How courses will transfer to Duke

To expedite the evaluation of transfer credits, fax or email us a course description for any course that appears on your final transcript(s) from the college or university you attended before transferring to Duke. This can be an official course description taken from an internet site (provide the URL as well), the course webpage (and URL if available), or the college bulletin. Please indicate if a course fulfilled a first-year seminar or writing requirement.

3-hour and 4-hour courses that you have taken on a semester plan should transfer to Duke if there is a department here that offers similar courses. Courses taken on a quarter system are more difficult to equate with Duke courses. We will discuss these individually with you. You must have a C- grade or better for a course to transfer.

If Duke offers an identical course to one you have taken at your previous institution, you will be given credit for the Duke course. If there is no identical course, you may be given credit for a Duke course numbered 888 or 999, depending on whether the course is an introductory course (888) or advanced (999) (e.g., Econ 888, History 999). Courses numbered 888/999 will count toward the total number of credits required for graduation, and may also count toward major requirements, depending upon the course and major.

Laboratories are included with a course and not considered separately. For instance, a 3-hour biology course with a 1-hour laboratory will transfer to Duke as a 4-hour course. A student who takes the equivalent of a Duke course, but without the laboratory, cannot receive credit for that Duke course. Instead, 888 credit will usually appear (e.g., Bio 888, Chem 888 etc.)

No credit will be given for physical education, orchestra, dance, military science, music lessons, etc. A half-credit may be given for 2-hour academic courses taken on the semester system.

Biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, economics, and foreign language courses are sequenced. The credit review process may include review by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in these departments, as attention will be given to both transfer credit and potential placement into higher level courses.

The policy for transfer of mathematics courses is as follows. No transfer credit will be awarded for any pre-calculus course work. For calculus courses, the course must be taken in the normal sequence that leads to advanced, multivariable calculus (i.e., the course must be a prerequisite to your school's multivariable calculus course).

You can receive Area of Knowledge and Mode of Inquiry designations for courses you are transferring to Duke. Assignment of codes will be handled by the dean who works with you over the summer. While we expect most approved courses to transfer in with Area of Knowledge designations, not all transfer courses may be approved for Modes of Inquiry. For more information on the Areas of Knowledge and Modes of Inquiry please refer to http://t–reqs.trinity.duke.edu/curriculum/curriculum.html.

There are limits on the number of transfer credits that will apply to graduation. A normal schedule at Duke is 4.0 credits/semester, with 34 credits required for graduation. All approved transfer credits will appear on your Duke transcript and potentially can be used to fulfill major or curriculum requirements. However, only 17 transfer credits will count toward graduation. The remaining 17 credits must be Duke credits. Transfer credits in excess of 17 that appear on your Duke transcript will be marked (TR*) as not applying for graduation credit.

Duke will accept Advanced Placement (AP), International Placement Credit (IPC), or Pre-Matriculation Credit (PMC) (college courses you took while you were in high school), with certain restrictions. Pre-matriculation credit(s) that have appeared on your high school transcript will not be accepted at Duke. All scores or grades must be sent directly to Harry Nelson in the Duke Registrar's Office (Box 90054, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708) for approval. Once accepted, all AP credits, IPC, and PMC will appear on your Duke transcript. They may fulfill requirements for some majors and they can place you into higher level courses, depending upon the department. However, a maximum of only two AP/IPC/PMC will apply to the 34 credits required for graduation. For specific details, restrictions, and information on using more than two AP/IPC/PMC for graduating early, see http://t-reqs.trinity.duke.edu/credit.html.

If we do not have a grade for a course you took in the spring, we will give you "pending" transfer credit approval. Once we have your final transcript and final grades, your transfer credit will be officially approved and the Registrar's Office notified. At that time, your transfer credits will appear on ACES. As soon as possible, be sure to have two official copies of your final transcript sent from the Registrar's Office of your previous school to (1) the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Duke and (2) Dean Donna Kostyu, Box 90697, Duke University, Durham NC 27708.

