Evaluation of Transfer Credit
Once you have been admitted to UNL, you also need to be admitted to the degree college of your choice.
Your degree college is the UNL undergraduate college which will grant the degree you are seeking (e.g. the College of Business Administration or the College of Arts & Sciences). Admission to a UNL degree college is a separate decision from admission to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Degree colleges have varying admission requirements.
**Students admitted to the Division of General Studies: General Studies is not a degree college. Your transfer credit will be officially evaluated when you are admitted to a degree college.
Upon admission your degree college will review your transfer credit. Different types of credit are handled in different ways. See the Glossary for the definition of terms.
UNL courses are on a semester basis. Quarter credits are converted to semester credits by multiplying quarter credits by two-thirds (0.667). For example, 4.5 quarter credits equals 3 semester credits.
Courses on the UNL Course Equivalency List
- Direct Equivalent--Courses which have a direct UNL equivalent are seen on the Course Equivalency Table. These will apply to your degree in the same way as the UNL course, except for residency or Integrative Studies (IS) credit.
- Elective Credit--Courses which transfer as subject electives (HIST ***) may be applied as electives in that subject (history) but are not assigned to a specific course. Some courses transfer as general elective credit (GNCR). Your degree college will determine how electives apply to your degree.
Courses NOT on the UNL Course Equivalency List
This generally indicates that the courses have not been evaluated by UNL faculty.
- Courses from institutions accredited by one of the six regional accrediting commissions (see the Council on Higher Education Accreditation) which have NOT been evaluated by UNL faculty will initially transfer as general elective credit (GNCR). These courses will be reviewed by your degree college to determine how they will apply to your degree. You will work with your academic adviser and may be asked to provide information to assist in that determination.
- Courses from US institutions which do not hold regional accreditation must be evaluated before they will transfer or apply to your degree. These institutions are generally either faith based or provide instruction focusing on a specific career. Consult your academic adviser to determine whether you have credit which must be evaluated. You may be asked to provide information to assist in the determination.
CourseFinder-Direct Equivalents at other University of Nebraska campuses
- CourseFinder, a new interactive web site, allows students and advisers to locate equivalent courses between the Kearney, Lincoln, and Omaha campuses. Find it on-line at https://coursefinder.nebraska.edu/ Courses which are not direct equivalents but which have been evaluated are found on the respective Course Equivalency List (http://admissions.unl.edu/tequiv/index.php).
- A number of search options are available using the tabs across the top. Now with just a few clicks you can find the equivalent of a course taken since 1999 or a course the you plan to take. Once a course is located, clicking on the identifier (ECON211) will bring up more detailed course information. A direct equivalent course at UNO or UNK can be used to replace a D and F grade at UNL. Contact your academic adviser for details. Equivalency information is provided as a guide and may change without notice.
International Credit
- A limited number of courses from outside the United States have been evaluated and given a UNL equivalent. These are seen on UNL Course Equivalency Table.
- All other international credit must be evaluated before the credit will transfer to UNL. International students should have their credit evaluated as early as possible to avoid duplication of credit. Consult your academic adviser to determine which credit needs to be evaluated and to find out who should evaluate each course. You will be asked to provide information to assist in the determination.
What if your credit requires faculty evaluation?
Transfer credit is reviewed by specially appointed faculty in the UNL department which would grant similar credit. That means algebra or calculus is evaluated by the math department, while organic chemistry is evaluated by the chemistry department. The faculty reviewer determines whether the transfer course is comparable to a UNL course in content, level, and outcomes.
To review a course the faculty reviewer uses the following information from a course outline, syllabus, or corresponding documents (in English):
- Name of the institution
- Course Identification and Title (BIO101 Essentials of Biology)
- Brief course description including prerequisites and number of semester credits awarded. (If the institution does not use semester or quarter hours, provide number of weeks and hours per week.)
- Course outline or syllabus detailing textbooks used, materials covered, types of assignments and assessments such as papers, exams, laboratory work, grading scale, and so on. Outline should be dated.
- Course objectives and learning outcomes
- Lab work - hours per week and topics covered
See Sample Course Outline (pdf)
