Transfer FAQs

Check out our lookup tools!  They are updated every night.  The links for the lookup tools are located at the top right of this page.  Click on the top purple box to look up the individual institution by state.  Click on the bottom white box to look up courses in any of the North Carolina Community Colleges.  If the course you are looking for does not appear, that means no one has transferred it in yet.  Feel free to contact us with any questions about courses that have not yet been evaluated.  This also applies to institutions that do not appear in the lookup list.  Please note that only coursework taken from a regionally accredited institution will transfer.

You must have a grade of at least C (not a C-), or equivalent, in order for a course to be considered for transfer.  Transfer work is only used to meet program requirements, therefore your GPA will NOT be affected by your transfer courses.

It takes less than two weeks to process your transcript from the time it is received.  If you are transferring courses that have never been transferred before, it will take us a little longer to evaluate the equivalencies.  However, we prioritize the records of students who are attending orientation sessions.

While we do not individually notify students, evaluated coursework is available in your myWCU account.  You can see how your transfer credits are applied by viewing the Degree Audit Evaluation or Credits Earned Elsewhere - Accepted sections of your Student Records.

Log in to your myWCU account and click on Personal Services, located in the Quick Links section.

Once you click on Personal Services, you will click on Student, then Student Records and then Degree Audit Evaluation.

Each time you run a degree audit, be sure to click on Generate New Evaluation so your record will be updated.

Once you click on Generate New Evaluation, you will need to select your anticipated graduation term and select the bubble next to your major.  You will then click on Generate Request.  You only need to click this button once, but be aware that it generally takes 2-3 minutes to generate the request.

For more information about your degree audit, please contact the Advising Center or go to advising.wcu.edu.

Log in to your myWCU account and click on Personal Services, located in the Quick Links section.

Once you click on Personal Services, you will click on Student, then Student Records and then Credits Earned Elsewhere - Accepted.

Once you click on Credits Earned Elsewhere - Accepted, you will be able to see all of the transfer work that we have received as well as the WCU equivalent course.

If your transfer course appears in all capitals, that means that no one has transferred that course in before, and an equivalency has not yet been determined.  It will take us a bit longer to review your courses and determine equivalencies and we prioritize the records of students who are attending orientation sessions.  Feel free to contact our office if you have questions about courses.

If your transfer course is blank or says 'No Equivalency' instead of a WCU course, this means the course has been evaluated and determined that it will not transfer for credit.

No, Western does not accept credit for any developmental or remedial coursework.

WCU does not generally transfer courses that are more technical in nature unless we offer programs in those areas.  Courses that are outside of programs we offer are not in line with the mission and purpose of the institution and therefore will not transfer.  You should be able to see whether a course will transfer on our lookup tools (see 1st question).  If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. 

Courses that require the development of a skill (like learning an instrument or a particular style of dance) may not automatically transfer in as a specific WCU course.  You will need to speak to the department and likely audition or provide a portfolio before being given specific credit for a performance-based course.  You can find contact information for each department by clicking here on the Departments, Schools & Colleges page.

Yes, you can.  If you believe a course should have transferred in, or should have transferred in as a specific or alternative WCU course, please contact our office to see whether the course has already been reviewed by the department head.  If it hasn't been, you are welcome to appeal, and we can provide you with the appropriate form and instructions.

We do not articulate any coursework from high school transcripts.  We will need official transcripts from the community college through which the Early College or Dual Enrollment coursework was taken, or the official AP or CLEP transcript from College Board. 

Joint Services Transcripts are evaluated by our Director of Military Student Services.  (Check out military.wcu.edu for more information.)  WCU is very student-friendly when evaluating military experience for college credit.  Service members who have served at least 2 continuous years may transfer 7 general elective credits and have their C4 Wellness Liberal Studies requirement waived once the JST and DD-214 have been reviewed.  (See liberalstudies.wcu.edu for the requirements and additional information.)  Also, be sure to ask your advisor about the section of USI 130 transition course that is offered exclusively for veterans.

We accept transcripts from institutions from other countries only if they have been evaluated by an approved agencY.  Even with an evaluation from an approved agency, we can only transfer in courses as elective credit; however, this can be appealed with translated or English course descriptions from the original institution.

If you attended a college or university that is now closed, accreditation guidelines require that transcripts and other records be kept at another institution. This will vary by state, but it may help to contact your state’s Department of Education or the local school district. Your closed institution may even still have a website with information on how to obtain your records. If your institution was in North Carolina, you can contact the State Archives office at archives@ncdcr.gov.

Students who transfer in with an AA or AS degree from an approved institution, or an Associate of Engineering from a North Carolina Community College, will receive a waiver of their Liberal Studies requirements.  Waivers are not granted for AAS degrees because of their more technical focus.  Please allow at least a week from the time your transfer work appears in your myWCU account for your waiver to be applied.  If you do not see your waiver applied, it may be because your transcript was requested before your degree was conferred.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Students who transfer in at least 15.1 credit hours (NOT 15.0 or less) will not have to take a First Year Seminar at WCU.  Please allow at least a week from the time your transfer work appears in your myWCU account for your waiver to be applied.

WCU has many resources available to you.  Check out the ones below:

• Admissions information
• Student Transitions for transfer initiatives
• Military Student Services for information on transitions and support
• Distance Learning Programs
• Advising Center
• Financial Aid Information
• Become part of a Learning Community
• Mentoring & Persistence to Success (MAPS) for first generation and independent students
• Apply for admission to the Brinson Honors College
• Counseling Services

Our transfer students (who make up over 40% of our student population—and growing!) often experience a slight dip in GPA during their first semester.  Transitions are challenging, even for the most resilient people.  It is a big change in culture to go from one campus to another, and it takes most people a while to adjust.  So give yourself some time and space—and grace!  Make use of the resources available to you (see above), and don’t be afraid to ask for help.  After that first semester, our transfer students bring their GPAs back up, and have higher GPAs, on average, than students who have only attended WCU. We are glad you’re here, and we are here to support you!

In order to take courses elsewhere and transfer them back smoothly to WCU, be sure to complete a Transient Permission form.  You will need both the department head's initials to verify that the course will transfer in as the WCU course you are requesting and your advisor's signature for confirmation that the transferring course will fulfill a requirement on your degree audit.  This will guarantee that your credit will transfer the way you expect regardless of changes in equivalencies or articualtion agreements.

Have a look at the CAA Baccalaureate Plans on this website and reach out to the Advising Center if you have questions. More information on The Comprehensive Articulation Agreement can be accessed on this website.