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Office of the Registrar

Dartmouth College
Office of the Registrar
6014 McNutt Hall
Hanover, NH 03755-3541


Phone: (603) 646-2246
Fax: (603) 646-2247
Email: registrar@Dartmouth.EDU

Transfer Terms

Due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic see the College guide about travel restrictions for all Dartmouth-sponsored international and domestic travel.

Students who elect to pursue a transfer term are required to provide an academic rationale, and submit a completed transfer term application and transfer credit approval form to the Registrar's Office by the deadlines established by the Committee on Instruction.

There are many references online where students may find information about study away programs offered by other institutions. Students should avoid those institutions where Dartmouth currently has a program that same term. Students who seek to apply for a transfer term at an institution where Dartmouth has an FSP, LSA/+, or Exchange program that term must obtain the approval signature of the program’s faculty director on their Transfer Term Application. A list of FSP, LSA/+, and Exchange programs is available online.

Deadlines and Steps

Step 1. Verify Deadlines

Transfer Term Application Deadlines:

  • Summer 2024: May 22, 2024
  • Fall 2024: July 17, 2024
  • Winter 2025: November 12, 2024
  • Spring 2025: February 28, 2025

Step 2. Write Your Academic Rationale

Complete your Transfer Term Application which includes your typed (not hand-written) academic rationale. Address:

  • How the individual courses and the overall plan offer intellectual opportunities not available at Dartmouth.
  • How the transfer term strengthens your overall academic plan at Dartmouth with respect to courses you have already taken and intend to take.

The rationale is an important aspect of your application.

Step 3. Research Possibilities

Talk with advisors and faculty members in the relevant departments/programs. Review online resources provided by other institutions and programs. Confirm that the official transcript provided upon completion is issued from a four-year accredited undergraduate institution with courses in the liberal arts and sciences. Also, be sure that each course meets the required thirty contact hours for transfer. See Off-Campus Activities in the ORC/Catalog.

Step 4. Request Course Pre-approvals

Request course approvals from Dartmouth faculty members on your Transfer Credit Approval Form for the specific courses you wish to transfer from the other institutions.  Faculty members require the course syllabus from the other institution before they will approve the course for potential transfer, therefore it is important to provide it. Note that course approval by a department/program does not constitute overall transfer term application approval.

Step 5. Submit Your Application

Submit your completed application to the Registrar’s Office by the deadline listed above for review by the Committee on Instruction. Completed applications include all of what follows:

  1. Completed and signed Transfer Term Application
  2. Completed Transfer Credit Approval Form signed by the appropriate department/program Chair, or designated faculty member such as Vice Chair
  3. Copy of DartWorks Degree Audit
  4. Course syllabi from the other institution for each of the courses
  5. Class meeting times and academic calendar (for verification of contact hours) from the other institution

It is the responsibility of each student to provide the needed information about the program and courses by the required deadline, and to provide a thorough, thoughtful academic rationale. The Committee on Instruction will not review incomplete applications.

Step 6. Once You Submit Your Application

The Committee on Instruction reviews all applications soon after the deadline, and the Registrar’s Office notifies you of their decision.

If your application is approved, the Registrar's Office will change your D-Plan to reflect a “T” for the approved transfer term and assess the non-refundable transfer term application fee for winter, spring, and summer transfer terms. (There is no fee for fall transfer terms.) If your application is denied, you have one opportunity to submit a written appeal to the Committee on Instruction at Committee.on.Instruction@dartmouth.edu.

Communicate with whomever is responsible for your bill about the fee payable to Dartmouth and the costs of attendance in your program. The Registrar's Office will send a letter to this person with information about the transfer term.

Step 7. When You Complete Your Program

Request that your transfer term institution send your official transcript to the Dartmouth Registrar's Office. They can send a link to an official e-transcript to registrar@dartmouth.edu, or mail your official transcript to:

Office of the Registrar

Dartmouth College

6014 McNutt Hall

Hanover, NH 03755-3541

Once the Registrar’s Office receives your official transcript, they will evaluate it alongside your transfer credit approval form. All eligible credits will be awarded to your Dartmouth transcript, and they will notify you by email.

