Transfer Credit Policy

To provide a framework for the evaluation and granting of transfer credits that ensures a seamless transition to Seneca for transfer students and offers appropriate credit for all applicable academic activities previously completed.

This policy applies to all full- and part-time Seneca students who wish to obtain transfer credits towards their Seneca credential for previously obtained, equivalent postsecondary education.

Seneca courses completed by high school students which earn them credit towards their high school diploma and a future Seneca program concurrently.

The length of time a course is considered current.

A grade below the minimum grade requirement, an in-progress grade or an incomplete grade. Course graded as satisfactory/unsatisfactory will be considered only if they correspond to the grading scheme for the equivalent Seneca course.

A transcript is considered official when received through The Application Service for Ontario’s Public College (OCAS), or electronically or digitally directly to Seneca from the sending institution. Transcripts submitted directly from students, or copied, or altered are not considered official and will not be accepted.

In accordance with the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer, “credit granted by one program or institution for courses taken in another program or at another institution [m]ay apply to program-specific courses deemed equivalent in content or may be used to fulfil Liberal Studies options or General Education course requirements.”

A transfer credit appears as “TC” on a student’s official transcript and is not included as part of Grade Point Average (GPA) calculation.

When students look to complete a course at another postsecondary institution and use that course as transfer credit for a Seneca program.

1. Seneca considers transfer credit from following types of institutions:
   • member institutions of the Ontario Council on Admission and Transfer (ONCAT)
   • Canadian public postsecondary institutions
   • Universities Canada member institutes
   • international institutions accredited or recognized by World Education Services and/or International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
2. Credits earned from institutions other than those included in 1.1 are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
3. Postsecondary dual credit courses earned at a recognized postsecondary institution are eligible for a transfer credit.
4. Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) credits earned at a CEGEP in second or subsequent years are eligible for transfer credit.
5. Credits earned in international baccalaureate/advanced placement courses, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses may be eligible for transfer credit and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For AP courses, a minimum grade of 4 in the AP exam is required to qualify for review and for IB courses, a minimum grade of 5 in the Higher Level exam is required to qualify for review.
   
6. A minimum grade requirement of C (60 per cent) for most certificate, diploma and graduate certificate programs, and C+ (65 per cent) for degree programs, is required for a transfer credit to be considered; a higher minimum grade may be required by certain program areas.
   
7. Courses on transcripts with non-eligible grades will not be considered for transfer credit.
8. All requests for transfer credits that have met minimum grade requirements will be considered by academic areas for approval unless deemed ineligible due to external regulations or program-specific requirements.  
9. Only degree-level or higher courses will be eligible for transfer credit towards a Seneca degree.
   
10. Seneca reserves the right to determine the life of a credit and if it is eligible for transfer credit (see Appendix B).
11. Transfer credits will not be granted:
    • based on a previous exemption or transfer credit from another institution
    • for courses that have been used for prior transfer credit at Seneca within the same program
    • under other circumstances at Seneca’s discretion
12. Up to 75 per cent of the courses in a Seneca program can be earned through transfer credits and/or prior learning credits.
13. For degree-level programs, up to 50 per cent can be earned through prior learning credits. 
    

1. Students are responsible for submitting all required official documents for transfer credit consideration, including, but not limited to the following:
   • official transcript(s)
   • detailed course outline(s) from the same year and term in which the courses were completed
   • if the original course outline is not in English, a certified translation of the document, translated, signed and sealed by a certified translating service
   • a transfer credit evaluation report from World Education Services or International Credential Assessment Service of Canada, where applicable

1. Students may request re-evaluation of transfer credit decisions within 30 days of the original decision date as posted to Student Home. 

1. Current Seneca students looking to complete courses at another institution for transfer credit purposes are required to obtain pre-approval from Seneca prior to enrolling at the institution in question.
2. Current Seneca students who have completed a course at another institution for transfer credit purposes, who did not obtain pre-approval, are subject to the Transfer Credit Pre-Approval retroactively.
3. Full-time students are to complete general education or liberal studies breadth course requirements at Seneca unless a unique circumstance can be identified.
4. To submit a pre-approval request, a student's financial account must be in good standing.
5. For the purposes of graduation requests, transcripts for credits earned at another institution must be submitted in accordance with the deadlines noted on Seneca’s academic calendar.
6. Pre-approved transfer credits will be updated on a student’s record upon receipt of an official transcript. 

1. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree from a recognized Canadian postsecondary institution will receive transfer credits for COM101 and all other required general education courses.
2. Students who have completed an undergraduate degree from a recognized international institution, where the language of instruction is English, will receive transfer credit for COM101 and are eligible to apply for transfer credit in all other required general education courses.
3. Students with a completed master’s degree from a recognized domestic or international institution where the language of instruction is English will receive a transfer credit for COM101 and are eligible to apply for transfer credit in all other required general education courses.

• Appendix A: Transfer Credit Appeal form
• Appendix B: Guidelines for Use in Making Life of a Credit Decisions
• Appendix C: Transfer Credit Pre-Approval form

• Student Progression and Promotion policy
• Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Policy

• Office of the Registrar website – Transfer credits

Assessment of the life (currency) of a credit may be required for:

• students who interrupt their studies for an extended period, or who take significantly longer than the normally prescribed program duration to complete their studies, may be required to take additional courses and/or repeat courses that have gone through significant change
• students with previously earned academic credits from other postsecondary educational institutions who may be able to apply such credits toward completion of a Seneca program, depending upon whether the credit is deemed current
• for a student who has completed requirements for a particular program and wants to apply any of the credits to a different credential at Seneca

When evaluating the currency of a course the following should be considered:

• the course (learning outcomes and content) relevance in the context of the overall program learning outcomes*
• course learning outcomes of the course submitted for consideration (whether from another institution or an aged Seneca course) compared to the course learning outcomes of the current Seneca course
• changes to technology (e.g., hardware, software, etc.) since the credit was earned
• changes to regulatory and/or professional standards since the credit was earned.

*Generally, a decision will be based on the guidelines outlined above; however, a credit shown on the student’s transcript may be considered as current in one program, but not in another, depending on the requirements of each program.

When a credit is deemed to no longer be current, a student may choose to identify and seek credit for professional and/or life skills obtained as outlined in Seneca's Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Policy.

Approval Date: May 2018

Last Revision: July 2024