Undergraduate Transfer Credit

Pre-Matriculation vs. Post-Matriculation

The articulation of transfer credit differs for courses taken pre-matriculation and post-matriculation. College level courses taken before becoming a Rice student are pre-matriculation transfer credit. Select introductory level courses taken before matriculation at Rice may be awarded Rice equivalent credit if the course titles have direct matches to curriculum offered at Rice. Courses that are appropriate to the Rice curriculum but do not have direct matches to curriculum offered at Rice are initially awarded TRAN credit (general elective credit), though students may request to convert TRAN credit to a Rice equivalent course. Courses taken at another institution after becoming a Rice student are post-matriculation credit. Transfer courses taken after matriculation are initially awarded TRAN credit (general elective credit), if the courses are appropriate to the Rice curriculum. Students may request to convert TRAN credit to a Rice equivalent course.

TRAN Credit vs. Rice Equivalent Credit

The Office of the Registrar, in conjunction with academic departments, determines whether courses are appropriate for transfer to Rice as a specific Rice equivalent course or as TRAN credit (general elective credit). Rice equivalent course credit satisfies the same university, major, minor, and distribution requirements as Rice enrollment. TRAN credit counts toward a student's total hour requirement for graduation. TRAN credit can be awarded as lower-level (TRAN 100) or upper-level (TRAN 300).

Requesting Rice Equivalent Course Credit

To convert TRAN credit to a Rice equivalent course or to request prior approval for transfer credit after matriculation, complete the following steps:

1. Obtain a course description or syllabus for each transfer course you wish to convert to a Rice equivalent course.
2. Review the Rice Course Catalog and match up the transfer course to the Rice course.
3. Complete the Undergraduate Request for Transfer Credit form available online or in the Office of the Registrar.
4. Coordinate a meeting with the appropriate Departmental Transfer Credit Advisor and obtain his/her approval signature.
5. Submit the completed form to the Office of the Registrar in person or by email at registrar@rice.edu.
6. Provide an official transcript from the transfer institution. If an official transcript was provided upon admission, no additional transcript is needed. Otherwise, the student must request that an official transcript be sent to Rice. Instructions on how to send your official transcript to Rice can be found here.

Note: The BioSciences, Business, Chemistry, Economics, English, History, and Physics departments conduct a thorough review of course material to consider granting Rice equivalent course credit to coursework completed at community colleges or two-year institutions. Chemistry requires that courses are taken at a 4-year college or university that offers a degree in Chemistry certified by the American Chemical Society. Additionally, Anthropology, Civil Engineering, Classical Studies, Economics, English, History, Philosophy, Physics, and Sociology may not grant Rice equivalent credit for coursework completed online.

Transfer course grades do not appear on a student's record. Instead, a grade of "TR" is recorded. A "TR" grade has no effect on a student's Rice grade point average.

Details on Transferring Credit for:

College Credit completed during High School

1. Upon admission, for students who have earned more than 20 college preparatory courses through an Early College program such as the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) or will obtain an Associate's degree upon high school graduation, the Office of the Registrar reviews the student's high school/home school academic transcript and community college/university transcript and selects 20 courses from the following list of admission requirements:
   • four years of English
   • two years of one foreign language
   • three years of college preparatory math
   • two years of laboratory science
   • two years of social science
   • seven courses in any of the above subjects

   Any courses not used to meet the above admission requirements on the community college/university transcript, which are appropriate to the Rice curriculum, may be articulated for transfer credit.

2. Students who earn college credit during high school but did not participate in an Early College Program or obtain an Associate's degree upon high school graduation, may have their college-level courses considered for transfer credit at Rice upon receipt of the following:
   • An official college/university transcript from the institution reflecting the college-level courses taken. The courses must be a part of the institution's normal curriculum.
   • Official notification by letter from the high school principal or guidance counselor stating that the credit earned was not used to meet high school graduation requirements. Courses will not be considered for transfer credit without a letter from the high school. This letter can be sent in the form of an email directly from your high school administrator to registrar@rice.edu.