 

Transfer Credit Requirements and

Regulations

ORC/Catalog Off-Campus Activities: Transfer Credit from Other Institutions

  • Transfer courses must be an integral part of a liberal arts and sciences undergraduate curriculum.
  • Transfer credit may potentially satisfy distributives, world culture, and, with department/program approval, major and minor requirements.
  • No more than five (5) students may participate on the same transfer term program in the same term.
  • Course syllabi are required for faculty approval. Students obtain them from the transfer institution.
  • Courses meet for a minimum of three weeks and for at least thirty contact hours (class meeting times), which does not include examination periods.
  • Only courses taken for a letter grade may transfer (i.e., no Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit options permitted), and a C or higher must be earned for credit to transfer.
  • Grades do not show on the Dartmouth transcript and do not compute in the Dartmouth grade point average.
  • Online courses, those given by extension programs, or internship programs are not transferable. Students should be aware that some departments and programs have restrictive policies toward transfer credit.
  • Course changes. A student with approved plans for an Exchange program or transfer term at another institution, who finds after enrollment that an approved course is not available, may apply for approval of a substitute course. After the transfer term or Exchange program starts, it may be possible to substitute a course for one that was approved previously, but such approval is not guaranteed. Additional non-related courses are not approved. Students contact the Registrar’s Office to initiate such changes.

D-Plan

  • To participate in room draw to be in residence if the Committee on Instruction does not approve your application, set the term you wish to participate in a transfer term to an "R." Otherwise set the term to “L.”
  • The Registrar’s Office will change your D-Plan to reflect a "T" if the Committee on Instruction approves your transfer term application, because the expectation is that you will participate in it if approved. If you have registered for courses that term, the Registrar's Office will contact you before changing your D-Plan to verify your plans.

Fees

  • Dartmouth assesses a non-refundable, non-petitionable application fee of $2,200 for the winter, spring, and summer (but not fall) transfer terms if the Committee on Instruction approves your application. The transfer term application fee is for the term, regardless of the number of courses you take while on the transfer term.
  • Dartmouth does not assess a fee for denied transfer term applications.
  • Students are responsible for all fees associated with the other institution's program. Students should be aware that dates for other school's payments may not line up with Dartmouth transfer term deadlines, and therefore if they elect to participate in another institution's program they may need to make a deposit, and risk losing it, before they learn of their transfer term application decision.

 

FAQ

Where would I find class meeting times and the term calendar for courses at another institution?

While each institution may be different, generally this information is available on course syllabi and/or class schedules at the other institution. You may need to contact the Registrar’s Office at your transfer term institution directly to find out the best way to obtain this information.

 

Who at Dartmouth can review and approve my transfer credit equivalencies?

Generally, the Chair of the department/program approves transfer credit, however sometimes it is a designee such as a Vice Chair. If you are not sure, contact the appropriate department/program administrator. A faculty member’s signature, however, is required.

 

Now that I have faculty signatures for my courses, is my approval form complete?

Department/program course approval is only one step in the process. Not all faculty-approved courses meet the eligibility requirements after further evaluation. For example, the course might not meet the minimum contact hour requirement. If this is the case, the Registrar’s Office will contact you.

 

Can I get transfer credit for business courses that are similar to the undergraduate Tuck 1, Tuck 2, or Tuck 3 courses, or for graduate level courses?

The COI determined that the transfer of courses equivalent to TUCK 001, 002, 003 is allowed as long as TUCK 001, 002, 003 courses count towards the required 35 credits necessary for the A.B. Degree, and the Tuck school provides a content reviewer for transfer credit.

 

Can I fulfill my language requirement with transfer credit?

Transfer credits cannot satisfy Dartmouth’s foreign language requirement.

