Permission to Transfer Credit Process

Cortland undergraduate students may choose to complete certain courses at another institution and transfer the credits back to meet degree requirements.  However, once students have enrolled and begun classes at SUNY Cortland, they must seek permission to enroll in courses at another college.  Students are required to seek approval prior to enrolling in the course at another college. 

Students who are interested in summer or winter session courses are also encouraged to explore SUNY Cortland's offerings.  Cortland offers a variety of courses during summer and winter session both on campus and on-line.  Financial aid may also be available for Cortland courses.  Typically aid is not available for courses at another institution for matriculated Cortland students. 

Permission to transfer is necessary for a variety of reasons:

• It ensures the course equivalency so that the course will transfer back as the desired Cortland course.
• It ensures that the course is appropriate for the student to make degree progress at Cortland.
• It verifies that the student is not engaged in student teaching, fieldwork, or practicum work that would prohibit enrollment in coursework at the same time.
• It verifies that all SUNY Cortland policies are upheld.
• It ensures that the student does not expend time, effort, and money unnecessarily.

  Transfer Credit Policies and the Permission Process

• Cortland reserves the right to deny transfer credit that has not been pre-approved on a Permission to Transfer Credit from Another Institution form. 
• Only courses with a grade of C- or better will transfer.
  Note:  Even if a student has a completed associate's degree and transferred courses with D grades at initial matriculation to Cortland, grades of C- or better are required through this process.  
• Transfer courses do not factor into a student's Cortland GPA.
• Students cannot enroll in a course at another institution while enrolled in student teaching, practicum or fieldwork.
• Departments may require that specific courses within the curriculum must be taken and completed at SUNY Cortland.
• A maximum of 64 transfer credits from a two-year institution, and a maximum combination from two- and four-year institutions of 75-83 (depending on the major) may be applied to a Cortland degree program. 
• Fourty-five (45) credit hours of course work must be completed in residence at Cortland, including half of a student's major, minor and/or concentration courses. 
• Students cannot receive transfer credit for a course they have already received credit for at Cortland.
• Students can request permission for a maximum of five (5) credits during winter session.  The maximum request for summer session is fourteen (14) credits, seven (7) credits per session.
• Requests to enroll in courses that would constitute an overload of total registered credits (more than 18) between Cortland and the other institution for a fall or spring semester will require associate dean approval.

 Transfer Credit and Retake Policy

Students who choose to retake a course at another institution that they failed (grade of E) at SUNY Cortland are not eligible for Cortland's grading policy in regards to retake.  The course from the other institution may transfer to meet the degree requirement; however, the failing grade will remain calculated in the student's cumulative GPA.