Transfer of Credit
The Office of the Registrar administers the transfer of credit policy.
For questions that cannot be answered by way of the information below, please contact toc@oberlin.edu.
Current Oberlin students must seek permission from the Office of the Registrar to take courses away from Oberlin. This action must occur well before the course's start date and in the best interest of the student before registering for and or paying for the course. For more information, please view "Can this course transfer to Oberlin?"
The following actions must occur well before the course's start date and in the best interest of the student before registering for and or paying for the course.
Students intending to transfer course(s) are to complete the Pre-Evaluation Transfer of Credit Form: Can This Course Transfer to Oberlin? The Office of the Registrar's review applies to elective credit only. The Office of the Registrar will contact the student within 10 business days at their Oberlin email address with a review of their pre-evaluation transfer of credit request.
Students intending to apply transfer course(s) toward major/minor/concentration requirements must also complete and acquire signatures on the Transfer of Credit form. The completed form can be submitted in person to the Office of the Registrar or at toc@oberlin.edu.
Please note that the degree requirements below must be completed at Oberlin College. Exceptions to this are students admitted as transfers are eligible to earn up to one full course for each of the Curriculum Exploration requirements (SSCI, NSMA, ARHU) and students who go on a foreign study away are eligible to receive Cultural Diversity (CD) credit equal to one full course. Other work transferred to Oberlin may be counted within the transfer of credit limitations toward the degree but will not count toward the below requirements.
- Curriculum Exploration (SSCI, NSMA, ARHU)
- Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (QFR)
- Writing (WINT, WADV)
- Cultural Diversity (CD)
Hand Deliver. You may submit your official transcript directly to the Office of the Registrar, which is situated in Bosworth Hall, room 107 (you can access the office via the entrance on North Professor Street). It is important to ensure that the official transcript arrives in an unopened, sealed envelope that has been issued to you by the originating institution.
Mail. You may send your official transcript to Oberlin College, Office of the Registrar, 50 W. Lorain Street, Room 107, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. It is important to ensure that the official transcript arrives in an unopened, sealed envelope that has been issued to you by the originating institution.
Electronic. The sending institution can transmit your official transcript to the Office of the Registrar through email using the address toc@oberlin.edu. The Office of the Registrar also welcomes official transcripts sent through the Parchment transcript ordering service. Should you have any further questions regarding the submission of electronic transcripts, please contact toc@oberlin.edu.
Please be aware that upon receipt of your official transcript and completion of the coursework evaluation for final transferability, a per-credit-hour fee will be added to your student account. For further details, please refer to the Expenses section within the current academic year catalog.
After receipt of the student's official transcript, review of the coursework for final transferability will occur within 15 business days. If further information is required to proceed, the student will be contacted at their Oberlin email address by toc@oberlin.edu. Otherwise, students can view the result of their transfer of credit at the links below. Please note that credits transferred to Oberlin will be posted to the student's academic record with a grade of "X".
Information such as the type of work accepted for transfer to Oberlin, transfer of credit limitations, exclusions to transfer of credit, regulations for work done in music, foreign countries or non-degree-granting institutions, requesting transfer of credit, evaluation of transfer credits, and more are included in the Guide to Transfer of Credit Policies and Procedures
Please note that the degree requirements below must be completed at Oberlin College. Exceptions to this are students admitted as transfers are eligible to earn up to one full course for each of the Curriculum Exploration requirements (SSCI, NSMA, ARHU) and students who go on a foreign study away are eligible to receive Cultural Diversity (CD) credit equal to one full course. Other work transferred to Oberlin may be counted within the transfer of credit limitations toward the degree but will not count toward the below requirements.
- Curriculum Exploration (SSCI, NSMA, ARHU)
- Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (QFR)
- Writing (WINT, WADV)
- Cultural Diversity (CD)
In the 2020-2021 academic year, Juniors attended Oberlin in spring and summer; Sophomores attended in fall and summer. In the semesters in which a student was not on campus, Winter Term opportunities were offered. However, an exception was made to allow Sophomores and Juniors to enroll in a course or courses at another institution concurrent with Winter Term (in the fall for Juniors and in the spring for Sophomores.) Any work taken at another institution must meet Oberlin College's rules for transfer of credit, including limits and type of work. For more information, please see the transfer of credit guide.
Due to public health and safety, Oberlin canceled study away for the Spring 2021 semester. As an extension of this policy, students on leave in Spring 2021 were not be permitted to request transfer of credit for coursework completed at institutions outside of the United States. An exception was made for students who lived abroad and were studying in the country of their permanent residence (as reflected in My Self-Service Banner) at the time course(s) were taken. Students were asked to request exceptions in advance of completing coursework by contacting toc@oberlin.edu. The following form was required Spring 2021 International Transfer of Credit.