At SFBU, we are committed to making your transition as a transfer student as smooth and stress-free as possible. Whether you're coming from a community college or another university, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

 

Articulation and Transfer Agreements

San Francisco Bay University maintains articulation agreements with multiple community colleges, which enable a smoother transfer of credits to SFBU and can shorten the time required for students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Further, the agreements clarify which courses map to the required undergraduate Core Curriculum and major courses.

For more information on transfer credits from colleges in the bay area or otherwise, prospective community college students should talk to their college counselors and the SFBU admissions team about transferring credits.

SFBU accesses course equivalencies mapped to courses at the colleges above using the Transfer Evaluation System (TES). 

For colleges not listed in the agreements and guides above, students should contact the SFBU admissions team to review the possibility of transferring credits.

Memorandums of Understanding with Nanchang Institute of Technology (NIT), China
SFBU and NIT have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote cultural, scientific, and technological exchanges as well as to facilitate educational development. The areas of cooperation include joint teaching, visits, and academic exchanges of teachers and students.

Articulation Agreement with ACI Learning
ACI Learning and SFBU have entered into an articulation agreement designed to expand services and opportunities for transfer students. This agreement allows ACI Learning students to transfer courses to bachelor's degree programs at SFBU via a course-specific pathway. 

Course credit earned at other institutions of higher education may be transferable. The transfer of credit is done at the program-of-study level, topic area level, the major and major selectable levels, and on a case-by-case basis.

The following statements apply to all transfer credits:
 

  • The SFBU Admissions Office must receive all official transcripts prior to the student’s joining a degree program. Without pre-approval, transcripts received after the student joins SFBU cannot be used in transferring credits, except for records from the term immediately preceding the student’s starting semester at SFBU. 
  • Up to 90 units of courses that have been reviewed and currently approved as part of a formal SFBU articulation/transfer agreement are guaranteed to transfer.
  • The student must have been officially enrolled in the course.
  • Courses eligible for transfer by prearranged transfer/articulation agreement shall follow the details contained in the agreement. 
  • Courses eligible for one-to-one matching course transfer will be evaluated based on the compatibility in content, quality, and rigor with SFBU’s courses. Required courses require a closer compatibility match. 
  • Courses eligible for topic area transfer may be mapped to the program's relevant topic area unit requirements without the need for one-to-one course matching and may have their units used in lieu of required units with the approval of the Registrar and School Dean. 
  • The transfer evaluation includes — but is not limited to — course descriptions, course syllabi, and/or general public information. Students may be asked to provide course catalogs or syllabi. 
  • When evaluating any foreign transcript, the admission evaluators may accept or transfer credit based on their knowledge of the course contents in comparison with similar courses offered in the U.S.
  • Without prior approval, courses for transfer to SFBU may not be completed concurrently at another institution while a student is matriculated in an SFBU degree program.
  • College English courses taken at an institution where English is not an official language cannot be transferred for general education credit.
  • The credits under consideration for transfer must be earned at: 
    (1) institutions approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
    (2) public or private institutions of higher learning accredited by an accrediting association recognized by the U. S. Department of Education
    (3) foreign institutions of higher learning.
  • Credits earned at a foreign institution degree must be evaluated by a member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), Association of International
  • Credential Evaluators (AICE) or American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)’s International Education Services.
  • Professional Development Units (PDUs) offered by professional/industry organizations cannot be transferred to SFBU for academic credit.
  • Continuing Education Units (CEUs) offered on a non-academic basis by other academic institutions cannot be transferred to SFBU for academic credit.
  • Credits transferred at the time of admission evaluation will reduce program length. Credit transferred from any outside institution has no effect on the calculation of the student’s GPA or CGPA.
  • Credits transferred from any outside institution are excluded from the maximum attempted units for the program.

