Transfer Units
University Policy
Wheelock College of Education & Human Development Policy
In addition to courses taken prior to formal admission, candidates may also take courses at other accredited institutions as part of their degree program within the limits of the transfer units policy. Undergraduate students are encouraged to create an account with Transferology to see how courses taken at other colleges or universities may transfer to Boston University, assuming the minimum required grades are met. Additionally, please keep in mind that transfer courses, even those granted course equivalency, do not satisfy Hub general education requirements at Boston University. The BU Hub Transfer Student Curriculum has been designed specifically for transfer students, to recognize the work that transfer students have already done while still providing them with the educational benefits of the Hub program.
Courses submitted for transfer units approval must have been completed within the following time limits:
- For BS—units received five or more years before a student’s matriculation will not be accepted without additional review of current applicability
- For EdM, MA, MAT, MS, CAGS—six years
- For EdD and PhD—seven years
Grades earned for transferred courses will not be calculated into the Boston University GPA.
Incoming Undergraduate Students with Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate Units
Advanced Placement is received, posted, and evaluated by staff in the Office of the University Registrar. Students should submit International Baccalaureate test score information to International Admissions, intadmis@bu.edu.
Incoming Undergraduate Students with External Transfer Units
Incoming transfer students and incoming first-year students with college units must submit official transcripts and syllabi to the Office of the University Registrar for review via the MyBU Portal.
For undergraduates, the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development reviews transfer courses from accredited schools that have been completed with a grade of C or higher.
Current Undergraduate Students
Before registering at another institution, undergraduates must obtain written approval by the academic department in which comparable course content is housed and by their advisor. Students should submit an online Pre-Approval for Transfer Units Petition (including syllabi) to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management well ahead of any potential course for transfer. Units cannot be guaranteed for courses taken prior to approval being granted. Students may not exceed the total transfer units allowed by Boston University toward their degree. No partial course units are given.
Additional approval is required for external units taken internationally. Please see Global Programs at 888 Commonwealth Avenue before submitting international transfer units to Wheelock for preapproval.
No more than two classes may be taken at an external institution and applied to a Wheelock minor.
Courses with a grade of C or better will be considered for transfer. Courses taken on a Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis will not be considered for units. Grades from courses transferred into Boston University from another university are not calculated into the Boston University Grade Point Average.
Study Abroad Units
For students who are studying abroad through BU, units taken abroad will show up on the transcript as BU courses. Students who are studying abroad through a BU-affiliated program should consult BU Study Abroad for more information and preapproval for summer study abroad courses. Students studying through a non-BU study abroad program during the school year or over the summer must consult with the BU Global Programs staff prior to registering and submit a signed Transfer of External Units form, and an official transcript from the offering school when coursework is completed, to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management.
No more than two international summer courses intended to cover a full term’s work in a single 6-week summer term will be considered for transfer units. No more than one course intended to cover a full term’s work in a single 4-week summer term will be considered for transfer units. Normally, courses shorter than 4 weeks are not eligible for transfer units. For more information regarding transfer units from non-Boston University International Programs please refer to the University-wide policy.
IUT into Wheelock with External Units
The Wheelock College of Education & Human Development accepts external units that have already been approved and equated by other schools and colleges. If a student would like a re-evaluation of external units, the student should submit the Transfer of External Units form to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management for review.
Graduate Students
With permission, 8 units at the graduate level (not previously used toward a graduate degree or another degree) may be transferred into a master’s or CAGS program. With permission, 16 external or 20 internal units (not previously used toward another degree) may be transferred into a doctoral program. Courses older than 7 years from the date of the units transfer petition will not be considered for transfer.
After matriculation, graduate candidates who wish to have units accepted for transfer must submit a petition to Wheelock Data & Enrollment Management. Faculty advisors, in consultation with the Program Director and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, review requests for approval of units applied to specific degree programs.
The course grade must be a B– or higher (for graduate students) in order to be accepted for transfer.
Courses approved for transfer from external institutions will only receive the number of units awarded on the official transcript from that institution. However, please note that Boston University is on a term system. Course units that are being transferred to Boston University from institutions that are on a trimester or quarter system will be transferred not by number of units earned but by number of classroom hours attended.
