Transfer Credit from Other Universities

You may be anxious to know how much transfer credit you will be receiving at MIT. Although you may have received informal estimates during the admission process, formal credit is not granted until you meet with transfer credit examiners after you arrive. Plan to bring with you syllabi, course descriptions, and the names of texts used, from any course for which you are trying to gain credit. For mathematics transfer credit, include a photocopy of the title page and table of contents for the textbook used.

How to Seek MIT Transfer Credit

Take these steps to seek MIT credit for any courses taken at your previous college or university. Notes on specific areas of study follow.

1. Download the "Request for Additional Credit" form.
   
   
2. Print a separate copy for each area of study (Math, Physics, etc.)
   
   
3. Fill in the information requested at the top and in the grid, as far as the Grade column. Leave the boxes under Transfer Credit Examiner blank.
   
   
4. When you arrive on campus, pick up copies of your official transcript from Ms. Leslie Bottari in the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming, room 7-104.
   
   
5. Contact the Transfer Credit Examiner for each department in which you are seeking credit. Ask whether they want to meet with you in person or simply receive your materials.
   
   
6. Deliver the Additional Credit form, the transcript copy, and your supporting material to the Transfer Credit Examiner, or take them with you for your meeting.
   
   
7. Once the Examiner has decided on credit, pick up your materials and bring the Additional Credit form to Stephen Pepper in 7-104. He will record any credit granted, and you will see it on WebSIS.

Special Procedures in Some Areas

• Physics: You are eligible to transfer college credit for completed physics course work with a grade of B or higher. If you are attempting to transfer credit for introductory Physics (8.01 or 8.02), you need to take the Physics Validation Exams. Physics Validation Exams are offered in August and January. 
  
  The Physics Validation Exam and the Physics Advanced Standing Exam are the same exam. If you take the exam to validate your credit, you will not receive a grade. Instead, passing this exam gives you transfer credit for 8.01/8.02. If you don't pass, the exam will not appear on your record, and you will have to take Physics at MIT.
  
  If you don’t have physics transfer credit, you may still take this exam to meet the Physics General Institute Requirement (8.01 and 8.02) and earn Physics credit. Taking the exam for credit rather than validation places a permanent grade (A through F) on your record.
  
  
• Credit in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS): MIT credit for humanities, arts, and social sciences (HASS) courses at another college or university may be granted in one of two ways:
  
  
  • 9 to 12 units of HASS Elective credit, which counts as one subject toward the eight-subject HASS requirement;
    
    or
    
    
  • 9 units of General Elective credit, which counts only toward the requirement of "units beyond the General Institute Requirements".

This decision is made by the HASS Transfer Credit Examiner. Refer to the HASS website and the MIT Bulletin for a full description of the eight-subject HASS requirement. For more details on the Requirement and transferring credit please consult the HASS Education Office at hass-www@mit.edu or 617-253-4441.

• Communication Requirement: MIT does not generally allow transfer credit to be used for the Communication Requirement. For an explanation of the Communication Requirement, see http://web.mit.edu/commreq/. For questions about the Requirement and transfer credit, contact the Communication Requirement Office at commreq@mit.edu or 617-253-2313.