General Policies
Courses that are comparable to Salem State courses generally transfer. Transfer credit is based on factors including, but not limited to, accreditation, comparability of courses, faculty credentials, and other requirements.
- In general, C- is the minimum grade required to transfer a course
- A total of 75 credits may be transferred from two-year institutions
- Please note you must successfully complete at least 30 credit hours at Salem State in order to receive your bachelor's degree from us
Test Credit
Salem State University offers college credit for several nationally recognized examinations of college-level subject matter. Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and various language examinations. Please visit the Test Credit page for more information.
Newly Admitted Transfer Students
- Be sure the admissions office has a transcript from each institution you attended prior to Salem State. If we do not have a transcript, then we cannot award transfer credit. International transcripts must have been evaluated by an evaluation agency such as CED or WES.
- For students who have attended a post-secondary institution outside of the United States or its protectorates, please provide transfer services with course descriptions in English (officially translated, if necessary) of all completed coursework to be considered for transfer of credit. Course descriptions should be submitted to the Student Navigation Center with your name, student ID, and institution name clearly indicated on each page of the course descriptions.
- Log into Navigator to view your initial transfer credit evaluation. Your transfer credit evaluation is usually ready to view approximately one week after your acceptance date.
- "No rule" next to a course indicates that the course has not been evaluated before and that transfer services is sending the course for review to the appropriate faculty member.
- Neither Salem State University's School of Social Work or Criminal Justice program grant major course credit for life experience or previous work experience.
COVID-19 Transfer Credit Policies
Online Biology Coursework
During and in response to the pandemic, the BIO Department allowed for online biology courses with labs to transfer from institutions where biology coursework is normally transferable and have been reviewed and approved. The academic data for students transferring biology courses during the pandemic will be assessed to determine if continued flexibility is warranted.
We recognize that many institutions continue offering some online biology lab sections. In the interest of consistency and fairness, Salem State University’s Biology department will continue to accept online labs where appropriate while the COVID-19 data assessment is ongoing.
*Please note, this is subject to change. Once data is assessed, appropriate notification and information will be provided.
Transferability of courses can be referenced on our Transfer Equivalency Viewer, for any courses not listed please email admissions@salemstate.edu.
Pass/Fail Grades
In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of courses at institutions across the United States, transferable courses taken in the spring 2020 semester with an earned grade of P (Pass), will be granted transfer credit. This exception excludes courses that may be required to have a specific letter grade as a prerequisite or requirement of a student’s intended program of study. In those cases, students may present additional documentation of a letter grade equivalent for their Pass grade to Transfer Services to have their credit considered for transfer. Nursing pre-requisite courses needed for admission must have an assigned letter grade.
