Transfer Students – US Applicants
Whether you are seeking to change your major, or simply looking for a change of scenery, why not consider applying to Richmond as a transfer student.
With flexible transfer policy, ease of application, and generous scholarship opportunities, Richmond encourages applications from US transfer students who have completed university-level work at regionally accredited institutions of higher education.
Transfer applicants should have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher and have been in good academic standing upon transferring out of their prior institution.
Apply as a US transfer student using our free, Direct Application.
Transfer Application
Applying to Richmond as a transfer student from the US is easy. Complete the free Direct Application on our website. Once you have completed and submitted your application, you must also submit the following items:
- One letter of reference from a teacher, professor, or academic advisor
- High school transcript
- Transcript(s) from all colleges/universities attended
- Essay outlining why you would like to study your chosen major at Richmond
Supporting application material can be submitted electronically to usadmissions@richmond.ac.uk
Scholarship for Transfers
Our generous scholarship for US undergraduate students are available to transfer students and first year students alike. Scholarships for accepted transfer students are awarded as follows:
- Accepted transfer students with 15 or fewer college/university credits will be awarded scholarship based on high school GPA only
- Accepted transfer students with 30 or greater college/university credits will be awarded scholarship based on college/university GPA only
- Accepted transfer students with 16-29 college/university credits will be awarded scholarship based on a weighted GPA of both high school and college/university
Please visit our Scholarship Page for more information on our scholarship offerings, including award amounts.
Transfer Credits
Once your completed application is reviewed and a decision letter has been issued, the Registry Services team at Richmond will complete a transfer credit evaluation. Individual courses will be reviewed, and decisions made, based upon content, grades, and program selection. Coursework can only be transferred into Richmond if it is relevant to the program of study, or if it fulfills a liberal arts or general education requirement. Transfer credit is considered only from Regionally Accredited institutions and all transfer coursework must be completed with a letter grade of C or higher for consideration. Appropriate credit for AP and IB coursework will also be considered.
Questions?
Our dedicated staff of Admission Officers are here to assist you every step of the way.
Please contact us at admissions@richmond.ac.uk or +44 (0) 208 332 8330.
Non-US Applicants
Richmond welcomes applications from non-US transfer students who have completed university-level work at an institution of higher education that is appropriately accredited or recognised by the relevant governmental agencies in its own country. Transfer applicants must usually have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher and have been in good academic standing upon transferring out of their prior institution.
Transfer Credit:
Transfer credit is granted only for academic courses completed with grades of C/50% or above (or equivalent), and each course is evaluated by the Academic Registry to determine its Richmond equivalent. In cases where no equivalent Richmond course is offered, the credit is awarded as either Lower Division elective credit or Upper Division elective credit. Students work with their academic advisers to determine how all transfer credit awarded best fits with the degree plan for their choice of major.
*see below for maximum amount of credit awarded for transfer students.
Advanced qualifications
Students entering Richmond with ‘advanced’ qualifications, i.e. national secondary education credentials that are acceptable for entry to British universities, as determined by NARIC (The National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom), may be awarded course credit toward completion of their degree, after review by the Academic Registry. This includes qualifications such as UK A-Levels; the International Baccalaureate; Advanced Placement Examinations; the French Baccalauréat and the German Abitur. The exact credit awarded depends upon examination grades and subjects studied.
Please Note: The maximum number of credits awarded for advanced qualifications is 30 US credits. This limit is set because advanced qualifications are specifically equivalent to first-year study. For this reason, only Richmond courses at 3000-level are considered for advanced credit awards.
When will transfer/advanced credit be evaluated and awarded?
