Transfer Credit

Generally, meet with an Engineering Student Success advisor to have your GE courses and transfer credit summary audited. They can clear any errors (credits that did not transfer when they should have, for example) that the automated system in the Evaluation's office didn't catch.

Please read our list of frequently asked questions below.

FAQs

• How do I transfer my course credits from another college?
  • 1. Order transcripts from the institution from which you took courses. For most institutions, you will need to login to your student portal and request your transcript there.
    2. Have them electronically sent to SJSU (recommended) or mailed to you, so you can hand deliver them to the Registrar's office, which is located under the North Garage. (Use the Dropbox by the Student Services Center entrance.)
    3. You will be emailed confirmation that they have received your transcripts and will need time to process and post your grades.
    4. Check the status of your transcripts in your Transfer Credit summary in MySJSU.
    5. Email eval@sjsu.edu if your transcripts have been received but not yet posted.
• How do I make sure the courses I plan on taking will transfer (articulate) with SJSU?

  • Generally, all information can be found in Assist.org.
    
    Additionally, SJSU has its own articulation page which includes options to view only GE courses or major courses (course-to-course list).

• When should I transfer my credits?

  • As soon as possible.
    
    If the transfer course is a prerequisite, you will need it posted in your records before you can register for the proceeding course during Advanced Enrollment. Otherwise, you will need to bring unofficial transcripts to the department or instructor in record to get an add code.
    
    Failing to show proof or prerequisites may result in being dropped from the course.

• My credits didn't transfer. What should I do?

  • These are your options:

    Talk to your major advisor for a substitution or a waiver.

    Depending on the course, you might need to submit a College of Engineering (CoE) Transfer Equivalency, College of Science (CoS) Transfer Equivalency, or Intensive Science petition.

    If you're unsure, make an appointment with an ESSC advisor for their recommendations.

• I took an AP exam. For which courses or GE areas will I receive SJSU course credit?

  • Go to the SJSU catalog and enter "Advanced Placement (AP) Exams" in the search field to view an equivalency chart.

    You will need to send your official scores from College Board to SJSU to apply these credits to your account.

• What is the "temporary Area C waiver," and how does it relate to Area F?

  • The temporary Area C waiver for 2021-2022 has been approved for our college.

    If you are a new transfer student starting Fall 2021, you will not be required to complete Area F if you've had continuous enrollment at the community college. During the process of transfer credit being posted and evaluated and continuous enrollment verified, Evaluations will change your GE catalog year (different from the major catalog year) to Fall 2020, which would keep you on the old GE pattern and not require you to take Area F.

    Transfer credit will continue to be evaluated and posted throughout the summer, so once credit has been evaluated, please refer to eval@sjsu.edu if you have the continuous enrollment but are being held to Area F.

    Read the CSU policy on GE requirements.

• What is the difference between a TEP and a substitution?

  • A TEP (transfer equivalency petition) is strictly for an external course with no articulation agreement already. It is submitted by the student through a TEP process. Each college manages a TEP for their courses. 

    Substitution is when an advisor approves the use of one course (external credit or another SJSU course) for another SJSU course. There could be an articulation agreement, or it could be another SJSU course. Only the department chair or advisor can make a substitution. This is the more flexible option.

    Here are some examples of substitutions:

    The student took an external course with no articulation agreement, but the course is very close to an SJSU required course (e.g. CIS 22A from De Anza for CS 46A).

    The student took an SJSU course from a different major, and it is close enough to the current major requirement (e.g. AE 30 for ME 30).

    The student submitted a TEP (transfer equivalency petition) which was rejected for some reason or another, and the major advisor determines that the course satisfies the major requirement (e.g. a physics course from an international university for PHYS 50).

    When in doubt, meet with your major advisor first.

• Should I sign up for a course before I know whether transfer credit could be used to meet a requirement through equivalency?

  • In general we advise checking in with your major advisor to determine whether a TEP is best or necessary. We also advise not signing up for courses you think you have a good chance of receiving credit for using transfer credit (especially as a new transfer student).

    When in doubt, meet with your major advisor first.

• CMPE/SE: Can I use a lower-division course as a substitute for a required upper-division course?

  • The CMPE/SE department will no longer consider petitions from students trying to substitute a lower-division course for an upper-division SJSU course. Please contact the CMPE/SE department if you have questions.

• For which course(s) do I use the College of Engineering (CoE) TEP?

  • CoE Transfer Equivalency Petition (TEP) may be used only for:

    1. any Engineering or Aviation major courses taught within the College of Engineering
    2. ENGL 1A and ENGL 1B

    CoE departments include: Aerospace Engineering (AE), Aviation (AVIA), Biomedical Engineering (BME), Chemical Engineering (CHE), Civil Engineering (CE), Computer Engineering (CMPE including Software Engineering), Electrical Engineering (EE), Engineering Technology (TECH), Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE), Interdisciplinary Engineering (ENGR), Materials Engineering (MATE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME).

    The SJSU course needs to have a letter prefix listed in bold above.

    Here are examples of CoE major courses: ENGR 10, EE 98, CE 99, MATE 25, TECH 60, ME 101, AE 20, BME 25, AVIA 1, ISE 130, CMPE 30, ME 20, CE 95

• I need a TEP for math and other courses NOT in the College of Engineering. What should I do?

  • The College of Science consists of the following departments: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics, Meteorology, and Physics.

    Common examples of CoS courses for Engineering or Aviation majors are MATH (all), PHYS (all), CHEM (all), CS (all), BIOL (all), GEOL 2.

    To request equivalency for a College of Science course use the equivalency petition on their TEP CoS-SSC webpage.

• I already had transfer credit approved (equivalency or substitution), but it no longer shows up in MyProgress. How can I get it added back?

  • Anything that causes your major prep and major requirements to change in MyProgress will wipe out any previous updates that were manually made. This includes a change of major or being DQ'ed (i.e. enrolled in Open University/Continuing Education instead of SJSU). Please email us for assistance: success-engineering@sjsu.edu .