Examination Credit and Transfer Credit
In order to earn a degree from the College of the University of Chicago, a student must obtain credit for at least forty-two quarter courses, distributed among general education requirements, major program requirements, and electives, as described in the section on the curriculum at the front of this publication. All students receive credit toward their degrees by taking courses in the College. In addition, students may receive credit in the following ways: by placement test; by Advanced Placement (AP) examinations; by accreditation examination; by International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme; and by advanced standing, which is credit transferred from another institution. The limits and conditions placed on credit earned in these various ways are explained in the following section. A student must be in residence at the University of Chicago for at least six quarters, full or part time, and must successfully complete a minimum of eighteen courses while in residence. More than half of the requirements for a major must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.
Placement Tests
Accreditation Examinations
Advanced Placement Credit
International Baccalaureate Programme
British A-Levels and Other Examinations
Advanced Standing (Transfer Credit)
Placement Tests
Placement tests serve to adapt the needs and backgrounds of individual students to the College curriculum. They place entering students at the proper level of study in a given subject and may be used to award academic credit where appropriate. On the one hand, placement tests minimize the repetition of subjects already mastered and, on the other, they reduce the possibility that students might begin their programs with courses for which they are inadequately prepared. Placement tests measure skill in problem solving as well as general knowledge in a subject field. Students who have some background in the areas being tested are urged to review it, but incoming students without such knowledge are not expected to acquire it over the summer preceding entrance.
Placement tests may be taken only at the time of matriculation and each test may be taken only once. Information that describes these tests is sent to incoming first-year and transfer students.
Mathematics Placement Test and Calculus Placement Test. Every student must take either the mathematics placement test or the calculus placement test during Orientation. Students with no knowledge of calculus take the mathematics test; students who have taken a calculus course take the calculus test. Scores on the mathematics placement test determine the appropriate beginning mathematics course for each student: a precalculus course (MATH 10500) or one of three other courses (MATH 11200, 13100, or 15100). Scores on the calculus placement test also determine which level of mathematics is appropriate, but they also place students into Honors Calculus (MATH 16100-16200-16300) or give placement credit for one, two, or three quarters of calculus.
Scores on the mathematics placement test are also used to place students into CHEM 11101/11102 (General Chemistry).
Scores on the calculus placement test are used to determine placement into CHEM 11101/11102 (General Chemistry), PHYS 13100 (General Physics, Variant B), and PHYS 14100 (General Physics-Honors).
Language Placement Tests. Language placement tests are required of students who plan to continue in or receive credit for languages studied prior to entrance in the College. Placement tests determine in which quarter of study a student begins the College's sequence of introductory, intermediate, or advanced language study. Placement beyond the first quarter confers course credit. Students who place into second year or beyond are still required to meet the language competency requirement.
Placement tests are offered to entering students during Orientation in the following languages: Arabic, Bangla, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Classical Greek, Modern Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu. Students may petition to take placement tests in languages not offered during Orientation. Language placement petition forms are available at the advisers' reception desk (HM 280). Placement tests are not available in languages not taught at the University of Chicago. For additional information, consult Stephanie Latkovski, Associate Dean for International and Second Language Education, (HM 241), or visit the Web site at dos-college.uchicago.edu/information/languagerequirement.html.
Honors Chemistry Placement Test. Students who wish to enroll in Honors General Chemistry (CHEM 12200-12300) must take the honors chemistry placement test (or they must have earned a score of 5 on the AP chemistry exam). Honors General Chemistry assumes that a student completed a rigorous chemistry course in high school. Students who place into Honors General Chemistry on the basis of the placement test and who complete CHEM 12200-12300 (Autumn/Winter) will receive one placement credit for CHEM 11101 to be counted toward the completion of one year of general chemistry. Students who complete CHEM 12200, but not CHEM 12300, complete the second and third quarters of a year of chemistry with registration for CHEM 11201-11301/11202-11302 (Winter/Spring).
Biological Sciences Placement Test. NOTE: Students matriculating in Autumn Quarter 2004 should watch for updated information about the biological sciences placement test. Incoming students will receive a mailing in the summer or will receive instructions when they arrive on campus for orientation.
