Transfer Credit Policy
- Courses completed at other regionally accredited institutions will be given credit at Sweet Briar. The course work must represent relevant collegiate course work, with course content and level of instruction at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in Sweet Briar’s own undergraduate degree programs.
- All transfer credit will be evaluated by the Office of the Registrar, who consults with members of the faculty when necessary. Official college, university or community college transcripts must be submitted to the registrar for evaluation.
- No more than 60 semester hours of transfer credit will be counted toward the degree.
- Courses offered for credit toward the major or minor must be approved by the appropriate program at Sweet Briar College.
- All college level courses, including JYF in Paris, in which a student has received a minimum grade of C- or “pass/fail,” if “pass” is the equivalent of a C- or above, will be considered for transfer.
- Transfer credits are awarded grades of TR and are not calculated into the Sweet Briar grade point average (GPA).
- Credit is tentative until the student has completed one year’s work at Sweet Briar with a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.000.
- Transfer credit will be considered toward fulfilling leadership core requirements. Once a student matriculates at Sweet Briar, the remaining leadership core courses must be completed at Sweet Briar.
Specific Types of Credits
Dual Enrollment
Sweet Briar College accepts transfer credit for all dual enrollment courses that meet the College’s basic transfer criteria. The registrar, in consultation with each program, will determine whether or not these courses may count as the equivalent of courses offered by that program. If there is no program equivalent, courses may be granted generic, 100-level credit in the program. Only dual-enrollment courses transferred as Sweet Briar College course equivalents may be used to satisfy general education requirements.
Advanced Placement (AP)
A student who receives a score of 4 or 5 on an Advanced Placement test will be granted credit for a year’s course or for a term’s course, as well as exemption from both the program’s introductory course, if there is one, and any appropriate general education requirement. Students must request that Education Testing Service (ETS) send official score reports to the registrar.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
A student presenting a score of five or higher on any of the International Baccalaureate higher-level examinations approved by Sweet Briar will receive academic credit. On the recommendation of the individual program, advanced placement or credit, or both, may be awarded to a student presenting a score of 4 on any of the International Baccalaureate higher-level examinations.
A-Level
Sweet Briar accepts A- and AS-level coursework from schools using this grading system. Please contact the Office of the Registrar for listings of the courses that will transfer.
Summer Coursework
A maximum of 18 semester hours of summer credit will be allowed toward the degree. In order to ensure that credit will be transferred, it is strongly recommended that students obtain written permission of the programs concerned and the Registrar BEFORE enrolling for summer courses. If prior permission is not obtained, students must request approval of the courses no later than the end of the fall term following summer school, or no credit will be given.
For matriculated Sweet Briar students needing to satisfy Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), grades earned from pre-approved summer courses will transfer and be included in the Sweet Briar GPA calculation.
Note: Students who have earned an associate degree and transfer to Sweet Briar under an articulation agreement may have all associate degree summer courses transferred according to the College’s transfer credit policy. Transfer students for whom 18 or more summer credits are accepted will not be allowed to transfer additional credits for summer courses taken after they enroll at Sweet Briar.
Study Abroad
A maximum of 17 credits of transfer work will be accepted for students spending one semester abroad and a maximum of 35 credits for a year abroad.
Tri-College Coursework
The Tri-College Consortium is composed of Randolph College, University of Lynchburg, and Sweet Briar College. Students attending any of the three may take up to 50% of their credits per semester at any of the schools. Students pay their home institutions tuition and fees and are not charged extra. Grades for courses count for academic credit at Sweet Briar and count in a student’s GPA.
Acadeum
Sweet Briar is a member of a nationwide consortium of colleges and universities that provide online courses. Grades earned in Acadeum classes count in a student’s GPA, they are not considered transfer credit. In most circumstances, students are limited in the Fall and Spring semesters to enrolling in foreign language courses. Any exceptions must be approved by the Dean of the College. Students may take any courses offered through Acadeum during the Summer term. Students are charged Sweet Briar tuition for Acadeum courses and do not pay any extra tuition or fees.
Current Students Requesting Transfer Credit
- A study abroad proposed courses form is required of all students completing coursework while studying abroad.
- A transfer of credit approval form is required for all non-SBC courses taken after becoming a student at Sweet Briar College. This form is not required for coursework completed before a student’s first semester at SBC.