Students transferring from other institutions must arrange to have official transcripts from each college/university attended be sent to Samford University. New students should have all official transcripts sent directly to the Office of Admission; current Samford students who have taken transient coursework at other schools should have official transcripts sent directly to the Office of the Registrar.
While an official evaluation of transfer credit cannot be made until transcripts have been received from other schools, prospective students, as well as current students considering transient work, can review transfer policies to see where they stand.
See how your courses might transfer into Samford. Click the link, choose a state, then school.
Please note: Samford students who are doing transient work at another institution cannot receive credit for core courses, and not all pre-approved courses may be taken online. See our Transient Checklist for more information.
College Courses
Transfer of Transient Courses
Want to take and then transfer a course's credit to Samford? Current Samford students who plan to take a course at another school while away from Samford must complete a transient enrollment form and secure the appropriate signatures/approval prior to registering for the class. Students are responsible for arranging to have an official transcript of that coursework sent to the Samford University Registrar (not Admissions). Students planning to take a course at a BACHE-area school (UAB, Montevallo, Miles, Birmingham-Southern) while attending Samford must complete the BACHE Exchange Form instead. For more on transfer credit policies as they apply to current Samford students taking transient coursework, see the current catalog, Academic Policies & Regulation section or the Transient Enrollment Form.
Transfer by Institution Accreditation Status
Transfer work from institutionally accredited (formerly regionally accredited) colleges and universities will be accepted if the student has earned a grade of C- or higher (D grades will not transfer into Samford).
Coursework will be considered for transfer credit from postsecondary institutions that offer the baccalaureate degree or associate's degree leading to the baccalaureate degree and are fully accredited by one of the six accrediting agencies below.
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges; Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC)
Non-Accepted Work
- Non-academic courses
- Remedial courses
- Highly technical courses
- Vocational courses
- Duplicate credit
- Pass/Fail graded courses, unless documentation is received from the awarding institution stating that a grade of P is equal to a C- or better.
- Participation beyond limits in sports and music ensembles. NOTE: Not more than eight credits in music ensembles, drama participation, and physical education activity courses may apply toward the minimum of 128 credits required for graduation. No more than two credits in physical education activity courses beyond those required for graduation may be part of the combined eight credits.
Transfer by Institution Status
A maximum of 64 semester credit hours (or 96 quarter credits) can be transferred in from junior or community colleges, where such coursework is comparable to Samford’s 100- or 200-level courses.
Students transferring work from upper-level or four-year institutions may be allowed to exceed the 64-hour transfer credit limit, but should keep the following in mind:
- In order to receive a first undergraduate degree, students must earn at least 50% of their total credits at Samford. (regardless of the total number of credits required for that student's degree program).
- Within the major field, a minimum of 15 credits must be earned at Samford, nine of those at the 300/400 level.
- Within the minor field, a minimum of nine credits must be earned at Samford, six of those at the 300/400 level.
Credit earned via dual enrollment, extension, correspondence, AP (Advanced Placement), and CLEP may not exceed 30 credits, in aggregate. None of this work counts towards the 50% Samford residency requirement noted above.
Transfer of Core Curriculum
Transfer guidelines apply only to students who are applying for admission to Samford University who are not classified as entering freshmen (i.e., fewer than 18 hours). Currently enrolled or previously admitted students must take all core courses at Samford.
Transfer students with less than 18 semester credits (including credit by examination) may apply only one transfer course (UCR 101) towards the core curriculum. Students will only receive the credit they earned (not the credit of the course being replaced). Students may need to take additional coursework to meet the total credits required for their degree program.
Transfer students with 18 or more semester credits earned at another institution and/or through credit by examination may apply equivalent credit for any of the six core curriculum courses (UCBF 101, UCR 101, UCS 102, UCT 101, UCT 102, and UCHW 120).
Transfer students may be able to substitute some general education courses taken elsewhere for the interdisciplinary courses of the general education curriculum that meet 75% of the required credits in each course (e.g., a three-hour course taken elsewhere may be allowed to substitute for a four-hour Samford Core or Gen Ed course).
International Transfer Credit
Samford accepts transfer credit that has been evaluated by World Education Services (WES) or Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) as long as it meets all relevant transfer policies. Syllabi may be requested for additional review.
Dual Enrollment
Dual Enrollment (Effective for students starting in Fall 2024)
College courses taken in a high school setting without external testing (e.g. AP, CLEP, DANTES, IB) or fulfilling a high school requirement will be treated as dual enrollment credit. Entering freshmen are allowed limited dual enrollment courses as transfer credit. Students may transfer up to 30 semester credits of dual enrollment credit in which the student has earned a grade of C- or higher. Transferred coursework must be comparable to Samford courses offered at the 100 and 200 level. Only one core curriculum course (UCR 101) may be transferred as dual enrollment credit.
The aggregate of credit earned in extension, AP (Advanced Placement), and CLEP may not exceed 30 credits, and may not count toward residency requirements. At least 50% of the credit in a first degree must be earned at Samford. A minimum of 15 credits in the major field (with nine at the 300/400 level) must be taken at Samford. A minimum of nine credits in the minor field (with six at the 300/400 level) must be taken at Samford.
Credit By Examination
Institutional Codes: 1302 for AP and CLEP
Advanced Placement Credit
CLEP Credit
College-level credit is awarded for scores of 50 or higher in most subject areas; however, students should consult with their advisors or the Registrar before scheduling any CLEP examinations. With the sole exception of UCR 101, CLEP credit is not acceptable for university core curriculum courses.
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) are exams taken to earn college credit that may exempt students from certain courses. DSST is available to all students, but is funded primarily for military personnel. Exams are evaluated on a case-by-case basis upon acceptance to the University. All scores of 50 or above will be considered if they are on the list of approved exams. DSST exams that satisfy core courses will not be accepted if taken while enrolled at Samford.
Samford’s four digit site code is 9516. The closest testing center is located at UAB. For more information, see the DSST website.
International Baccalaureate
Samford University recognizes the quality of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and welcomes application for admission from students who have taken coursework in the IB program. Credit is given for the IB Higher Level Examinations passed with grades of 5, 6, or 7. No credit is given for the IB Subsidiary Examinations. In cases of ambiguity, the dean of Howard College of Arts & Sciences, in consultation with the registrar, will determine the credit to be awarded.