Credits are transferred by the following conversion:

  • Definition of a Semester Unit:
    One semester credit hour equals, at a minimum, 15 contact classroom hours of lecture, 30 contact hours of laboratory, or 45 contact hours of practicum.
  • Conversion Factor:
    1 quarter unit = 0.66 semester unit

Grades Required for Transfer Credit
In the bachelor's degree programs, applicable courses completed with an equivalency of a letter grade of "C" or better are transferable. ​Courses completed with Pass/No Pass are not transferable unless the transcript states that the general grading policy is not based on letter grades. This policy must be in writing from the institution (transcript key or a letter of verification).

Other Types of Undergraduate Transfer Credit
The following other types of credit may be transferable:

  • AP/IB course credit earned which is considered to be equivalent to college credit.
  • Credit by Examination - CLEP — SFBU grants credit to those students who pass examinations in English, natural sciences, humanities, and social science subjects offered by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Only General Education credits will be granted. Students should consult with the Admissions Office for information on acceptable CLEP scores and units. The CLEP Institution Code for SFBU is 7569.
  • Transfer of Credit from Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES) and Military Services — Credits will be allowed for DANTES Subject Standardized Tests and professional military education evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE). The maximum transferable credits follow the same policies as specified above.
  • SFBU’s evaluation of an application is made prior to the student’s admission to a program unless otherwise approved by the authorizing VA office. The DANTES Institution Code for SFBU is 9670.
     

Graduate course credit earned at other accredited higher education institutions may be transferable to meet the student’s graduation requirements if the courses are closely related to the student's intended program of study and the grade earned meets the requirement stated below.

 

The following statements apply to qualified graduate transfer credits:

  • The SFBU Admissions Office must receive all official transcripts prior to the student’s joining a degree program. Without pre-approval, transcripts received after the student joins SFBU cannot be used in transferring credits, except for records from the term immediately preceding the student’s starting semester at SFBU.
  • Up to 12 units of courses that have been reviewed and currently approved as part of a formal SFBU articulation/transfer agreement are guaranteed to transfer.
  • The student must have been officially enrolled in the course.
  • Courses eligible for transfer will be evaluated based on the compatibility in content, quality and rigor of SFBU’s courses. The transfer evaluation includes — but is not limited to — course descriptions, course syllabi, and/or general public information. Students may be asked to provide course catalogs or syllabi.
  • No more than 12 units of qualified graduate-level course credits may be transferred. Students must take at least 24 units at SFBU degree program.
  • Without prior approval, courses for transfer to SFBU may not be completed concurrently at another institution while a student is matriculated in an SFBU.
  • The credits contemplated for transfer must be earned at:
    • (1) institutions approved by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
    • (2) public or private institutions of higher learning accredited by an accrediting association recognized by the U. S. Department of Education
    • (3) foreign institutions of higher learning.
  • Credits earned at a foreign institution degree must be evaluated by a member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) or American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)’s International Education Services.
  • Professional Development Units (PDUs) offered by professional/industry organizations cannot be transferred to SFBU for academic credit.
  • Continuing Education Units (CEUs) offered on a non-academic basis by other academic institutions cannot be transferred to SFBU for academic credit.
  • Credits transferred at the time of admission evaluation will reduce program length. Credit transferred from any outside institution has no effect on the calculation of the student’s GPA or CGPA.
  • Credits transferred from any outside institution are excluded from the maximum attempted units for the program.

 

Credits are transferred by the following conversion:

  • Definition of a Semester Unit:
    One semester credit hour equals, at a minimum, 15 contact classroom hours of lecture, 30 contact hours of laboratory, or 45 contact hours of practicum.
  • Conversion Factor:
    1 quarter unit = 0.66 semester unit

 

Grades Required for Transfer Credit

In the master’s degree programs, qualified courses completed with an equivalency of a letter grade of "B" or better are transferable. Courses completed with Pass/No Pass are not transferable unless the transcript states that the general grading policy is not based on letter grades. This policy must be in writing from the institution (transcript key or a letter of verification).

Application deadlines

 

Semester

International & COS

Domestic + International Transfer-in
Spring
October 15
December 1
Summer
February 15
May 1
Fall
May 15
July 15

Ready for the next step?

 

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