Credit Transfer

TRANSFERRING OVERSEAS ACADEMIC WORK TO PURDUE TRANSCRIPTS

The following steps outline the process of posting credit and grade information from overseas institutions to Purdue academic records.  Please note that this information applies only to programs adminitered by the Purdue Study Abroad Office.  The transfer of academic work for IPIA programs is handled by that office.

  1. The host university or program sends an official transcript to the Purdue Study Abroad Office.
  2. Overseas courses are converted to Purdue courses as follows:
    • If the student has submitted a Course Approval Form (signed by the student's Academic Advisor and the Study Abroad Liaisons from the appropriate academic departments) and the courses on the transcript correspond to those listed on the form, the Study Abroad Office forwards the information to the Purdue Registrar's Office for posting.  Grades are converted according to guidelines published by World Education Services, an internationally-recognized credentials evaluation agency.
    • If the student failed to submit a Course Approval Form s/he is asked to provide one at this point so that the transfer can be completed as in 'A' above.
    • If the courses on the study abroad transcript differ from those listed on the  Course Approval Form, the Study Abroad Office contacts the appropriate Study Abroad Liaison with relevant course descriptions. The Study Abroad Liaison determines the course equivalencies and credit hours to be awarded and returns the information to the Study Abroad Office. The transfer will be completed as in 'A' above.
    • The transfer process can take up to one full semester after the student returns to Purdue.  Much depends on when the overseas transcript is received by the Study Abroad Office, if the student has completed a Course Approval Form in advance, and how long it takes to get missing information from the appropriate Study Abroad Liaisons. 

If a student participates in an overseas program that is not approved by Purdue University, the transfer of credits and grades are handled by Transfer Credit Evaluation in Admissions (for programs through a US-accredited institution) or ISS (for study abroad where there is no US sponsor or US-sponsored programs which do not issue a formal, US-type transcript).