Equivalent Credit

Some students enter Penn having already taken college-level courses during high school, either in competition with college students or as part of a special program taught at their high school. Penn treats these two cases differently, and students must be careful to observe the criteria below.

In order to seek credit for college work completed prior to matriculation at Penn, a student must log in to XCAT and submit a course syllabus to the appropriate Penn department. Students should be sure to check "pre-college course" when they make the request in XCAT.

• Any college courses used to fulfill high school graduation requirements are not eligible for credit at Penn.
• The college or university must be a fully accredited four-year institution.
• The course must correspond to a course offered by Penn, or be deemed equivalent in depth and intensity.
• A grade of C or better must have been received.
• The course must be part of the normal curriculum published in the college’s catalogue.
• The course must be taught on the college campus by a member of the regular faculty.
• The course must be open to enrollment by, and graded in direct competition with, regularly matriculated undergraduates at that college.
• The student must request that the external college or University send an official transcript directly to Ms. Eddrena Owens in the Undergraduate Admissions office (215.898.7507) along with a letter stating that the course was part of the normal curriculum published in the college’s catalogue, taught by the regular faculty on the college campus and was open to enrollment by, and graded in direct competition with, regularly matriculated undergraduates at that college.

Please note: Acceptance of pre-college credit is at the discretion of the individual Penn department or program. Instead of awarding pre-college credit, some departments may provide an assessment exam that may result in Penn credit. Please contact the undergraduate chair for confirmation.

Credit earned at two-year institutions either while the student is in high school (including the summer after) or after the student has matriculated at Penn (Credit Away) will not be posted to the Penn transcript. For students who transfer to Penn from a two-year institution, however, departments may at their discretion grant credit for course work done at the two-year institution.

Students wishing to apply for College credit away must obtain approval from the appropriate department at Penn before enrolling in the course, if possible. To request credit away through a Penn department, log in to XCAT (External Course Approval Tool) and submit a course syllabus and other supporting materials from the external institution.

After the course has been completed, the student must request that an official transcript be sent from the institution at which the away credit was taken to the College Office. The College cannot post away credit until this transcript is received.

A minimum grade of C is required for a course to be eligible for credit away. The grade itself, however, will not appear on the Penn transcript.

No credit will be granted for:

• Courses taken at two-year institutions (e.g. junior or community college)
• Courses taken in time frames significantly different from the regular University schedules (academic year and summer sessions)
• Courses other than field courses taken on sites without the appropriate facilities of a college or university (e.g., libraries and laboratories) unless supervised by School of Arts and Sciences faculty
• Distance learning or online courses taken with institutions other than Penn.

After matriculation at Penn, students may not transfer more than 5 c.u. of credit away. Only 4 c.u. may be transferred for work done during one summer. Students must complete the final two semesters of full-time study in the College.

A representative of the appropriate Penn department will need to review external courses before transfer credits will be awarded. To request transfer credit for a College course through a Penn department, login to XCAT (External Course Approval Tool) and submit all course syllabi and other supporting materials from the previous institution.