Transfer Policies

Transfer Students

Transfer students must present the same application forms and transcripts as those applying for freshman standing. The Office of the Registrar has final authority for the release of transfer credits into Biola University.

Transfer students with fewer than 15 semester credits of regular college work must qualify for admission on the basis of both their high school and their college record. Those transferring with 15 semester credits or more of college work will be considered primarily on the basis of their college grades. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required for admission to Biola. A minimum grade average of C- (1.67) is required to transfer college credits into Biola on each course attempted at the college level. Students are advised that some professional and graduate programs have a C minimum requirement, and students should contact their major advisor about the need to retake any courses that Biola accepted with a C-.

Transfer students will not be required to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT or submit high school transcripts if 15 or more semester credits of college level coursework is completed prior to enrollment.

Transfer students coming from institutions which are not accredited or recognized may be given the opportunity to validate credits through the College Level Examination Program, prior learning assessment (PLA), or through consultation. Information on this procedure is available from the Office of the Registrar. Provisional credit for liberal arts courses from non-accredited institutions will be granted in accordance with the policies of state colleges or universities of the state in which the institution is located. Provisional credit is considered validated only when the student performs at the C level or better following enrollment in Biola University.

College-level credit earned during the 9th through 12th grades will be given credit. A combined maximum of 32 credits will be awarded for all forms of advanced credit options including AP, CLEP, IB, ACTFL, and STAMP 4S.

Transfer of Credits

Upper-division credit cannot be allowed for courses taken at a community college. Upper-division transfer credit will only be given for upper-division courses from bachelor’s degree granting institutions which have a published course numbering policy that defines upper-division at that institution. If no published policy exists, all courses will transfer as lower-division. Final authority for the acceptance of transfer credits into Biola University rests with the Office of the Registrar. Current students taking courses at local community colleges while enrolled at Biola should request written prior approval of courses in order to assure that transfer credit will meet the needs of their curriculum. No course below a C- (1.67) grade will be transferred from another institution. Students are advised that some professional and graduate programs have a C minimum requirement, and students should contact their major advisor about the need to retake any courses that Biola accepted with a C-. Vocational or technical courses will not be accepted for university credit. Admissions counselors are prepared to give academic advisement to those attending, or planning to attend, community colleges with the intention of transferring into Biola University.

Transcripts must be official transcripts from an accredited institution or approved non-accredited school¹ sent directly from the institution to Biola or physically delivered in an untampered envelope sealed by the institution in order to be recognized and officially evaluated for credit transfer. Any transcript that is hand carried or mailed from the student must be sealed by the sending institution without signs of tampering. Any opened transcript or envelope with signs of tampering will be considered unofficial and the student will need to re-order a new transcript. Credits will only be applied to a student’s record after receipt of an official transcript. Submission of unofficial transcripts will result in an unofficial evaluation. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of an unofficial evaluation, the transfer of credits indicated on an unofficial evaluation does not constitute a contract between Biola University and the student and is not guaranteed.

Courses taken as a Pass/Fail or Credit/No-Credit grade are not recommended, as they may not meet the grade requirement for transfer of C- or better.

A course taken at a community college or a lower-division class from a four-year school will not be given upper-division credit toward graduation requirements, even if the course content is approved by a Substitution Request.

¹: A list of approved non-accredited institutions is available upon request from the admissions office. In some cases, students from approved non-accredited schools may need to submit evidence of prior learning. For students who wish to receive transfer credit from a non-accredited institution that is not approved by Biola, a review of prior learning will be required. Transfer of credit in these conditions is only granted upon faculty review and approval of demonstrated achievement of the relevant course learning outcomes.

See the following pages for additional transfer information.