New Transfer Students

Students transferring to the University of Richmond from another college or university face some unique challenges. In addition to concerns about how courses you have taken elsewhere will transfer to Richmond, it can sometimes feel daunting trying to establish a new social circle or even find the buildings where your courses will be held. A number of resources exist to help you make the transition to Richmond as smooth as possible. In addition to working through all the steps and information in this NewSpiders Web site and To-Do List, here are a few important things you should know: Transferring Coursework Credit Basics Core Course Library & Wellness
Major Declaration Viewing Available Courses Summer Advising FAQ

Transferring Coursework

You will soon receive (or may have already received) a letter from the Registrar’s Office detailing how to view how your coursework has come in to Richmond.
The registrar’s staff person who works most directly with transfer students is Mr. Dwayne Smith. If you have specific questions regarding your transcript, course transfer equivalencies, or the conversion of your previous work to units, please contact Mr. Smith. Final transcripts should be received in our Registrar’s Office by June 27.

For specific information about transferring credit earned during high school (via AP or IB tests or through college coursework) see and follow the instructions on the First-Year Transfer Credit page.

Credit Basics

The University of Richmond’s curriculum is based on a 35-unit bachelor’s degree. One Richmond unit is considered to be equivalent to 3.5 semester hours. Therefore, transfer credit from universities under the semester-hour system may not transfer as exactly one Richmond unit. Students may transfer a maximum of 5 courses valued at 3-semester hours as 1 unit. After this 5-course maximum has been met, 3-semester hour courses will transfer as 0.86 units. 4-semester hours courses will transfer as 1.14 units.

Also, transfer students must complete a specific number of units at Richmond in order to receive their degree. This depends on how much coursework has been completed prior to transferring and is as follows:

If you have completed up to one year at another institution, you must complete at least 25 units at Richmond.
If you have completed up to one and one half years of study at another institution, you must completed at least 21 units at Richmond.
If you have completed 2 or more years of study at another institution, you must complete at least 17.5 units at Richmond.

Core Course

All new first-year students are required to take the university’s CORE Course. However, transfer students coming from another college or university with 6.86 or more units of credit are exempt from the CORE requirement.

Library Info & Wellness Requirement

Transfer students are not typically pre-registered for the Library Skills 100 and 101 seminars or the university’s Wellness 085 requirements. You should add these non-credit-bearing requirements to your first semester’s schedule to be certain they have been completed during your first year at Richmond. They can be found in BannerWeb under Library Info/Skills and Wellness designations.

Major Declaration

Although new first-year students must wait one year before declaring a major, transfer students with at least one year of coursework at another college or university do not have to wait to declare. They can declare a major as soon as they begin their studies at Richmond if they so wish. Note that major/minor declarations are processed officially only during the first two weeks of each semester, though they may be turned in at any time. Also, if you had a declared major at your previous institution, it has not automatically transferred with you; you will still need to declare a major here by completing the appropriate “Declaration of a Major” form through the Registrar’s Office.

Viewing Available Courses on BannerWeb

Transfer students register earlier than new first-year students (see the New Student Checklist for dates), and they can access BannerWeb to being looking at available courses soon after they activate their Richmond account. Follow the Registration Instructions to learn how to log on to BannerWeb.

Summer Advising: Business, Science and Pre-health

Transfer students interested in majoring in business or related fields should contact Dr. Robert Nicholson (rnichols@richmond.edu), associate dean in the Robbins School of Business, prior to registering for fall courses.

Transfer students interested in majoring in the sciences and/or in pursuing careers in the health professions should contact Dr. John Vaughan (jvaugha2@richmond.edu) prior to registering for fall courses.

FAQ

1. 1. Was taught on the college campus
  2. Was taught by a regular college professor (not a high school teacher)
  3. Was cataloged in the official college catalog
  4. Was offered primarily for enrolled college students (i.g. high school graduates).
2. 1. What criteria are used to determine if course work is transferable?In order for coursework to be evaluated for transfer credit, it must be taken at and transcripted by a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the US or the international equivalent of recognition by the home country as a degree granting institution of higher education; be at a level and in subject matter comparable to the curriculum at the University of Richmond; and have an earned grade of “C” or higher (or the equivalent) recorded on the official transcript (grades do not transfer nor are they listed on the transcript).
  
