Transfer of College Credit Policies For Ave Maria University
General Policy
Ave Maria University grants transfer credit for coursework completed at other
institutions of higher education on a discretionary basis. A course-by-course
evaluation is requested by the Office of Admissions when a transfer applicant submits
official college or university transcripts and the Office of Academic Records performs
the actual evaluation and notifies the student of its completion. Courses will be
considered eligible for transfer if a grade of “C-” or better was earned (on a 4.0 scale)
and if the home institution is accredited by one of the regional accreditation agencies
or as approved by some other institutional review process. Additionally, the course
must have an appropriate academic basis at the collegiate level. Credits from
approved courses will transfer to Ave Maria University; the grades earned at other
institutions, however, will not be calculated into a student’s Ave Maria University
grade point average.
Students must earn a minimum of 32 credit hours at Ave Maria University to
receive a degree from the institution; students wishing to graduate with honors
(cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) must take a minimum of 64
credit hours at Ave Maria University and satisfy the GPA requirements for this
distinction.
Evaluation and Equivalency
The Office of Academic Records will review all courses listed on a transfer student’s
transcript for transferability. Recourse to the home institution’s Academic
Catalog/Bulletin/Course Description database is required to perform this review. A
course that closely matches an existing Ave Maria course typically transfers as
fulfilling that requirement. A course that does not match an existing Ave Maria
course, but that fits within an existing discipline, typically transfers as an elective
within that discipline. A course that is deemed appropriately academic, but does not
fit within an existing discipline at Ave Maria, transfers as general elective credit.
When the existing course descriptions are insufficient to make an equivalency
determination, the Office of Academic Records will request that course syllabi be
provided.
In the cases of students seeking to transfer credits toward the fulfillment of
requirements for a specific major, the relevant Department Chair will certify
transfer credits for major courses.
Matriculated Students and Transfer Coursework
As stated in the Academic Catalogue, in order to ensure the integrity of the core
curriculum program, matriculated students must complete all core requirements with
courses offered by Ave Maria University, with the exception of courses taken prior to
matriculation at the University. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by
the student’s Academic Advisor and the Dean of Faculty through the established
petition process. Generally speaking, exceptions will be made only for upper-level
transfer students, for students pursuing a double major at Ave Maria University, or for
students whose timely graduation is in jeopardy. The Office of Academic Records
maintains the petition forms and acts as a liaison between the petitioner and academic
administration in these cases.
Courses taken at other institutions that are intended to satisfy requirements for
specific majors must be approved by the relevant Department Chair prior to
registration at the other institution.
Transfer Equivalency for Courses in the Core Curriculum
Literature
8 credits required
Due to the integrated nature of
composition instruction within the
study of the Western literary canon,
courses will rarely replace LITR 103
Literary Tradition I and LITR 104
Literary Tradition II. English
composition and literature courses
typically transfer as general elective
credit.
History
required
12 credits
The following courses will usually
transfer:
History courses beginning of
Western Civilization to late
medieval period
 HIST 101 Western
Civilization I
History courses from
Reformation and Renaissance to
post-World War II
HIST 102 Western
Civilization II
American History/Civilization,
beginning to present (or 2
courses which, taken together,
cover the full period)
 HIST/POLT 203 American
Civilization

Mathematics
4 credits required
Courses in Beginning or
Intermediate Algebra are not
accepted for credit. The following
courses will usually transfer to fulfill
the requirement in mathematics:
College Algebra
Pre-Calculus/Functions
Calculus I or II
Note: Certain majors require a
specific level of first-year
Mathematics as a prerequisite to the
Major; please consult the Office of
Academic Records for further
information.
Latin
8 Credits Required
Both Elementary and Intermediate
Latin are required of students at Ave
Maria University. Students with two
or more years of High School Latin
are encouraged to take the Latin
Placement Exam to test into an
intensive Latin course or an
advanced readings course.
Natural Science 8 Credits
Required
Students at Ave Maria University
must take two semesters of a
laboratory science in Biology,
Chemistry, or Physics (or some
combination thereof). For
transferability, each course must
have a lab component. The
following are appropriate to transfer
to fulfill the Natural Science
requirement:
Introduction to Biology/General
Biology I and II
Introduction to
Chemistry/General Chemistry I
and II
Introduction to Physics/General
Physics I and II
Courses such as Environmental
Science will transfer provided they
have a substantive lab component.
Philosophy 12 credits required
Philosophy courses from other
schools must demonstrate a
Catholic approach to philosophical
inquiry and the philosophical
tradition in order to fulfill required
core courses in philosophy (PHIL
205 Nature and Person, PHIL 206
Ethics, and PHIL 400
Metaphysics).
Theology
Required
12 Credits
Theology courses from other
schools must demonstrate a
Catholic approach to theological
inquiry and the theological tradition
rooted in adherence to Scripture,
Tradition, and the Magisterium of
the Catholic Church in order to
fulfill required core courses in
theology (THEO 105 Sacred
Scripture; THEO 205 Sacred
Doctrine; and THEO 400 Moral
Theology).
Ave Maria University also awards variable credit (typically 4 credit hours) for grades
of five (5) or higher on Higher-Level (HL) International Baccalaureate exams, with a
maximum award value of thirty (30) credits. Credits are not awarded for StandardLevel (SL) exams. An official IB Exam Score Report is required. Credits from dualenrollment programs are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
In extraordinary circumstances, and as determined by the relevant Department Chair
and the Dean of Faculty, matriculated students may earn credit for a required course
by means of Credit by Examination. The student will take a special examination for the
specified course.
Credits Granted
Semester credit hours transfer exactly as shown on the transcript of the institution
where the course was completed. Thus, a 3-credit semester course at another
university will transfer as 3 credits to Ave Maria University.
Each quarter or trimester credit hour is converted to 0.67 semester credit hours.
Thus, a 4-trimester-credit course will transfer as 2.68 semester credits to Ave Maria
University.
Published by the Office of Academic Records, 21 May, 2013.