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Transfer Credits for Incoming Transfer Students

Transfer credits are automatically reviewed and awarded during the admission assessment process to incoming transfer students. 

Watch the video below to learn more about transfer credits: 

Find Your Transfer Credits

Your initial transfer credit assessment will be included in your offer letter based on your grades at the time of application. 

Once your final official grades from your previous insitution are received, your transfer credit assessment in your offer letter will be updated. 

In MyDegree:

  • Transfer credits are outlined with CR as the grade or can include a 'T' before a letter grade (i.e. TA+). 
  • Typically includes "Satisfied by" language to indicate how your previous courses can be applied to your degree.

In LORIS, your transfer credits will be listed by your previous institution(s) at the top of the record. To find your transfer credits: 

  1. Log in to LORIS.
  2. Select Student Services. 
  3. Select Student Records. 
  4. Select Unofficial Record of Course Work, then Display Your Unofficial Record of Course Work.

Types of Transfer Credits

Transfer credits are granted in recognition of work you’ve previously completed at another post-secondary institution.

All academic coursework that meets the minimum grade requirements will automatically be considered for transfer credit when you apply to Laurier.

  • All transfer credits will be assigned a year level, designated by the first number in the course code (i.e. PS101 is a first-year course, PS260 is a second year course etc.).
  • Every program has a maximum number of 100-level credits allowed in the degree, and transfer credits will be included within that limit.
  • Every honours degree also requires you to complete a minimum of 10.0 credits at Laurier, 5.0 credits of which must be at the senior level (200-level or higher) in your honours major, despite the number of transfer credits you receive.

There are three types of transfer credits that may be granted based on the coursework completed:

  • Direct Equivalency: The course is equivalent to a specific Laurier course and can be used toward a program requirement if the course is required (i.e. SY101, BI110, CC102 etc.).
  • Miscellaneous Discipline Credit: Laurier does not have an exact equivalent for the course, but you are awarded a miscellaneous credit based on the relevant discipline (i.e. 0.5 200 level History credit, noted by HI2XX).
  •  Interdisciplinary Credit: The course is not equivalent to a Laurier course and does not fall within a discipline we offer. This type of transfer credit can count toward elective requirements in your degree (i.e. 0.5 100 level Interdisciplinary credit, noted by UU1XX).

Exclusions

There are some rare circumstances in which a course you have taken previously at another institution may have covered a significant amount of content that overlaps with a Laurier course, but not enough to be considered a true equivalency. If faculty determine this about one of your transfer credits, it will be assigned as a miscellaneous discipline credit (see Types of Transfer credits above), however you may notice the word "exclusion" next to it on your Laurier record. This means that if you choose to enrol in the excluded course at Laurier (the "exclusion"), you will retain the new credit and forfeit your transfer credit. Decisions on exclusions are made by faculty from the relevant department. 
  
For example, if you earn a 0.5 EN 100-level transfer credit based on an English course you took previously that covers much of the same content as EN190 (but not all), you may see "Exclusions: EN190" next to the course code on your record. In this case, if you choose to take EN190 during your time at Laurier, your transfer credit will be forfeited and replaced with the final grade you receive in that course at Laurier. If you do not take EN190, you will retain your miscellaneous discipline credit. If EN190 is required to complete your degree, you will need to take the course at Laurier and not retain the transfer credit. 

Transfer Credit Reassessment

Transfer credit reassessments can be initiated in two ways: by requesting a course equivalency review or completing a program change.

All requests will be individually reviewed, however adjustments are not guaranteed. 

Requesting a Course Equivalency Review

Once you have confirmed your offer, you have the opportunity to submit course outlines (also known as course syllabi or instructional plans) to be reviewed by our faculty experts for potential equivalency to a Laurier course.

Students are encouraged to participate in this optional process within their first year at Laurier to avoid completing courses that could be deemed equivalent.

For more information about eligibility, how to submit a transfer credit reassessment, and when the results are available, review our Transfer Credit Reassessment page.

Changing Your Program

If you change your program of study, your transfer credit assessment may be eligible to change as well. Once your program of study has updated on your MyDegree account, email transfercredit@wlu.ca to advise of this change and start the transfer credit reassessment process.

If you are an upper-year student with questions or concerns about your transfer credit assessment, send your inquiries to transfercredit@wlu.ca before the first day of your last semester at Laurier. Any potential adjustments are dependent on the courses you have completed to date at Laurier and the transfer credit criteria outlined on this page.

Year Level

Your year level is determined by the amount of credits you have completed (also including transfer credits), not by the amount of time that you have spent at Laurier.

Confirming your year level before selecting your courses is important as some courses require you to have a specific year level before you can register in them.

Most four-year honours degrees will require the completion of 20.0 credits.

  • Year 1 = 0 – 4.0 credits
  • Year 2 = 4.25 – 9.0 credits
  • Year 3 = 9.25 – 14.0 credits
  • Year 4 = 14.25+ credits

Academic Advising

Connecting with your academic advisor is an important first step in the course registration process. It is recommended that you meet with your academic advisor at least once a year to ensure you are on track with your program requirements.

Before meeting with your advisor, you can review your program requirements and track how your transfer credits fit within them by using MyDegree.