There are some scenarios which may make you eligible to receive transfer credits and/or class waivers. If any of the following apply to you, please see your advisor.
- If you have taken graduate-level coursework outside of Bank Street.
- If you completed a class here at the College that is outside of your program.
- If you have a significant amount of life/work experience in one particular area.
Transfer Credits
Transfer credits are graduate credits you earned at another college; they are counted as credits toward your degree with Bank Street. Your advisor may indicate whether the course you took elsewhere is equivalent to one of the classes in your program, or whether your transferred class will represent elective credits.
For outside credits to be eligible, the class must meet the following criteria:
- It is a graduate-level course;
- It was not used as part of another degree;
- It was completed at an accredited institution; and
- It was completed within the last eight years.
Additionally, Bank Street has a set maximum number of credits you can transfer. If you are in an Advanced Certificate program, you can transfer in up to 3 graduate credits; if you are in any other degree program, you can transfer in up to 6 credits.
To transfer credits to Bank Street, you must submit the following documentation to the Registrar’s Office:
Please note that both your advisor/Program Director and your Department Chair are required signatures on the Transfer Credit Report Form. These representatives from your department may need to see additional documentation, such as course descriptions and/or course syllabi, to confirm that the credits you completed meet the requirements of our transfer credits.
If the representatives from your department decide that your transfer class is not equivalent to any of the Bank Street courses required for your degree but your credits are still eligible to be transferred in as electives, you will still need to register for and successfully complete all of the classes listed on your program page.
If you take a graduate course at another institution to meet your Undergraduate Liberal Arts and Sciences Prerequisites, you may be able to transfer in these credits as electives. Please see the “Requirements Outside of Degree for Certification-seeking Students” section below for more information.
Class Waivers
A class waiver can be used when you and your advisor believe you have already covered the content of a course required for your degree. A waiver acknowledges that you have completed a substantial amount of work and have acquired a considerable amount of knowledge that would normally be covered by one of your degree requirements. If you are eligible, you can work with your advisor and the chair of your department to fill out a Course Waiver Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office.
An advisor may recommend that you submit a Course Waiver Form if any of the following apply:
- You took a course similar to ours at a different graduate-level institution.
- You took at least 3 undergraduate courses in the subject area of our course.
- You are changing programs at Bank Street, and took a similar course as part of your initial program plan.
The benefit of waiving a course is to allow space in your schedule for you to enroll in other classes. A waiver does not carry any credits. If your advisor waives one of your degree requirements, you will still need to take one or more courses to meet the total credit requirement of your degree. You do not need to submit an official transcript to the Registrar’s Office to waive a course.