Transfer Credit Policies and Procedures

In order for transfer credits to be articulated, official documents must be submitted either to SUNY Old Westbury Office of Admissions for New Students or the Transfer Services Office for Continuing Students.  Continuing students may send secure electronic transcripts to Transfer Services via email at transfer_credit@oldwestbury.edu .

Sources of Transfer Credit

  • College Courses – must be taken at regionally accredited institutions and have a grade earned of C- or better. For those students who have completed an Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Arts (AA), or an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) grades of D- or better will be accepted if they were taken at the institution awarding the degree. Courses taken at an institution operating on a quarter credit system will be converted to the corresponding number of semester hours. (Typically one quarter credit equals .667 semester credits.)  An unofficial review of transfer credits which may be acceptable at Old Westbury can be completed using the Course Equivalencies Credit Guide. 

  • Advanced Placement Exams (AP) – must receive a score of 3 or higher as evidenced on an official AP score report sent to the Office of the Registrar. For more information or to order transcripts go to https://www.collegeboard.org/.

  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) – must receive a score meeting or exceeding the ACE evaluated minimum passing score. An official score report must be sent to the Office of the Registrar. For more information or to order transcripts go to https://www.collegeboard.org/.

  • International Baccalaureate Programme (IBP) – must receive a score of 4 or higher. An official IBP transcript must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for consideration before credits can be granted. In order to request an official transcript, go to the following website: http://www.ibo.org/en/programmes/diploma-programme/assessment-and-exams/requesting-transcripts/.

  • Accreditation Program for Experiential Learning (APEL) - APEL has been designed to award college credit to students who have acquired college-level learning from their life experiences. The APEL Committee does not grant credit for the experience itself, but rather for the college-level learning that is related to the experience. For additional information please review the APEL section of the Old Westbury catalog.

  • Military Training and Courses (Joint Services Transcript) – must submit a JST transcript to the Veteran’s Affairs Coordinator in the Office of the Registrar along with a DD214.

Transfer Credit Limits

  • 80 credits overall transfer maximum - this maximum credit limit includes not only coursework, but also credit by exam and any other sources of transfer credit. No student can exceed 80 total transfer credits.

  • 30 credits maximum from credit-granting tests such as AP, CLEP, and IBP. This maximum applies to all these sources combined, not individually.

  • 32 credits maximum from APEL.

Note: Normally, courses taken at non-regionally accredited institutions are not transferable to SUNY Old Westbury. A student may petition the Academic Policy Committee for an exception to this rule; in certain documented instances, the petition may be granted. Courses given credit under this provision may not be used to satisfy the requirements of a particular degree without the permission of the appropriate department/program chair.

Additional Information:

SUNY Old Westbury's policies governing transfer credits stipulate that all transfer students:

  • Earn a minimum of 40 credit hours at Old Westbury (48 credits for Accounting major), and may transfer a maximum of 80 credits;

  • Fulfill the campus requirement that all candidates for graduation demonstrate mastery of computational and American English language skills and meet its General education requirements;

  • Take a minimum of 24 credit hours in courses in the major at the 3000, 4000 or 5000-level (Specific majors may require more than the minimum 24 credits);

  • Complete 45 credits in courses at the 3000, 4000, or 5000-level toward overall degree requirements; and

  • Fulfill the campus' residency requirement.

Transcripts for courses taken prior to the student's first semester at SUNY Old Westbury must be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Management as part of the admission procedure.

Appeal of Transfer Credit Evaluation

If you do not agree with the evaluation of your transfer credits you may appeal to the Director of Transfer Services. The appeal must be made in writing in the form of a letter or e-mail along with supporting documentation. The appeal letter must outline the reasons for the appeal and be submitted with a syllabus of the course(s) in question and any other documents that may support the appeal. You will receive a response to your appeal within 10 business days of the receipt of the appeal. 

Appeal letters and documents must be submitted to:

Rachel Brown Littenberg, Director of Transfer Services
Transfer Student Services
SUNY Old Westbury
PO Box 210
Room: Student Union, Third Floor 
Old Westbury, NY 11568

or 
E-mail: littenbergr@oldwestbury.edu

If you are not satisfied with the results of the appeal, and the courses in question were taken at a SUNY school, you have the right to appeal to the SUNY provost. You may refer to the SUNY website for further information. 

SUNY Transfer Website

The SUNY Transfer Student website provides additional information regarding the transferability of courses from campus-to-campus as well as information regarding Transfer Paths. You can access the SUNY Transfer page here: https://www.suny.edu/attend/get-started/transfer-students/. If you have questions or concerns regarding any information you find on the SUNY site please contact transfer_credit@oldwestbury.edu.

SUNY Seamless Transfer

The State University of New York (SUNY) System maintains a comprehensive program to facilitate the transfer of qualified students from one SUNY institution to another. SUNY Old Westbury has implemented the components of SUNY Seamless Transfer and supports processes which help these qualified students transfer seamlessly from one SUNY campus to another as simply and efficiently as possible. The intention is that students who adhere to the tenets of the program will not only be able to transfer seamlessly but earn their degrees in a timely fashion. To achieve that end, Old Westbury has delineated what is required for all four-year undergraduate programs as needed to benefit from SUNY Seamless Transfer.

Within the initiative, specific proscribed programs of study are indicated in SUNY Transfer Paths which should be followed by all students seeking to transfer to another SUNY campus in one of the selected fields of study.