Pre-Matriculation Transfer Credit for Transfer Students

TRAN credit (general elective credit) is articulated for courses that are appropriate to the Rice curriculum. An initial transfer credit evaluation for Transfer Students is completed by the Office of the Registrar after a student is accepted to Rice. This evaluation will most likely include a high proportion of TRAN credit (general elective credit). Generally, credit for Rice courses may be awarded for select introductory courses with course titles that have direct matches to those at Rice. Once you arrive at Rice, you will have the opportunity to request to convert TRAN credit to a Rice equivalent course.

For step-by-step instructions on how to request to convert TRAN credit to Rice equivalent course credit, please refer to the "Requesting Rice Equivalent Course Credit" information stated above.

Post-Matriculation Transfer Credit

Students seeking transfer credit after matriculation must ensure that the transfer courses meet the Rice transfer credit guidelines. TRAN credit (general elective credit) is articulated for courses, that are appropriate to the Rice curriculum. If Rice course equivalent credit is desired for transfer course, students should obtain appropriate department transfer advisor approval on an Undergraduate Request for Transfer Credit form before registering for the courses at the transfer institution.

For step-by-step instructions on how to request approval for transfer credit after matriculation, please refer to "Requesting Rice Equivalent Course Credit" information stated above.

Summer Transfer Credit

After matriculation, students are limited to 15 semester hours of summer school transfer credit during their Rice career. If a student anticipates taking courses in the summer at a different institution and wants to transfer the credit back to Rice, it is strongly recommended that the student ensures that the courses are appropriate to the Rice curriculum. The best way to determine if a transfer course is appropriate to the Rice curriculum is to review the Rice Course Catalog. Look for courses with the same titles or with the same course descriptions as those you wish to transfer. Additionally, if Rice course equivalent credit is desired for the transfer courses, students should obtain appropriate department transfer advisor approval on an Undergraduate Request for Transfer Credit form before registering for the summer courses.

For step-by-step instructions on how to request Rice equivalent course credit, please refer to "Requesting Rice Equivalent Course Credit" information stated above.

Concurrent Enrollment

Concurrent enrollment refers to a student who is currently enrolled at Rice and wishes to take a course at another university or institution at the same time. If a current Rice student wants to register concurrently at another university or institution, they must secure permission in writing from the Dean of Undergraduates through the Office of Academic Advising before registering for transfer courses. Concurrent enrollment approval is only necessary for courses that overlap the Rice academic year. If you take a course in the summer that commences after the end of the Rice spring semester, and concludes before the start of the Rice fall semester, concurrent approval is not required.

Course Overload

Students at Rice normally enroll for 15 to 18 semester credit hours each semester. Students that are concurrently enrolled and anticipate completing more than the maximum threshold of 18 credit hours in a given semester (at Rice and concurrent institution combined), must petition for course overload approval with the Office of Academic Advising.

Information on the registration overload petition process can be found on the Office of Academic Advising website.

Non-Traditional Coursework

The following types of non-traditional coursework will not transfer to Rice for undergraduate credit:

• Life experience; courses offered by non-collegiate sponsors such as businesses and government agencies, and labor unions, even if evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE)
• Equivalency examinations (e.g. CLEP, DSST)
• Remedial, college preparatory, and life skills courses
• MOOCs (massive open online courses)
• Areas of study offered by regionally accredited institutions but not offered at Rice, such as agriculture, hotel management, police academy, and fire science
• Credit by Exam (CBE); credit obtained for a course through exam taken at another college/university

Credit for Military Education

Academic credit will only be awarded for coursework taken at one of the regionally accredited U.S. Military academies or the Community College of the Air Force. Credit will not be granted for prior or ongoing military service reflecting on a Joint Services Transcript (JST) or a Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support Transcript (DANTES).

Information on Military Education Benefits at Rice can be found on the Military at Rice website.