Transfer Credit

Institutional Transfer Credit 

The deadline to submit for Summer 2026 Institutional Transfer Credit is May 1st, 2026

Trinity students may earn institutional transfer credit by enrolling on their own in a course at another accredited four-year college or university in the United States or abroad.

These courses must be pre-approved before enrollment and must fit within your Duke academic plan.

Key Policies

Individually arranged transfer courses:

  • must be taken independently at another accredited four-year college or university.
  • must be taken when you are NOT enrolled in Duke courses. 
  • must be taken in person (no online classes).
  • must be taken for a letter grade (S/U courses are not eligible).
  • are limited to 2.0 transfer credits during your time in Trinity.
  • must be pre-approved by both the Dean of Transfer and the relevant Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS).

Students must submit an official transcript sent directly from the host institution to Duke. 

Transfer credits appear on your Duke transcript as “TR”.  The grade will not appear on your Duke record and will not affect your Duke GPA.

Course Requirements

To be eligible for transfer credit:

  • Courses taken at community colleges or junior colleges are not eligible.
  • Courses must be taken in person with other students.
  • In general:
    • 3–4 semester hours = 1.0 Duke credit
    • 5–6 quarter hours = 1.0 Duke credit
  • Summer courses must meet for at least four weeks and include at least 17 class meetings.
  • You may not receive transfer credit for a course if you took the course earlier at Duke and received a grade of D-, D, or D+.  

Curriculum Rules

Codes for Curriculum 2000: 

  • Courses that transfer to Duke as a specific Duke course will carry the Area of Knowledge code(s) that applies. 
  • Courses that transfer as generic courses (e.g. 100 for a lower-level, no exact equivalent) can be awarded an Area of Knowledge code by the approving DUS.
  • Institutional Transfer courses cannot be given Mode of Inquiry codes, with the exception of an "FL" code under certain circumstances. 
  • Courses described as seminars or tutorials will not automatically satisfy the Small Group Learning Experience requirement. The Registrar determines if the SGLE can be awarded.

Codes for Arts and Sciences Curriculum: coming soon

Academic Programs: 

  • Departments determine if transfer courses count toward a major, minor, or certificate
  • Some departments limit the number of non-Duke courses that they will apply.

 

Additional Rules

  • You may NOT be enrolled in courses at Duke and another institution at the same time. This includes Duke online classes.
  • Accreditation of schools outside the United States must confirmed prior to approval.
  • Duke does not accept “third-party” transfer credit.  This is when the transcript is issued by an institution that is not managing the course.
  • Trinity students on academic dismissal can take classes for transfer credit during their academic dismissal period up to the maximum of two institutional transfer credits applying to the degree.

 

Process and Form

Step 1: Submit a Pre-approval Request Form

 

Step 2: Track the Review Process

Requests are reviewed in two stages:

  • Dean of Transfer confirms the course meets Trinity transfer policies before sending to DUS.
  • DUS evaluates the content and determines its Duke course equivalency.
  • Students can track the status of their e-request in Kuali and will receive email updates if additional information is needed.  Students will be informed by email if pre-approved.

 

Step 3: Complete the Course and Submit Transcript

  • Enroll at the other school and register for the course.
  • After completing the course, request that the institution send an official transcript directly to the Duke Registrar’s Office. Once received, the Registrar will post the approved transfer credit to your Duke record in DukeHub.  
  • Double check that the posted course is applying to your degree requirements correctly.

 

If you have any questions regarding institutional transfer credit email the Transfer Office at transferstudents@duke.edu.

 

Please note if you are interested in other types of transfer credit please see the pages for those processes and policies:

  • Entrance credit (AP/IB/PMC) - The Office of the University Registrar handles AP/IB/PMC credit for all students.
  • Study Abroad Transfer Credit - The Global Education Office supports all students participating in transfer credit courses as a part of their Study Abroad experience.
  • Transfer Students – For students transferring to Duke as a Trinity Transfer Student, your prior work is evaluated in bulk by the Trinity Transfer Office.