Graduate Students

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Transfer of Graduate-Level Academic Credit

Graduate students may transfer up to six credit hours of graduate work from another regionally accredited institution. This approval will be dependent upon when the course was taken and the applicability toward the student’s program.

Transfer credit completed prior to enrollment at SUNY Cortland, or after matriculation at SUNY Cortland, must be approved by the student’s graduate coordinator or advisor and Associate Dean. Once enrolled in a SUNY Cortland program, students interested in taking courses elsewhere and transferring those to their SUNY Cortland degree are advised to seek permission prior to enrolling in such coursework.

Only courses with a grade of B (i.e., 3.0) or better will be transferable. Transfer credit may be applied to the fulfillment of degree requirements, but is not computed in the grade point average.

Process for Requesting the Transfer of Graduate Credit to be Posted on a Degree Audit

Courses may be taken prior to matriculation at SUNY Cortland or they may be taken concurrently.  

Note:  The outlined process below is designed only for the transfer of graduate credit (500 & 600 level courses). Graduate students seeking to take undergraduate courses at another college as pre-requisites or for certification should discuss with their academic advisor/graduate coordinator for approval.  In these cases, students should send an  official transcript of the course(s) to their academic department for verification of completion.  

Graduate Coursework taken prior to beginning program at SUNY Cortland

  1. Student completes Permission/ Request to Transfer Graduate Credit Form and forwards form to graduate coordinator/advisor.  Student must provide a course description or syllabus to their graduate  coordinator/ advisor along with the form.
  2. If approved, graduate coordinator/advisor sends form to Associate Dean for final approval.
  3. If approved, the graduate  coordinator/ advisor then sends form to Advisement and Transition.
  4. Advisement and Transition will wait for arrival of official transcript(s).  Advisement and Transition will notify them of approval.  When transcript arrives, credit(s) will be posted. 
  5. When transcript of coursework taken elsewhere arrives in Advisement, it will be matched up with approved Permission/ Request to Transfer Graduate Credit Form  and credit(s) will be posted.
  6. Advisement and Transition will notify the student when credits have been posted and refer them to Degree Works.  A copy of the approval form will be sent to the department.

Graduate Coursework taken after beginning program at SUNY Cortland 

  1. If the class is taken after student has begun program at SUNY Cortland, he/she is encouraged to seek approval PRIOR to registering for coursework elsewhere.
  2. Student must complete Permission/ Request to Transfer Graduate Credit Form and send to graduate coordinator/ advisor.  Student must also provide the graduate coordinator/ advisor  with a course description or syllabus.
  3. If approved, graduate coordinator/advisor forwards the form to the Associate Dean for final approval.
  4. If approved, Associate Dean forwards the form to Advisement and Transition.
  5. Advisement and Transition will keep the form on file awaiting official transcript(s).  Advisement and Transition will email students notifying them of approval.  When transcript arrives, credit(s) will be posted.
  6. When coursework taken elsewhere is completed, student is responsible for sending official transcript to Advisement and Transition. 
  7. When transcript of coursework taken elsewhere arrives in Advisement, it will be matched up with approved form and credit(s) will be posted.
  8. Advisement and Transition will notify student that credit was posted and refer them to view Degree Works.  A copy of the approved form will be sent to the department.

Completion of Undergraduate Coursework by Graduate Students

Undergraduate coursework may be required as an overall program requirement, a certification requirement, or as a prerequisite to a graduate course.  Undergraduate coursework is typically not posted to the degree audit for a graduate student.  Students and advisors may choose to internally document and track approved undergraduate coursework from other colleges.