If you are planning on taking online courses and later transferring to a brick-and-mortar school (or even another online school), you need to find out which credits will be accepted by your new university. Most schools place a limit on the number of transfer credits they will accept. It is important to do some research on both the online universities you would like to enroll in and the schools you plan to later attend. Here are some factors to consider:

Types of Courses

Schools will usually let you take courses at a different university or online so long as they don't pertain to your major. For example, if you plan to major in mechanical engineering, you could probably fulfill your English course requirements through an online university. However, you wouldn't be allowed to take your upper-level specialized courses or labs from another school. Or, if you are a political science major, you can probably satisfy your science and math requirements online. You should also remember that there is a numeric requirement for how many courses you must take at a university to graduate from there. Many schools require you to complete more than 50 percent of your classes there to receive a degree from them.

Accreditation of Schools

Another factor to consider when transferring credits is regional versus national accreditation of a university. Usually, traditional brick-and-mortar schools accept transfer credits only from those online programs that are regionally accredited.

Talk to a Registrar's Office Representative

If you have specific questions regarding which courses are transferable, be sure to speak with a registrar representative. It is better to ask questions rather than waste money and/or time on a course that's not going to count toward your degree.


Degree Search