Accreditation Examinations
Credit is available by accreditation examinations, which are optional, to those students who have already studied certain subjects at the college level. See the information below under each subject heading for when these exams are offered. In the case of a course where both experimental and theoretical skills are involved, students may be required to fulfill the laboratory portion along with the rest of the class.
College credit achieved by accreditation examination is entered as units of credit on the student's official academic record. Letter grades are not assigned. An accreditation examination may be taken only once.
Chemistry Accreditation Examinations. Students who are exceptionally well prepared in chemistry may earn credit for one or more quarters of chemistry on the basis of AP scores or accreditation examinations. Students who have taken the Advanced Placement (AP) test in chemistry and received a grade of 5 will be given credit for General Chemistry I, II, III. The Department of Chemistry also administers accreditation examinations in General Chemistry I, II, III and Organic Chemistry I, II, III. Students may receive credit for chemistry on the basis of their performance on these examinations. The examinations in general chemistry and organic chemistry are offered only during Orientation, or at the start of Autumn Quarter by arrangement with Dr. Vera Dragisich, Department of Chemistry, 702-3071. Only incoming students (i.e., first-year and transfer students) are eligible to take these examinations.
Physical Sciences Accreditation Examination. For students whose probable major is in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or New Collegiate divisions, a good performance on this examination will confer two quarters of credit for the general education requirement in the physical sciences. Students with good high school preparation in both chemistry and physics are strongly encouraged to take this examination, offered during Orientation only to entering students.
The physical sciences accreditation examination does not give credit for chemistry or physics. Students planning to major in the biological or physical sciences or prepare for the health professions must fulfill their general education requirement in the physical sciences by passing or placing out of a three-quarter sequence of 10000-level courses in either chemistry or physics. (Students who register for chemistry or physics forego credit earned on the physical sciences accreditation examination.) Students who are exceptionally well prepared in chemistry and/or physics should consider taking the chemistry and/or physics accreditation examination(s).
Physics Accreditation Examinations. Accreditation examinations are administered for the content of PHYS 12100-12200-12300 and 14100-14200-14300. The first examination may be taken by incoming students only at the time of matriculation in the College. Students who pass the first examination (for PHYS 12100 or 14100) will receive credit for the lecture part of the course only and will then be invited to try the next examination of the series. Entering students who have taken AP physics in high school but who do not receive AP credit from the College (and who do not plan to majorin physics) may take the PHYS 12100 accreditation examination. Students who receive AP credit for PHYS 12100-12200-12300 but whose planned major requires PHYS 13100-13200-13300 or 14100-14200-14300 are eligible to take the PHYS 14100 examination. Entering transfer students who choose a major requiring physics but who are not granted transfer credit for a completed calculus-based introductory physics sequence may take one of the accreditation examinations.
NOTE: Accreditation examinations in physics confer credit only for the lecture portion of the courses; additional laboratory work may be required.
Advanced Placement Credit
Students who request college credit for Advanced Placement (AP) courses taken in high school (i.e., before a student matriculates in the College) are asked to submit an official report of their scores on the AP tests given by the College Entrance Examination Board. In most cases, credit is granted for a score of 4 or 5. The decision to grant credit is reported at the end of the first year in residence and units of credit awarded appear on the student's official academic record.
The AP credit chart shows how AP credit may be applied to the forty-two credits required for graduation.
While AP scores alone are sometimes used to establish placement or to confer credit, satisfactory performance on the College's own placement tests may supplement AP scores and lead to additional credit.
For further information on AP credit and how it relates to the Chicago degree program, a student should consult his or her College adviser. NOTE: Credit for no more than six electives may be gained by examination.
International Baccalaureate Programme
Credit earned for courses in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme may be applied to certain general education requirements or to electives. Grades of 6 or 7 on Higher-Level IB Examinations (HL) will give credit analogous to the AP credit described on the preceding chart. Credit for a score of 6 is equivalent to AP 4; credit for a score of 7 is equivalent to AP 5; and, for languages, a score of 5 is equivalent to AP 3. NOTE: No course credit currently is offered in either the mathematics department or the computer science department for work done in an IB program.
