Transfer credit is the transfer of previously completed coursework from another post-secondary institution or from IB, AP, or British-Patterned A-Level coursework completed at the high school level to UBC.
Applying transfer credits to your degree
In order to earn your degree, you must complete a minimum of 120 credits, 50% of which must be completed while registered as a student in the Faculty of Arts at UBC.
In certain circumstances, you can be granted permission to study outside of UBC with a Letter of Permission (LOP). Your LOP must be approved by Arts Academic Advising in order for transfer credits to count towards your degree. Learn more about LOP eligibility and considerations.
If you register in a course for which you have already received transfer credit, you will not receive credit twice.
Second degree students are not awarded transfer credit and must complete all requirements while registered as a student in the Faculty of Arts.
Transfer credits and program fulfillment
Once UBC assigns you transfer credits, you can see how they apply towards fulfillment of your Honours, major, or minor program by reviewing your Workday Student profile. To view them, log into Workday and follow the steps to “Viewing your transfer credit or high school and AP/IB Credit”.
Post-secondary transfer students
When you are admitted to UBC, your transcripts from other post-secondary institutions will be reviewed and your transfer credits will be posted to Workday Student.
You can get an idea of how your transfer credits will be assessed in advance of their posting by searching for courses with the UBC Transfer Credit Search Tool.
Course registration and your major
If you are a third-year transfer student, you must declare or apply for a major before you can register for courses.
If you are undecided on your major, browse Arts programs or speak with an Arts Academic Advisor for guidance. If you miss a deadline for an application-based major, select a different major temporarily and then contact the application-based major about applying to the program.
First-year students with high school transfer credit
If you are entering UBC with Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or British-Patterned A Level transfer credit, and are eligible for transfer credit, the assignment of these credits will be posted to your Workday Student profile. To view them, log into Workday and follow the steps to “Viewing your transfer credit or high school and AP/IB Credit”.
If you do not see your official results before your registration date, you can speak with an Arts Academic Advisor for guidance.
If you are eligible for transfer credit for a first-year course, consult with the course’s departmental advisor before registering for second-year courses. You can choose to retake a course at UBC if you’d like to reconnect with a subject, but you will not receive credit twice.
Transfer credit assignment
Specific Credit
Courses from recognized institutions will be assigned Specific Credit if matching a UBC course. Specific Credits can be used towards fulfillment of program (Honours, major, or minor) and degree requirements, or as electives to fulfill the Arts outside credit requirement. Specific credits are notated with a UBC course code in the Applicant Service Centre (ASC) and the Academic Progress Report in Workday. For example, if you took the equivalent of the UBC Arts Writing Requirement course elsewhere, UBC will write the course as “WRDS 150_V.”
General Credit
Courses are assigned General Credit if they do not directly match a UBC course. Usually General Credits are used towards electives, not program or degree requirements.
General credits do not have specific courses codes. General credits will look like this in the ASC or Academic Progress Report: “ENG 1st” or “PSYC 2nd.”
Program Requirements and General Credit
If UBC assigns a course General Credit, but you feel the course is similar enough to an existing UBC course that would apply towards your program requirements, take the syllabus from your completed course to the program’s department to inquire if you can use the credit in place of the UBC course.
Degree Requirements and General Credit
If UBC assigns a course General Credit, but you feel the course is similar enough to an existing UBC course that could apply towards a specific degree requirement, speak with an Academic Advisor.