Transfer Credits

Students who wish to receive credit for academic work completed elsewhere during the summer or during a term when the student is not enrolled at Kalamazoo College should contact the Registrar’s Office in advance to see whether the course(s) they are interested in will transfer to Kalamazoo. Courses must be taken at a regionally accredited college or university (or appropriately accredited international institution) and must have a focus and be at a level appropriate for an undergraduate liberal arts program. Students should supply the Registrar with the name of the institution and the name and course description for any course they wish to transfer. In some cases, a course syllabus may also be required. The Registrar’s Office will work with appropriate departments to determine the appropriateness of the course. To receive transfer credit for the course, the student must receive a grade of C or better (C- is not acceptable). The course dates can also not overlap with the student’s active enrollment in classes at Kalamazoo College (concurrent enrollment is not allowed). For academic work done outside the United States, students must obtain prior approval from the Center for International Programs.

The course numbers, titles, and grades from the transfer institution will not appear on the Kalamazoo College transcript, although the number of units transferred in will. Credit transferred in from other institutions does not figure into the calculation of the Kalamazoo College cumulative grade point average (GPA). A student may not transfer in credit for a repeated course if the student earned credit for the original course. A student may repeat and transfer in credit for a course in which the student originally earned a grade of F, W, WF, or NC, but the grade will not replace the grade earned at Kalamazoo College, nor will it figure into the calculation of the Kalamazoo College GPA. Students may not repeat a course, either at Kalamazoo College or at another institution, to replace a D or F once they have taken a higher level course.

Transfer units may be used to satisfy the language and physical education requirements. Transfer students who have, prior to admission, already taken a first-year seminar or English composition course similar in content to the first-year seminar at Kalamazoo College may apply that course toward the first-year seminar requirement. Transfer units may not be used to satisfy the sophomore or senior Shared Passage Seminar or cultures requirements. Transfer units may be used toward majors, minors, and concentrations at the discretion of the faculty in the associated department or program.

All work to be considered for transfer credit must be submitted on an official transcript sent directly from the transfer institution to Kalamazoo College or in a sealed envelope with the registrar’s signature across the seal.

Transferring coursework back to K?

Course Equivalency Guide can be found here. This is a list of classes we have accepted in the past.

AP and IB Credits

Upon enrollment at Kalamazoo College, students will be granted one unit of credit toward graduation for each subject area in which they earn a score of 4 or 5 on the College Board Advancement Placement Examination or a score of 5 or higher on the Higher Level examinations of the International Baccalaureate except for the Pre-Calculus AP exam. . As Kalamazoo College’s math department does not offer a pre-calculus course, no Kalamazoo College credit is awarded for the AP Pre-Calculus exam. Credit may also be granted by the Registrar at the time of enrollment for General Certification of Education, Advanced Level (A-Level) examinations with grades of C or better. Placement or credit toward a major, minor, or concentration may also be granted at the discretion of the department or program. No placement or transfer credits may be used to satisfy sophomore or senior Shared Passage Seminar requirements.