Transfer Credit

Transfer hours from an accredited institution will be considered for acceptance at the time of application/acceptance to the College of Graduate Studies. After admission to a program of study, a student who wishes to attend another university to complete coursework toward a YSU graduate degree must complete the Request for Transient Status form available on the College of Graduate Studies website in order to transfer credits to a YSU degree. Every transfer course must either replace a required course of the program or, if not a direct replacement, integrate satisfactorily into the student’s program. While transfer of a course might generate excess hours, such hours may not count toward degree requirements unless they replace a complete course in the program.

An accredited institution is one that is approved or accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency (e.g., Higher Learning Commission) for graduate-level work.

Credits for courses in which grades of S or CR were received will not be transferred. The num­ber of transfer credits to be accepted in each case will be determined by the graduate dean upon evaluation and recommendation by the department of the student’s major. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate a request for the approval of transfer credits. Transfer hours are not in­cluded in the calculation of the student’s cumulative grade point average.

In general, workshop format courses are not acceptable for transfer. Professional development workshops are not acceptable. However, if the workshop fulfills the following requirements, credit may be considered for transfer to Youngstown State University:

  • The workshop must be taught as part of a master’s degree curriculum of the university at which the course was taken.
  • The workshop should consist of a minimum of 12.5 contact hours per semester hour.
  • The workshop must include exposure to the disciplinary research literature appropriate to the course.
  • The workshop must include the opportunity for outside work, such as term or research papers or other major assignments appropriate to a graduate course.
  • Credits for courses in which grades of S or CR were received will not be transferred.

Graduate Certificate and Degree Programs

The following guidelines indicate the maximum credit hours of graduate work completed at other accredited institutions that may be applied toward a graduate certificate or degree at YSU, provided the student earned a grade of A or B in such courses:

  • Up to 3 semester hours (4 quarter hours) for programs requiring 12-15 semester hours
  • Up to 6 semester hours (8 quarter hours) for programs requiring 16-29 semester hours
  • Up to 9 semester hours (12 quarter hours) for programs requiring 30-44 semester hours
  • Up to 12 semester hours (16 quarter hours) for programs requiring 45-59 semester hours
  • Up to 15 semester hours (20 quarter hours) for programs requiring 60-89 semester hours
  • Up to 18 semester hours (24 quarter hours) for doctoral or programs requiring 90 or more semester hours

Military Credit

Graduate courses, approved by the American Council of Education to be equivalent to a graduate level course, will be considered by the graduate program to determine if transfer credit will be granted.

MBA Credit from Chinese University of Petroleum

The MBA program may accept up to 14 hours of transfer credit from the Chinese University of Petroleum.