All first-year students are required to take a Writing 20 course. Writing 20 courses emphasize writing skills. If you have completed at least 3 semesters of study elsewhere, you will be exempt from the first-year requirement of Writing 20. If you have completed less than 3 semesters of study elsewhere but have taken a writing-intensive course that focuses on writing, revisions, and rewriting, we may waive the Writing 20 requirement for you. We will need supporting documentation, which may be a syllabus from the course, a catalog or online course description that indicates that the course fulfills the writing requirement of your previous institution, a description of the course’s objectives and content from the instructor, and/or papers that represent your work in the course. If you have not completed 3 semesters of study elsewhere and have not taken an equivalent Writing 20 course, you will be required to enroll in Writing 20 in your first year at Duke.

For more information on Writing 20, see the University Writing Program website: http://uwp.aas.duke.edu/writing20/.

All first-year students are required to take a seminar course. A seminar is a course that emphasizes discussion, analysis, and communication among students. It is limited to an enrollment of 18 or fewer students. If you have completed at least 3 semesters of study elsewhere, you will be exempt from the requirement for a first-year seminar. If you have completed less than 3 semesters of study elsewhere but have taken a seminar course (clearly listed as a seminar in the title or course description), we may waive the first-year seminar requirement for you. A course that has fewer than 18 students but which is not labeled a seminar would not fulfill this requirement. If you need to enroll in a seminar this year, look on ACES for courses with an "S" following the course number (for example, ENG 20S), or use the search function in ACES.

As a transfer student to Duke, you may be eligible for further transfer credits, either through study abroad or domestic study away. The following rules and policies apply:

  • If you transfer to Duke and are awarded 17 transfer credits, you must take your remaining 17 credits at Duke. However, you may participate in most Duke-Administered “Duke In” Study Abroad Program in any semester, as the courses are considered Duke courses/credits and not transfer courses/credits. There are a few exceptions. Some Duke-Administered Study Abroad programs offer students both Duke courses and transfer credit courses. These hybrid programs currently include Duke in Berlin (spring), Duke in France, and the Public Policy Studies Program in Glasgow. You would not be eligible for these, or for Duke-Approved Study Abroad Programs (run by a university other than Duke) or for domestic transfer credits.
  • If you transfer to Duke and are awarded less than 17 pre-matriculation transfer credits, you may also be able to participate in Duke-Approved Study Abroad Programs and domestic study away.
  • The maximum number of post-matriculation transfer credits you may have is 10 credits. All 10 credits can come through Duke-Approved Study Abroad Programs or in hybrid Duke-Administered Study Abroad Programs. Or 8 credits can come through Duke-Approved Study Abroad/Duke Hybrid Programs and the remaining 2 transfer credits can come through domestic study away.
  • The total number of pre-matriculation and post-matriculation transfer credits cannot exceed 17. For example, you could be awarded 9 Duke credits by transfer from another university, spend your sophomore year at Duke (4 credits in the fall, 5 credits in the spring), go abroad for your entire junior year on a Duke-Approved Study Abroad Program (for 8 post-matriculation transfer credits), then return for your senior year at Duke (4 credits in the fall, 4 credits in the spring). You would finish at Duke with 9 pre-Duke matriculation transfer credits, 8 post-matriculation transfer credits, and 17 Duke credits. You must plan your semesters and summers so that you have earned at least 17 Duke credits.
  • If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, domestic study away refers to courses taken at a 4-year accredited university or college in the United States. If you are an international international student (on an F-1 or J-1 visa), domestic study also refers to study in your home country.
  • You should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in your major if you have questions about courses taken away and whether they will apply toward major (or minor or certificate) requirements. Generally at least half of the courses fulfilling a major must be taken at Duke, although departments may make special exceptions. Some departments will also have restrictions on the number of transfer credits (pre-matriculation and post-matriculation) that will count toward a major.

 If you have further questions about transfer credits, please contact your assigned summer dean or Academic Advising, 919-684-6217, advising@duke.edu.