Comments at the bottom of the AP chart regarding AP credit also apply to IB credit. Note in particular the references to biology, chemistry, computer science, and physics credit.
British A-Levels and Other Examinations
Credit for A-level work in calculus, physics, chemistry, biology, and languages may be awarded through satisfactory performance on the College's placement or accreditation examinations taken at the time of matriculation. Credit for A-levels in other fields may be awarded by petition to the Dean of Students in the College. No credit is given for general education requirements in humanities or social science. Elective credit may be given only for grades of A in the Advanced Test in liberal arts subjects.
Transfer Credit
Courses Taken While in a Degree Program Elsewhere. Students transferring from other institutions must be in residence at the University of Chicago campus for at least six quarters, full or part time, and must successfully complete a minimum of eighteen courses while in residence. Generally, the College grants transfer credit for liberal arts courses carrying at least three semester hours or four quarter hours of credit and passed with a grade of C or better (in some cases, a grade of B or better is required) from an accredited institution.
Transfer credit, referred to as advanced standing, is listed on the student's University of Chicago transcript only as number of credits approved for transfer. Courses and grades are not listed, nor do transferred courses contribute to the student's University of Chicago grade point average for the purpose of computing an overall GPA, Dean's List, departmental honors, or general honors. Credit for courses in precalculus and calculus mathematics and in foreign language must be validated by College placement examinations. Depending on the student's major and on the level of work to be evaluated, credit for some courses in chemistry, physics, and biology may also be subject to examination.
Professional or technical courses (e.g., journalism, business, law, musical performance, speech, nursing) do not transfer; only courses similar to those taught in the College may transfer. The College grants credit for some CEEB Advanced Placement examinations with scores of 4 or 5, but not for CLEP, USAFI, or correspondence course work.
Most transfer students can complete their studies with no more than one extra quarter beyond the usual four college years, although this may depend on how course work elsewhere relates to the structure of a Chicago degree program. College housing and financial aid are available to all transfer students. After matriculation in the College, transfer students may not earn additional credits from schools other than the University of Chicago, except for study abroad programs sponsored by the University of Chicago. However, these courses will not count toward the requirement to be in residence at the University of Chicago campus for at least six quarters, full or part time, and to successfully complete a minimum of eighteen courses while in residence.
NOTE: More than half of the requirements for a major must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.
Courses Taken Elsewhere While in a Degree Program at the University of Chicago. Students who wish to take courses at other institutions after they enter the College should discuss their plans with their advisers. Before registering for course work elsewhere, students must submit to the Office of the Dean of Students a petition requesting tentative approval for transfer credit to be applied toward graduation requirements. The petition should include course descriptions and the name of the institution where courses will be taken. A student who wishes to apply transfer credit to requirements in their major must have the approval of their program chair.
Upon completion of the course work, students should have an official transcript sent to the Office of the Dean of Students. Credit for language courses must be validated by examinations. Depending on the student's major and on the level of work to be evaluated, credit for some courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics may also be subject to examination. Only courses similar to those taught in the College may transfer; professional or technical courses do not transfer. Courses in humanities, civilization studies, and social sciences seldom transfer as general education requirements. Credit for work completed at two-year institutions is seldom approved and is never approved after Spring Quarter of a student's second year in the College. Transfer credit is listed on the student's transcript only as number of credits approved for transfer.
College Courses Taken during High School. Students may be eligible for college courses taken while they were in high school by petition to the Dean of Students in Winter Quarter. Credit is evaluated on an individual basis. To be considered for transfer credit, course work may not have been counted toward high school graduation requirements. Credit for science, foreign language, and calculus courses is awarded only by satisfactory performance on the appropriate placement or accreditation examinations taken at the time of matriculation. Transfer credit may not be used to meet general education requirements in humanities, social sciences, or civilization studies unless a student formally enters the College as a "transfer student."