Transfer Credit at Rice University

Courses taken at another regionally accredited college or university, that are appropriate to the Rice curriculum, may be approved for transfer credit toward a degree at Rice University. Transfer credit is considered for courses that meet the following criteria:

  • Equivalent to courses that are or could be offered at Rice.
  • Completed at a United States academic institution of higher education accredited by a regional accrediting agency, or at a foreign institution accredited by the appropriate agency, such as the government's Ministry of Education.
  • Completed with at least a grade of C- or its equivalent. Some departments or programs may set a higher grade standard for transfer courses.
  • Taken for a grade (not taken pass/fail - no grade of "P" or on a similar basis at other institutions).

Credit Hour Conversion

All transferable credits from schools utilizing a system other than the semester hour will be converted to semester hours. In accordance with university guidelines and based on the external transcript, the Office of the Registrar will determine appropriate transferable credit hours. For undergraduates, the Office of the Registrar will also determine whether the credits are lower-level or upper-level. In no instance will a course transfer in with credit greater than the semester hour equivalent originally earned for the coursework.

Transfer courses completed on a quarter system basis will be converted to semester hours. The amount of credit on a quarter hour course is multiplied by 2/3 to calculate semester hours. For example, if one were to take a 4 quarter hour course at UCLA, they would receive 2.667 semester hours at Rice.

International credit systems vary by country. For example, a number of European institutions use the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). One ECTS credit is comparable to one-half of a semester hour. For example, if one were to take a 7.5 ECTS credit course at University College London, they would receive 3.75 semester hours at Rice.

If the Office of the Registrar is unable to determine the semester credit conversion, students will be required to present a professional course-by-course evaluation.

Undergraduate Transfer Credit

Rice may award transfer credit for undergraduate students who completed college-level coursework at a regionally accredited college or university.

Graduate Transfer Credit

Rice may award transfer credit for graduate students who completed graduate-level coursework at a regionally accredited college or university.

International Transfer Credit

Rice may award transfer credit for courses taken at higher education institutions outside of the United States.

Submitting a Transcript to Rice

In order to articulate transfer credit, an official transcript from the transfer institution is required. A transcript can be hand-delivered in an official sealed envelope or mailed to:

Rice University
Office of the Registrar - MS 57
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892

For institutions within the United States, if the school offers the option for electronic delivery through a 3rd party (i.e. Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, Scrip-Safe) official electronic transcripts can be sent to registrar@rice.edu.

Note: By default, some institutions send electronic transcripts directly to the Rice Office of Admission. Upon receiving confirmation that your transcript was received by Rice, please review the recipient information. If the recipient reads Rice Office of Admission, please contact the Office of the Registrar so that we can request that the transcript be rerouted.

Turnaround Time

Once the Office of the Registrar receives your official transcript from the other college or university, you should allow a minimum of two weeks for the transfer credit to post to your record. Updates can be viewed on your unofficial transcript in ESTHER. These updates will also reflect on the university degree audit system, Degree Works the day after the transfer credit is posted.

Becoming A Transfer Student

Information on applying to Rice as a Transfer Student can be found on the Office of Admission website.

Information on applying to Rice as a Graduate Transfer Student can be found on the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) website.

Transfer Credit FAQs

For a list of frequently asked questions about transfer credit, please click here.