit for a Dalhousie course.
- The course may be assigned a general transfer credit equivalency. For example, an English course may be granted an ENGL 199X transfer credit. This means the course is equivalent to a first-year university-level English course but does not correspond exactly to any first-year Dalhousie English courses.
- The course may be evaluated as "no credit," meaning it is not equivalent or comparable to any Dalhousie courses.
During the departmental assessment, approved transfer credits will be added to your academic record. Students will be notified via email when departmental assessments are complete.
Appeals
Students may appeal decisions if new and detailed information about the course, that was not previously presented, becomes available. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days of receiving the original transfer credit decision.
To submit an appeal, email us and include the following information:
Your Dalhousie ID number (B00)
The course you would like reassessed
The outcome of the original assessment (i.e. was the course granted a specific, general or no transfer credit)
Type of new course information that is being provided
Which course you are requesting credit for (if you are looking to receive credit for a specific Dalhousie course)
Appeal requests will be reviewed by the Assistant Registrar, Transfer Credits & Student Mobility. New course information will be sent to our Faculty for review. If no new or additional information has been provided, the appeal request may be declined.
The outcome of your appeal request will be sent to you via email.
Transfer credit terminology
Course description
A brief outline of the material covered in a class, generally available either from the university or college’s website or academic calendar.
Course outline/ syllabus
Typically includes a course description, required textbooks, evaluation tactics, contact information for the professor, and other important course information. This is usually handed out to the class at the beginning of the course. You should be able to contact your professor who taught the class or the relevant department at your university or college to obtain a copy.
Internal transfers
Internal transfer students, who were eligible to receive transfer credits when initially accepted to Dalhousie, are eligible to be reassessed for potential additional transfer credits that may be awarded to a new degree program. To start the process, students must submit an Initial Assessment Request Form (see Step 5).
Deadline: Transfer credit request forms and supplemental course information must be submitted before you complete your first semester in your new degree program.
Please note: If you have only completed courses at Dalhousie, you do not need to submit a request form. Courses from your previous program will be applied to your new degree program within 2-3 weeks.
Pending transfer credits
Pending transfer credits may be added to a student’s academic record for one (or both) of the following reasons:
- Pending transcript: We are awaiting your final transcript(s). Please arrange for your final official transcript(s) to be sent to Dalhousie's Registrar’s Office directly from the issuing institution once available.
- Pending waiver: If courses were taken outside of the degree completion timeframe for your faculty, and you would like these classes to apply to your degree, you must submit a waiver of an academic regulation form (refer to example #9) for approval.
Your academic record on Dal Online (login required) will confirm why your transfer credits are marked as pending.
Frequently asked questions
Academic advisors can provide general degree information and help you choose classes for your degree. Once your initial or departmental assessment is finalized, they can also discuss how approved transfer credits will apply to your degree. Review with advising to confirm how students in your program can access academic advising.
Common classes we can't review for credit:
Photography, drawing, painting
Physical education
English as a second language
Co-ops or other experiential learning
Project classes
Military theory
Transfer credits for engineering design and engineering science courses will only be granted if the academic work was completed at a post-secondary institution and for a discipline that is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. For international institutions, they must be a signatory to the Washington Accord or ABET.
Students who have completed academic work at non-accredited institutions are only eligible to receive transfer credits for non-engineering design/science courses.
Students can only receive a maximum of 2 math (6 credit hours) and 2 science (6 credit hours) transfer credits for academic work completed in high school and/ or community college.
You will be notified via email. If you have questions, please contact us by email at transfercredits@dal.ca or call 902-494-2450.
Initial and departmental assessments require 4-6 weeks each in order to be processed. Not submitting these forms with enough time to be processed may impact your ability to register for courses and plan your degree effectively. We encourage you to begin the assessment process as soon as possible.
Review the Transfer Credit Equivalency Table to determine which courses have been previously approved to transfer to Dalhousie.
Meet with an advisor to determine which pre-approved will apply to your program and to discuss alternate course selection options if you have completed coursework that has not been previously approved for transfer credit.
You may want to delay registering for courses being reviewed for transfer credit. Registering may forfeit your ability to receive the transfer credit if granted.
Courses completed during the winter 2020 term only, with a final grade of Pass/ Credit are eligible for transfer credit consideration. Transfer credits awarded for these courses will be added to a student’s academic record with a grade of TR and will not affect a student’s GPA at Dalhousie. These courses will be recognized as having a final grade that is equivalent to a D or 50%. Therefore, they may not meet the minimum grade requirements for some course prerequisites and/or degree requirements.
Students with a transfer credit that does not meet the minimum grade requirement for a course prerequisite(s) should consult with either the course instructor or their respective academic advisor as per the appropriate faculty processes to discuss the possibility of a course override. Course overrides will be granted at the discretion of the instructor / Faculty and may not be approved for all students.
Please note: Course override requests for courses offered by the Faculty of Management are reviewed by the Management Undergraduate Academic Advising Office, not by the course instructor.