2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog > Academic Standards, Policies, and Procedures > Transfer Credit Policies

Transfer Credit Policies

The following are the Policies of Transfer Credits:

Upon admission, student who have attended institutions other than Kean University will receive and initial evaluation of their transcripts (and any credit by examination results) in order to determine the transferability of their previous coursework in relation to the program of study selected on their application. If courses are in progress or are to be taken shortly after initial acceptance (i.e.-during a summer session after being admitted for the fall), the student must request to have the most updated transcript sent to the Office of Admissions. Students should email transfer@kean.edu to request their updated evaluation. The students should include, on the email, their full name, student identification number and indicate when the final transcript was sent.  Students will be notified via their Kean email accounts as to when this process is complete.  Students who later present transcripts for institutions which were not disclosed on their application for admission, will have their records reviewed by the Office of Admissions to determine if they will be reviewed for transferability. As per University admissions policies, student may have their offer of admission rescinded on the basis of previously withholding this information.

Transfer students who change their majors will need to have their transcripts reevaluated based on their new program of study.  Once the administrative change has been fully processes, Transfer Admissions will be alerted to this need and a review will take place. Students will be notified via their Kean email accounts as to when the process is completed.

Freshmen with credits (less than 18 earned at another institution prior to admission) must submit their transcripts to the Office of Admissions as close to the time of their admission as possible in order to ensure that they are properly credited and received proper advisement.

Credit by examination scores should be sent to Kean University Office of Admissions so that they can be posted to the student's record in accordance with equivalencies established by Kean University faculty.  Students who complete coursework an another institution or take any credit by examination after their acceptance, must submit the official transcripts or reports in order to receive a new evaluation. 

The following are the policies by which courses sent for transfer to Kean are reviewed and awarded:

1. Developmental courses (often designated as 0 or zero level) including developmental English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are not transferable and do not count towards graduation.
2. College credits from United States post-secondary institutions which are accredited by one of the six Regional Institutional Accrediting Organizations: Middle States Associations of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges are evaluated by Transfer Admissions Counselors within the Office of Admissions. Transfer credit may be awarded from unaccredited institutions or from institutions who are accredited by national accrediting organizations after a review by the coordinator/department chairperson of the academic department in which the student is currently enrolled.Any college credit earned at a non-US institution MUST be evaluated by an evaluation service that is a member of National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (N.A.C.E.S). These services have no affiliation with Kean University. A listing of the member evaluation services and additional information can be obtained by visiting www.naces.org.

3. Transfer credit limitations and residency requirements:

   1. Students can transfer a maximum of 89 credits from a combination of all two and four year institutions attended.

   2. Students can transfer a maximum of 66 lower division credits accepted (including all credits taken at two-year colleges and any lower division credits taken at four-year institutions).

   3. Students must take a minimum of 31 credits and 50% of the Kean University major requirements (which is included in the 31 credits, but the total may exceed 31 credits for some majors with large credit requirements) at Kean University. If applicable, 50% of any second major, minor or collateral requirements must also be completed at Kean (which is included in the 31 credits, but the total may exceed 31 credits for some majors with large credit requirements, second majors, minors or collaterals).

4. Effective as of 2008, Kean endorses and fully participates in the Statewide transfer agreement for New Jersey Public County Colleges to New Jersey Public Colleges and Universities regarding students transferring with A.A. and A.S. degrees. Please note: The agreement does not apply to students graduating with A.A.S. degrees. Additionally, changing majors from two to four year schools can affect the total amount of credits that transfer.

5. Grade requirements for course transfer: The minimum grade accepted for transfer is a D with the following exceptions:

   1. English Composition requires a minimum grade of C.

   2. Major courses require a minimum grade of C.

   3. Specific majors, (for example Education majors) may have certain course requirements that have minimum grades higher than C. These policies are the same for transfer students and native Kean University students.

   4. Regulations for teacher education and certification limit transfer of credit to six semester hours of professional education coursework from the two-year college level.

6. Students who are matriculated at Kean University and wish to take courses at another institution must complete the Coursework at Another Institution Request form prior to registering for the class(es). This form must be completed in accordance with the instructions on the form. The Major Chairperson, Executive Director, or other preauthorized individual must provide the pre-established equivalency and grade requirements prior to registration. The academic department/signor of the form will need to scan and email the completed form to transfer@kean.edu.  It is the responsibility of the student to arrange to have the final, official transcript sent to Kean University upon completion of the class(es).  Kean Ocean students have a separate permission to take coursework form tailored for Ocean County College. This form is available in the Kean Ocean Administrative Offices, GATE 103 and should be returned then when completed and approved by the appropriate Kean Ocean faculty advisor.

7. It is the responsibility of the student to contact ALL previous institutions to arrange to have final transcripts sent that reflect coursework completed after their initial acceptance and evaluation by Kean University.

8. Transfer credit will not be awarded from any institution that was not listed on the application at the point of initial acceptance to Kean (unless the courses were taken AFTER the initial acceptance to Kean). Omission of an institution attended to conceal poor performance is grounds for rescinding the offer of admission.

9. Credits from C.L.E.P., N.Y.U. Foreign Language Exams, A.P. and other alternative forms of college credit, when included as part of an A.A. or A.S. degree from a New Jersey County College will be awarded in the same manner as the county college, however, an official score report from the evaluating agency (College Board, NYU) must be sent to Kean prior to the awarding of credit. For all other transfer students taking these exams prior to their admission to Kean, credit will only be awarded if the program requirements have space to accept those credits and Kean’s minimum passing score requirements are met. An official score report from the evaluating agency (College Board, NYU) must be sent to Kean prior to the evaluation and awarding of credit.

10. Submission of fraudulent transcripts or transcripts from diploma mills are not accepted, and will permanently bar the student from admission to the university.

11. While credits do transfer into the University, grades do not. Only grades for courses completed at Kean are considered into the calculation of a student’s Kean University grade point average (GPA). If a student wishes to recalculate a grade for a course, the course must be taken or retaken at Kean.

12. Course equivalencies are determined after a review and comparison of available course descriptions. When course descriptions are not readily available, students must provide this information or a course syllabus to their respective Credit Evaluation Specialist in the Office of Admissions for consideration. New Jersey community college coursework equivalencies are determined using these same parameters and are published on the www.njtransfer.org website.