Prospective Students
- Prospective students, freshman, and transfer applicants, should contact their admissions counselor with questions regarding transfer credits, dual enrollment, transfer evaluations and alternative credit programs.
- An official transfer evaluation is provided to the student upon admission into Belmont University and completion of the enrollment confirmation form with a deposit.
- Students may view common transfer courses at Tennessee Community Colleges.
- Refer to the academic policies section of the current academic catalog to read the transfer credit policy.
- An official transcript must be sent directly to attention of the Office of Admissions at Belmont from the home institution or testing service that offered the courses. Note: faxed transcripts will not be accepted as official.
- Outside exams (e.g. AP, IB, CLEP, etc.) will not be taken off a high school or college/university’s transcript.
- Students must order an original transcript with scores from the applicable testing service and have it sent to the Office of Admissions. “Transfer” courses listed on a transcript will not be taken off another college / university’s transcript.
- General Transfer Credit Policy
- Transfer policies for graduate programs can be found in the graduate academic catalog and/or the graduate program web page.
- For current students, an official transcript must be sent directly to attention of the Office of Registrar at Belmont from the home institution or testing service that offered the courses.
- Requirements for Current Student’s Transfer Evaluation
- Transferred grades of “D+” or lower may not be used for major, minor, or general education requirements.
- Belmont will accept no more than 64 semester hours (or the equivalent in quarter hours) earned at an accredited junior college / community college. Further, all hours accepted for direct transfer credit from a community college must be in courses normally offered at Belmont as lower division work, i.e. 1000 and 2000 level courses (formerly listed as 100 and 200 level courses).
- Students with more than 64 junior college / community college hours must still take 64 hours from senior colleges and universities before graduation, including the senior residence requirement (32 semester hours) explained under “Graduation Requirements / General Degree Requirements" for Bachelor Degrees.
- Outside exams (e.g. AP, IB CEEB, CLEP, etc.) will not be taken off a high school / college / university’s transcript. The student must order an original transcript with scores from the applicable testing service and have it sent to Belmont.
- “Transfer” courses listed on a transcript will not be taken off another college / university’s transcript. The student must order an original transcript from institution that offered the courses.
- Transfer grades and credit hours are posted as they appear on the originating college / university’s transcript.
- Only Belmont work is considered in figuring a student’s standing regarding retention, probation, suspension, and good standing.
- All grades from all institutions will be used when determining the cumulative grade point average and counted for eligibility for graduation with honors. To be eligible for graduation the student must have a 2.0 average in major and minor course work (including transfer courses) and 2.0 cumulative GPA based on all cumulative course work. (See Graduation Requirements for a complete list).
- A student intending to “repeat” a course with a low grade with the intention to “replace” the lower grade must repeat that course at the institution where the course was taken. For example to repeat and replace (in the GPA) a Belmont course, the course must be taken at Belmont.
- A maximum of 24 semester credit hours combined may be earned in IB, AP, CLEP, etc.
- International/Study Abroad Transfer Credits
Refer to the current academic catalog for the full content of the transfer credit policy and acceptable transfer credits offered by accredited colleges and universities and a list of college level exams accepted.
Electronic transcripts may be sent to:
Official Paper Transcripts mail to:
Belmont University
Office of Admissions
1900 Belmont Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37212
Note: Faxed transcripts will not be accepted as official.
Students wishing to have an international study abroad educational experience are strongly encouraged to enroll in a Belmont Study Abroad course to ensure direct acceptance of the course work and credit. Students choosing to use an international study abroad vendor / provider, (outside of Belmont's Study Abroad) should be aware that transfer of those credits are not guaranteed regardless of promises made by that international education provider or other American universities that may accept those credits. All students still electing to use a non-Belmont study abroad program must have those course / credits evaluated after completion by an approved third party expert international credit evaluation company.
All applicants with college level coursework from a foreign institution must have their transcripts evaluated by an approved foreign credential evaluation organization, such as World Education Services (WES) or Joseph Silny and Associates or an evaluation service currently listed as a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Other evaluation services will not be accepted. The transcript results of that approved third party professional evaluation (course, credit and grade), sent directly from the evaluator to Belmont is what is used officially by the University Registrar for credit transfer and recorded on the student's Belmont transcript. Any transcript information received that does not provide course(s), credit hours earned, and an interpretable grade to the Belmont grade scale will not be posted on the Belmont University transcript.
The International Education Office does maintain a current list of acceptable third party international education providers, which includes groups that have proven to provide students with high quality travel and educational experiences. This list is maintained as a service to students who may wish to pursue an international experience outside of the Belmont Study Abroad courses. Students using a service from this list (or any other provider) are still required to have an approved third party evaluation (see the above paragraph for approved foreign credential evaluation organization) in order to have the credits transfer back to Belmont. The International Education Office also maintains a list of foreign universities in which Belmont has a formal articulation agreement for credit transfer. If Belmont has a formal transfer articulation agreement with such a university, Belmont will accept credits directly from that institution's transcript provided that the transcript is sent in English and formatted clearly showing courses, credit hours and grades.
Note:
In general the Registrar's Office only makes equivalent course that apply to the University’s BELL Core Curriculum. Other courses, such as those that might apply to a major or minor will need to be reviewed by the appropriate academic department for possible substitution described below:
If a course substitution is necessary, students initiate the process with their academic advisor. The Course Substitution Form is a formal petition to demonstrate course equivalency. Students should submit the form to the Office of the Registrar after obtaining signatures of the academic advisor and department chair. The course substitution is noted in the student’s degree audit upon final approval.
Course equivalency is reported through Degree Works once the official transcript is received with all final grades for the last term attended and upon completion of the evaluation.