- Richmond University will consider awarding students advanced credit for a wide variety of Level 3 qualifications such as A and AS Levels, IB Diploma, UK International Foundation Programmes and AP courses and many of the European school leaving qualifications such as the Italian Diploma di Esame di Stato, the Swedish Slutbetyg fran Grundskola and the French and European Baccalaureat. For an indicative list of some standard advanced qualifications and the Level 3 credit awarded for them at Richmond, please click here (if your qualification is not listed, don’t worry – you may still be eligible for credit, as we are adding to the table on a regular basis)
- Richmond University will consider awarding students transfer credit for courses studied at another University which is appropriately accredited or recognised by the relevant governmental agencies in its own country;
- The amount of credit awarded will depend on the subjects taken and the grades achieved;
- When a student applies, the university will evaluate for Transfer and/or Advanced Credit when the applicant has been given an offer of admission from the Admissions Office
Qualification |
Minimum Grade requiredfor consideration of Advanced/Transfer Credit |
| University Course | C / 2.0 / 50% and above |
| A Level | Grade E and above |
| AS Level | Grade C and above |
| IB Diploma | SL and HL grade 4-7 |
| Advanced Placement (AP) | 3, 4 and 5 |
Advanced/Transfer credits will only be “useful” ( i.e./reduce the amount of courses that need to be taken at Richmond), if they meet the following criteria:
- The course/qualification previously studied is at the same academic level as a course you need to take as part of your Richmond degree;
- The course/qualification previously studied has a similar academic content to a course you need to take as part of your Richmond degree;
- A minimum grade in the course/qualification previously studied has been achieved;
If all three requirements above aren’t met then either credit will not be awarded or advanced/transfer credit will show on your transcript as “Elective” credit and may be used to satisfy free elective choices at the same academic level which are part of your degree programme ie if you are awarded Elective credit at Level 3/3000 then you cannot use this to satisfy a Free Elective requirement at Level 5/5000.
Maximum allowable credit transfer
- 30 US Credits for Level 3 or 100-level courses/qualifications;
- At most, 60 US credits may be transferred from two-year colleges where only Lower Division courses are offered;
- Up to 75 US credits may be transferred toward the BA degree – of these only 15 US credits can be transferred to cover Level 5/5000 courses and all Level 6/6000 courses must be completed at Richmond University;
- All transfer students will need to study at Richmond University for a minimum of three semesters – 45 US credits.
Only credit is transferred; grades and grade point averages from other institutions do not transfer, meaning that grades earned elsewhere are not factored into a student’s Richmond GPA. No credit is allowed for courses passed with grades such as P or S; all courses considered for transfer credit must be taken for undergraduate grade credit towards an approved undergraduate degree, and be completed with a grade on the standard for-credit grading scale at the institution concerned. Extra-curricular credit courses and courses that may be repeated for credit are not considered for transfer.
Regardless of the transfer credit awarded, transfer students must complete all Richmond Core Curriculum, major (and minor, if a minor is followed) requirements that are not covered by equivalent transfer credit. Students entering with advanced or transfer credit are ordinarily informed of their transfer credit awards prior to enrolment, and have the opportunity to review and discuss their proposed academic plan of study with the Registry Services staff members who have evaluated their courses and ‘pre-advised’ them. Where necessary and upon request, students are referred to academic advisers/faculty members for more specific advice.
Transfer students, as well as those who elect to study at other institutions after enrolling at Richmond, must work with their academic advisers from the outset to ensure that these requirements, along with all other degree requirements pertaining to their course of study, are taken into account. Questions about transfer equivalents, as well as queries and requests for explanatory information on specific transfer decisions, are made directly to the Registry Services by email at Registry Services. Responses sent to students are also sent to the academic adviser or faculty member concerned.
The Head of Registry Services makes the final decision regarding the Richmond course equivalent of courses offered by other institutions.
Questions?
Our dedicated staff of Admission Officers are here to assist you every step of the way.
Please contact us at admissions@richmond.ac.uk or +44 (0) 208 332 8330.
External Transfers
If you are thinking of transferring, you should speak to your advisor and a member of Registry Services.
First you will need to download your unofficial transcript from Self-Service. This is available under the “Grades” heading. When you are notified that you need your official transcript, you may request one on the online store. You may also need to speak to a member of faculty to obtain a reference. If you believe you are entitled to an exit award, you should ask Registry Services for an Exit Award analysis and you will then need to confirm that you wish to be presented to the next University Exam Board to be awarded the relevant US and/or UK Exit Award. Please also see the Exit Award Policies for undergraduates and postgraduates. Please note that the University Exam Board meets three times a year: late January/early February, late June and early September.
The University’s International Office may be able to provide advice and support in applying to transfer to one of our partner universities.
If you wish to officially withdraw from the university, you should firstly contact Student Affairs to discuss the process. It is important to officially withdraw from the university to ensure that you remain compliant with any immigration and financial support regulations and failure to do so could lead to delays with processing your visa and funding at another university.