  2. I earned nine units over two semesters at my previous institution but my transcript only reflects five units of transfer work. Where are the other units?
  In this case, there are two possible answers: we may have received only one semester’s worth of work on your official transcript. Check with the Registrar’s Office to see if that is the case. If so, you will need to request an official copy of your transcript from the transferring institution to be sent directly to the University of Richmond Registrar’s Office. Secondly, some of your credits may not have been transferable. Make sure they meet the criteria for transfer stated above (grade, subject, accreditation, etc.).
  
  3. What does the subject code TRNS mean?
  A TRNS code indicates general transfer credit and requires a departmental review in order to be applied towards general education, major, or minor requirements; they may be applied to elective credits without further review. Courses with TRNS codes may be multidisciplinary and applicable to multiple departments.
  
  4. What does course number 999/998/997/etc mean?
  Course numbers in the 900s are used for courses that are comparable to UR’s curriculum but not exact matches to current courses. In order for a course numbered in the 900s to count for a major or general education requirement, it must be approved by the appropriate department chair or coordinator.
  
  5. How do I get TRNS or 900-level courses approved for major or field of study requirements?
  In order to get TRNS or 900-level courses approved for major or field of study requirements, you must return a completed Transfer Approval Work form to the Office of the Registrar. The form, available in the Registrar’s Office, must be reviewed and signed by the appropriate department chair. He or she will need a copy of the course description for the course in question in order to complete the review. Further instructions for completing the transfer approval form can be found at http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/registrar/policy/transferapprval.html. If you are only using the course for elective credit, no review is necessary.
  
  6. Why is my Richmond GPA a 0.00 when I have earned credits?
  The University does not accept grades in transfer. Thus, all incoming students initially have a GPA of 0.00. The Richmond GPA is based solely on grades earned while at Richmond.
  
  7. Why is a certain class I took (e.g., Art Appreciation, World History, etc) not a field of study course?
  Only courses that are an exact match to a Richmond field of study course may fulfill field of study requirements upon initial review. For further consideration, see the department chair and complete the transfer approval process described above.
  
  8. What general education requirements must I meet? Am I exempt from any requirements?
  Transfer students are required to complete all of the University’s general education, field of study, and degree requirements in effect at the time of enrollment. As a transfer student, you will be exempt from the CORE courses requirement only if you transfer more than 6.86 semester credit hours.
  
  9. How many units must I earn to graduate from the University of Richmond?
  University of Richmond degrees require at least 35 earned units; dual degrees require at least 44 units.
  
  10. I earned 30 credit hours at my last institution, and now I’m only showing 8.57. Why such a difference?
  Richmond is no longer on the semester hour credit system employed at many other institutions. Most Richmond courses are 1 unit, which is equivalent to 3.5 semester hours. Students must earn 35 units to graduate. Most likely, if you multiply your unit total by 3.5, you will get someone near the number of semester hours you earned previously.
  
  11. Why are some of my classes 1 unit and some only 0.86? They were both 3 semester hours.
  Because Richmond’s unit of credit is equivalent to 3.5 semester hours, 3-semester hour courses are mathematically equivalent to 0.86 units. However, to more accurately compare semester-hour curriculums to Richmond’s, we transfer (5) 3-semester hour courses as 1 full unit. All other 3-semester hour courses transfer as 0.86 units.
  
  12. My former institution was also on units. Why are my courses 0.96 or 1.07 units?
  Each institution defines a unit differently. When determining the amount of credit, we go by the guidelines provided on your official transcript for how their unit is defined, so a unit at your institution may be slightly different than a Richmond unit.
  
  13. Most of the courses required for my Richmond field of study and major requirements are 1 unit. If I transfer a course to meet these requirements, but only with 0.86 units, is the requirement still fulfilled?
  In most cases, yes. For field of study requirements, partial units will meet the requirement. For major requirements, it is important that you meet with your major advisor to discuss how your transfer courses will apply towards your major. If you major requires that a course be a full unit, please contact the Registrar’s Office. We can change which courses are transferred as 1 unit, so in most cases, we can rearrange the assignment of credit to meet these needs.
  
  14. I took dual enrollment credit that was accepted by my prior college/university. This credit does not appear on my Richmond transcript. Why?
  Most departments at the University of Richmond do not award transfer credit for coursework completed as part of a high school program. Only coursework that meets the following criteria will transfer:
  
  If the coursework you completed during high school meets all of the above criteria, please have the college you attended during high school complete the Transfer Work Certification form and return to our office In order to be considered for possible transfer credit.