Transfer Credit FAQs

Transfer credit is credit for courses that TRU recognizes from a student’s previous education, or for courses that an active program student at TRU earns elsewhere via a letter of permission (LOP).

• Applicant has accepted an offer of admission from TRU or is an active TRU student
• Receipt in TRU Admissions of official transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions

An official transcript:

1. is printed on official paper and arrives in a sealed envelope bearing the institution’s logo, stamp or seal
2. prominently displays the school’s logo, stamp, or seal
3. is issued in the language of instruction
4. is accompanied by a certified translation if the language of instruction is not English or French
5. normally includes the institution’s grade scale

Domestic students have transfer credit added to their records automatically during the admission process. If a course has not been assessed previously and is not in our transfer database, students will be contacted to provide detailed outlines.

International students send an email request to transfercredit@tru.ca. Links to course outlines or scanned outlines can be included in the email. Always include your T-ID.

When completed, transfer credit will appear in your myTRU account and on your official TRU transcript.

If the courses are already in our database, students will often hear back within two weeks. If the course requires an assessment, the wait time can be longer because additional steps are required. Students can shorten the wait time by ensuring that all detailed course outlines have been submitted to transfercredit@tru.ca so they are available when their transfer credit request (TCR) comes up in the queue.

If you would like your transfer credit assessment before you register for courses that start in September, we need your official transcripts and course outlines by April 1. This will ensure you have your answer before fall registration opens in June.

Although all previous courses can be added to the student’s record as transfer credit, this may not be done because residency requirements limit the amount of transfer credit that can be used toward a TRU credential. For campus-based programs, normally no more than 50% of the total credits can be earned at another institution.

Note: There are some exceptions to the 50% residency rule, such as the minimum number of TRU credits required for Open Learning programs: 6 credits for a certificate, 9 credits for a diploma and 15 credits for a bachelor’s degree. Always confirm residency requirements with an advisor.

The most common reasons courses may not transfer to TRU:

• The post-secondary institution is not recognized
• The level of study was not at the post-secondary level (e.g. high school equivalents, ESAL, vocational, etc.)
• A course did not receive a passing grade

Please consult Admissions or an advisor for more information.

An academic advisor will determine how your transfer credits may apply to program and degree requirements. At TRU, first- and second-year students consult Academic Advising in Enrolment Services.

Once students have declared their majors, they consult the program advisors in their department to see how transfer credit may satisfy certain major and degree requirements.

You may have more transfer courses than you have space for in your program because of specific requirements. In addition to the residency requirement, you must also satisfy program and degree requirements.

Some of your transfer courses may not be used if you are in a program that requires a minimum grade for a course to count towards core program requirements. If your grade transfers as less than the minimum, the course will not normally count. Your program advisor can explain this.

No, grades for transfer courses do not appear on official TRU transcripts because the grades are not calculated into the cumulative GPA displayed at the bottom of the transcript. In other words, transfer grades are GPA-neutral.

If you are planning to transfer to another institution after TRU to complete a credential, or are planning further education after you graduate from TRU, the next institution will require official transcripts for ALL previous education directly from the institution where that learning took place. The grades for transfer courses appear on these transcripts.

In myTRU, you will see transfer grades and a transfer average. These are in our student record system to facilitate automated prerequisite checking and other functions.

For transcripts that you order to be sent to other institutions (i.e. official transcripts), grades for transfer courses do not appear on your official TRU transcript and are not included in the GPA displayed on your official transcript.

No, your official transcript and other documents such as course outlines must be accompanied by a translation done by a certified translator. The translator must provide a complete, word-by-word translation, including any information that appears on the reverse side of the documents.

A letter of permission allows a TRU program student to visit another recognized post-secondary institution and take courses that can transfer back to TRU. The LOP process ensures that the course has been vetted by the Transfer Credit team and the relevant faculty subject matter expert (SME). When the student returns to TRU, the course will be added to the student’s record if an official transcript is received directly from the host institution. It is the student’s responsibility to order the official transcript.

Normally, students who visit one of TRU’s bilateral partner institutions receive TRU credit for their course work at the partner institution, not transfer credit. This is because tuition is paid to TRU rather than to the host institution. Credit earned at the host institution is displayed on the TRU transcript the same way that courses they take at TRU appear. The only difference is that students receive a “COM” (completion) grade for each Study Abroad course rather than a letter grade. A COM grade is GPA-neutral, so does not affect the cumulative GPA on the TRU transcript.

If you prefer to take all courses for your program at TRU, regardless of your previous education, send an email to admissions@tru.ca or your program advisor, and copy transfercredit@tru.ca stating that you are declining transfer credit.

If you are currently a TRU student, contact your Academic Advisor.

If you are not a TRU student yet, phone 1-800-663-9711 or email student@tru.ca