 

Students may transfer up to four (4) credits to Dartmouth throughout their academic career. Does this limit of four (4) transfer credits include pre-matriculation transfer credits? If I have any of those, can I still apply for a transfer term?

Yes, you can still apply, although the limit of four (4) transfer credits includes all credits earned from pre-matriculation, Exchange programs, and transfer terms. Therefore, you may transfer back to Dartmouth only those credits that keep you within the limit of four (4) transfer credits total on your record.

 

Can I just explain in general terms why I want to study somewhere else in my rationale? Do I have to tie it to my academic plan at Dartmouth?

As stated on the Registrar’s website on Transfer Terms, a student’s academic rationale for a transfer term should address the two key items listed below.

  • How the individual courses and the overall plan offer intellectual opportunities not available at Dartmouth.
  • How the transfer term strengthens your overall academic plan at Dartmouth with respect to courses you have already taken and intend to take.

Approval of your transfer term application is based on this academic rationale, not simply whether you are just interested in a study away experience.

 

How many students at a time can go on a transfer term to a single institution?

The limit of students who may participate in a transfer term to any one institution in the same term is five (5).

 

The transfer term I plan to attend uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). How do ECTS points convert to Dartmouth course credit?

7.5 ECTS is equivalent to one (1) course credit at Dartmouth. Find additional information on ECTS on our website.

 

If I submit my transfer term application prior to the deadline, when will it be reviewed?

Applications may be submitted and will be reviewed on a rolling basis prior to and up to the stated deadline. The expected time for review of applications as received is two weeks.

 

What happens if my transfer term application is approved after the course election period for the term and I had elected courses as a backup plan?

The Registrar’s Office will contact you upon notification of your approval to verify your plans before we process your application. The Registrar’s Office will request that you decide by the end of the course change period for that term.

 

The Registrar’s Office has not notified me of the outcome of my transfer term application, and I have to make a deposit or accept my participation at the other institution's program. What should I do?

Regretfully, deadlines for other institution's applications or payments might not line up with Dartmouth transfer term deadlines. Therefore, you may need to accept your participation at the transfer institution or make a deposit, and risk losing it, before you know the decision about your application.

 

I missed the deadline to submit my transfer term application. What should I do?

  • Applications received after the published deadline and by the final day of classes will be reviewed as time allows.
  • Applications received or inquiries about transfer terms received after the published deadline and after the final day of classes are late and not reviewed.
    • Only in extremely extenuating circumstances are students allowed to petition to apply late for a transfer term. For example, if they were unable to graduate due to a failing grade and then needed to take an additional course summer term so that they could finish their degree summer term. 
    • Students may petition the COI (subcommittee) to request to apply late for a transfer term. A complete transfer term application and required materials must be submitted with the petition.
    • Students submit their petition with required materials to the Registrar’s office at Registrar@Dartmouth.edu for organization of the materials and to be forwarded to the COI.

 

What if I want to study somewhere else and do not want to transfer the credits?

You may take a leave term and study at another institution without the intent to transfer back any credit. You can do this option without the approval during a leave term. Remember, however, that you may not retroactively transfer the credit back to Dartmouth.

 

Can I apply for financial aid for a transfer term?

Dartmouth Financial aid is not available for transfer terms. You may check with a financial aid counselor regarding your situation in the event you may be eligible for loans. The Financial Aid Office may ask you to provide a copy of approved forms.

 

Travel Waiver and Resources

  • Dartmouth does not support travel to countries that are under U.S. State Department warnings. Students are encouraged to check the U.S. State Department website for information on any countries where they have issued warnings. If a student considers travel to one of these countries, the student seeks a Travel Exception from the Provost's Office.
  • Dartmouth encourages students to view the Dickey Center for International Understanding’s helpful Pre-Travel Video Series. While Dartmouth expects students to conduct themselves appropriately. Students who attend a transfer term are subject to the rules and regulations of the program on which they participate.

Key Dartmouth Contacts

Last Updated: 3/3/24