Transfer Credit

College Transcripts

Students are required to include in their applications for admission official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. (See Applying for Admission.) Credits earned at regionally accredited colleges or universities will be evaluated by the Registrar's Office, and credit will be given in accordance with College policy only after a student has been accepted. In general, credit will be accepted for courses that are comparable to courses in the College curriculum. Credits earned at non-accredited colleges may be accepted as a basis for advanced standing in accordance with the recommendations of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, but only upon satisfactory completion of at least 30 credits in residence at the College.

Students may access the Transfer Evaluation System (TES) to see how their specific transfer credits may count at The College of Idaho.

Community (Junior) College Credit

A maximum of 70 semester credits or 106 quarter credits of approved community college credit may be transferred to The College of Idaho to be counted toward the 124 credits required for graduation (see senior residency requirement). Only lower-division credit will be allowed for community college work. Please see Transfer Credit Policy for specific course and grade acceptance.

Transfer Credit Policy

The Registrar’s Office evaluates transfer credit and makes decisions regarding transfer course credit and equivalencies guided by the following principles:

  • Courses must have been taken at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States.
  • Credit from professional-technical coursework is not accepted.
  • Introduction to College or any course numbered under the 1000 level is not accepted.
  • Coursework from foreign institutions must be evaluated by World Education Services, the Academic Credential Evaluation Institute, or another approved credential evaluation service.
  • All transfer course credits will be converted to semester credits. (See conversion table below.)
  • The College of Idaho accepts up to 70 semester credits from accredited community colleges and up to 90 semester credits from accredited four-year colleges and universities.
  • Transfer credits may fulfill Coyote Core and major/minor requirements in different ways. (See course-to-course equivalencies below.)
  • An awarded AA or AS degree: The College will accept up to 70 semester credits and consider the Coyote Core complete except the First-Year Experience (6-8 credits), which serves as an introduction to academic inquiry and the liberal arts tradition while fostering student connection with the College, and Career, Calling and Community (2 credits), through which students gain hands-on experience. First-Year Experience courses include either COFI-1001 First-Year Seminar or COFI-3001 Transfer Seminar, as well as HIST-1000 Civ: Origins of the Modern World.
  • Academic departments are consulted for alignment with course content and program requirements.
  • Approved courses that are passed with grades A through D-, P, or S, will be accepted for transfer to the College, but only applicable courses graded C or higher will be used to satisfy major, minor, and Coyote Core requirements.
  • Outdated transfer coursework: Acceptable transfer courses that are more than five years old at the time of admission to The College of Idaho may be excluded from consideration, at the discretion of the College, in meeting major or minor requirements regardless of grade earned.

Course-to-Course Equivalencies

Courses at The College of Idaho are usually 4 credits. Many transfer courses are often less than four credits. When courses are less than 4 credits, the following rules are applied.

  • Coyote Core requirements can be fulfilled by transfer courses taken for a minimum of 3 semester credits or 5 quarter credits. If a Coyote Core category requires 4 credits for completion, a 3-credit transfer course will fulfill the Coyote Core requirement. The remaining credit(s) is not waived but will be required as part of the overall 124 credits needed to graduate.
  • Major or minor course requirements can be fulfilled by transfer courses taken for a minimum of 3 semester credits or 5 quarter credits. The credit difference that might occur is not waived but will be required as part of the overall 124 credits needed to graduate. Consult with the Registrar’s Office or the academic department chair of the major or minor.

Quarter Credit to Semester Credit Conversion

Quarter Credits

Semester Credits

1 0.67
2 1.34
3 2.01
4 2.68
5 3.35
6 4.02