Transfer Credits at Laurier

At Laurier, we recognize that you’ve worked hard to pursue your goals through your previous postsecondary experience. To honour that, we work hard to maximize the credit you receive towards your future degree by individually assessing every applicant for eligible transfer credits. 

Jump to:

• Credit System at Laurier
• Transfer Credit Capacity
• Sources of Transfer Credits
• Types of Transfer Credits
• Transfer Credit Evaluation and Admission

Credit System at Laurier

Every university and college has its own way of valuing coursework and granting credits. Rest assured, your coursework will be assessed and appreciated fairly, but the scale Laurier uses to count credits may be different from what you've used at your previous institution. To understand Laurier's credit system (and how your courses will be counted), take a look at this breakdown:

• A course that is one semester long is worth 0.5 credit.
• A course that is two semesters long is worth 1.0 credit.
• A four-year honours undergraduate degree requires 20.0 credits.

For example: 5.0 transfer credits are equal to one year's (or two semesters') worth of courses.

To find what transfer credits you have been awarded, you can access your offer letter on Portal. Once you have accepted your offer, transfer credits will also display in your LORIS and MyDegree accounts.

Determining Your Year Level 

When transferring to Laurier, your year level is determined by the amount of credits you have completed (including transfer credits). Please note, that the amount of credits you have completed may not align with where you are in your program's progression requirements. You can determine your year level by using the chart below. 

• Year 1 = 0 to 4.0 credits 
• Year 2 = 4.25 to 9.0 credits 
• Year 3 = 9.25 to 14.0 credits 
• Year 4 = 14.25 and above credits 

Once you have accepted your offer, you can connect with an academic advisor to discuss how your transfer credits will impact your program requirements and your academic journey at Laurier. 

Transfer Credit Capacity

Residency Requirement (Laurier Credit Minimum)

Every university has what is called a "residency requirement" when it comes to transfer credits. This requirement specifies a minimum number of credits that must be completed at that university in order to be eligible to earn a degree from them. At Laurier, all students applying to graduate from an Honours degree must have earned at least 10.0 credits (or two years' worth of coursework) at Laurier (in addition to any other required coursework completed at other postsecondary institutions). At least 5.0 of these 10.0 credits must be from senior-level courses (300- or 400-level).

Transfer Credit Maximum

There is no maximum for the number of postsecondary transfer credits you can be granted when you receive an offer to study at Laurier. However, as noted above, you must complete at least 10.0 credits towards your Laurier degree at Laurier (most degrees are made up of 20.0 credits in total).

If you are granted more than 10.0 transfer credits, all of them will appear on your Laurier record and could be counted towards your degree requirements (including required courses, if applicable). However, you must fulfill all degree requirements, including necessary electives, and at least 10.0 credits during your time at Laurier.

Questions?

Once you have accepted your offer to Laurier, you can learn more about residency requirements and the unique credits required for your chosen program or pathway and set up an appointment with one of our academic advisors. If you have questions prior to acceptance, contact chooselaurier@wlu.ca.

Sources of Transfer Credits

Transfer credits are automatically evaluated and granted upon admission in recognition of eligible coursework completed at another institution. Depending on your academic background, you may be eligible for transfer credit towards your Laurier degree. Please note that we do not provide pre-assessments for transfer credits. A transfer credit assessment will be included with your offer letter.

All applicants, whether coming from a high school, college, or university background, are individually assessed for eligible transfer credits. Select your most recent educational experience to learn more about eligibility and requirements for earning transfer credits:

Types of Transfer Credits

Transfer credits are credits granted by the university in recognition of work you’ve previously completed at another institution. All academic coursework that meets our minimum grade requirements and has been completed at an accredited postsecondary institution will automatically be considered for transfer credit when you apply to Laurier. There are three types of transfer credits that may be granted based on the coursework completed:

1. Direct Equivalency

The course is equivalent to a specific Laurier course. It may be used toward specific program requirements if required.

• Examples:
  • SY 101 - Introduction to Sociology
  • EN 190 - Introduction to Academic Writing

2. Miscellaneous Discipline Credit

Laurier does not have an exact equivalent for the course taken; however, a miscellaneous transfer credit is awarded based on the relevant discipline. Typically, these credits will only count toward elective requirements.

• Examples:
  • 0.5 100-level Biology credit, noted by BI 1XX in your student portal
  • 0.5 200-level Criminology credit, noted by CC 2XX in your student portal

3. Interdisciplinary Credit

The course is not equivalent to a Laurier course and does not fall within a Laurier department. Therefore, a miscellaneous transfer credit is awarded that can count towards the elective requirements of your Laurier degree. These credits will only count toward elective requirements.

• Example:
  • 0.5 100-level Interdisciplinary credit, noted by UU 1XX in your student portal

Transfer Credit Evaluation and Admission

When you apply to Laurier, we will automatically evaluate you’re the prior coursework listed on your application for transfer credit potential. You will receive a transfer credit assessment at the same time you receive an offer of admission. 

After you confirm your offer of admission, you can submit the course outlines (also known as syllabi) for specific courses that have been granted as "elective" and "miscellaneous" credits reassessed for a specific course equivalency at Laurier. You are encouraged to submit your course outlines within the first year of studies at Laurier to avoid completing repeated content. Please note: High school transfer credits are not eligible for reassessment. 

Learn more about our transfer credit reassessment process.