Undergraduate Transfer Credit Guidelines

All bona fide college level courses, appropriate to the program to be pursued, may be applied toward National Louis University’s undergraduate degree programs if the coursework meets the following criteria:

• The courses are normally applicable to a baccalaureate program.
• The courses were taken at an accredited institution (note: Education Programs accept only credit from schools with institutional accreditation)
• The student received a grade of “C” (GPA of 2.0/4.0) or better (Note: students who graduated with an overall GPA of 2.0 or better from A.A. or A.S. degree at an IAI approved institution may be exempt from this requirement, subject to each NLU program rules. This exception may also apply to other associate’s degrees that are part of specific Articulation Agreements).

Note: The way in which credit is applied toward the degree is at the discretion of the University.

Evaluation of transfer coursework toward specific degree program requirements is completed by the Registrar's Office, in consultation with the academic departments at the time of admission. Admitted students should work with their academic advisor in completing their degree plan. All credit considered of appropriate level, content and applicability to the degree program being pursued, may be accepted for transfer according to established admissions standards.

The following restrictions apply:

• Physical Education: Only up to three quarter hours of physical education credit may be accepted.
• Program-specific transfer credit limits: Up to 60 quarter hours of technical credit may be accepted by the following programs: Applied Behavioral Sciences, Health Care Leadership, Management and Management Information Systems.
• Mathematics courses: Students planning to take a mathematics course at another institution must receive written approval from their academic advisor before enrolling to ensure the course will be accepted for transfer credit.
• Credit for Prior Learning: Up to 60 quarter hours of credit for prior learning may be accepted by select undergraduate programs, subject to specific program requirements.
• Military Experience and Training Credit (ACE approved): All colleges at NLU accept ACE credit. Programs in the National College of Education may also choose to accept ACE (pending any state mandated or regulations put on licensure programs), upon approval of program faculty, college leadership, and Provost office. The application of prior learning credit for military experience and professional training has been specifically restricted to “general education” designated courses and program electives – when appropriate, programs seeking to include CPL options into their major, minor, and concentration coursework must consult with their program faculty, college leadership, and Provost. 
• Credit below college level: Courses that are below college level cannot be accepted. 
• There may be additional limits to the acceptance of different kinds of credit according to a specific degree program.

Students whose academic work was not completed in the United States are asked to provide official transcripts or an appropriate equivalent documentation of their work. Certified English translations of such documents may be required. In addition, students may be required to submit their foreign credentials to one of several approved foreign credentials evaluation services. Credit will be awarded only after official documents have been received and appropriately evaluated.

Examples of academic work that must be submitted to one of the approved foreign credentials evaluation services include:

• Credit taken at any institution that is not located in the United States.
• Study Abroad credit that is not offered through an institution located in the United States.

Credit may also be granted for credit recommendations made by the American Council on Education. This includes the council’s military evaluations program and the National College Credit Recommendation Service.