Admissions
FAQ for Earning Transfer Credit
Q: Does WGU require transcript submissions?
A: Transcripts are used by your assigned mentor to help develop your personalized
Academic Action Plan. WGU requires that all transcripts of all previous academic
work completed at other colleges or graduate schools be submitted for evaluation.
It is your obligation to request official transcripts from the institutions you
have attended when applying for admission. At the present time, we don’t require
a minimum grade point average (GPA) or SAT/ACT scores for admission.
Q: Can I transfer previously earned college credits to WGU?
A: Yes. If you have completed college coursework at another institution, you may
have your transcripts evaluated and may be able to have some or all of the requirements for lower-division domains
(i.e. subject areas) in a bachelor's degree program cleared through transfer credits. In some programs, professional certifications may clear additional requirements.
Q: I have lots of credit hours but don’t have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree?
What will transfer?
A: It really depends upon the match between the courses you took and the competencies
in the WGU degree for which you are applying. Each WGU degree program specifies
the "competencies" you must demonstrate or pass to receive your degree.
Just having accumulated credits isn’t sufficient proof that you have cleared the
competencies. Prior courses must be relevant. If your prior coursework directly
matches the requirements for your WGU bachelor’s degree, you may be able to clear
one or more required lower-division domains. However, if your coursework was in
subject areas that don’t match WGU’s degree requirements, you may clear less than
you hope.
Q: What credit hours can I expect to transfer into WGU?
A: Many students transfer into a WGU degree program already having accumulated many
credit hours or having earned an associate’s degree. Transcripts are evaluated on
a course-by-course basis according to the following general guidelines:
- If you hold an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree from a regionally or DETC-accredited school, you should clear all or many of the lower-division requirements
for a bachelor’s degree in Business or Information Technology. This is also true for select Teachers College programs. Only an official transcript evaluation can determine how
many requirements you may be able to waive.
- If you earned an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) or other applied associate’s degree, you may be able
to clear a significant portion of WGU's lower-division degree requirements.
- If you have completed college courses but have not earned a degree of any type,
you may also be able to have some degree requirements cleared through a course-by-course
transcript evaluation.
- Graduate-level program requirements are never cleared through transfer because of
prior graduate school study. However, competencies obtained through prior study
will help students to accelerate toward degree completion.
Q: What happens if I can’t clear a domain because I only have one or two courses?
A: The good news is that WGU’s competency-based approach still works in your favor.
If you "know your stuff," you can accelerate your progress by taking the
required assessments as soon as you and your mentor determine you are ready. Thus,
you indirectly benefit from your earlier coursework.
Q: What is the deadline for transcript submission?
A: WGU requires that official transcripts of previous academic work completed at
other colleges or graduate schools within the last five years be submitted for evaluation.
The Transcripts Departments must receive official transcripts by the
25th of the month prior to the start date of your program. (If you are seeking a
degree leading to teacher licensure,
the deadline for transcripts is the 10th of the month prior to program start.) It
is your obligation to request official transcripts from the institutions you have
attended. PLEASE REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Transcripts should be mailed directly from the sending institution to
the following address:
Transcripts Department
Western Governors University
4001 South 700 East, Suite 700
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
1-877-435-7948, ext. 3120
How to request transcripts
Q: What about transcript requirements for graduate students?
A: Students applying to a graduate degree program must submit an official transcript
verifying receipt of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Transcripts
must be received by the 25th of the month prior to the start of your program. (Some
exceptions may apply. Talk to an Enrollment Counselor for exact deadlines.) Graduate-level
program requirements are never cleared through transfer. However, competencies obtained
through prior study may help graduate students accelerate toward degree completion.
