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Permission to Transfer Credit Process

Completing coursework at another college after your first semester at Cortland

  • Cortland undergraduate students can complete certain courses at another college and transfer credit back to meet degree requirements.  Once you have enrolled and begun classes at SUNY Cortland, you must seek approval prior to enrolling in courses at another college. 
  • Graduate students should follow the Request to Transfer Graduate Credit process. 

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

Why Prior Permission is Necessary

  • Ensures the course is equivalent so it will transfer back as the Cortland course you need.
  • Ensures that it is the right course for you to make degree progress at Cortland.
  • Verifies that you are not student teaching or enrolled in fieldwork/practicum work that would not allow course enrollment at the same time.
  • Verifies that you follow all SUNY Cortland transfer policies, such as residency and credit limits.
  • Ensures you do not expend time, effort, and money unnecessarily.

Permission Process

  • Find available courses at other campuses.
    • Utilize SUNY Online to find online course offerings throughout the SUNY system.
    • For Non-SUNY campuses or for in-person course options, utilize the campus's online course schedule. 
  • Utilize Cortland's Transfer Equivalency Charts to determine how the courses will transfer.
  • Discuss your plans with your academic advisor to determine how the course will meet a degree requirement.
  • Complete the web-based Permission to Transfer Credit form prior to enrollment at the other campus.
    • You will be notified via email on your approval status.
    • Advisement and Transition will reach out to your academic department for review/approval as needed.
    • Cortland reserves the right to deny transfer credit that has not been pre-approved.

Transfer Credit Policies

  • Only courses with a grade of C- or better will transfer.
    Note:  Even if you have 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 your Cortland GPA.
  • You cannot enroll in a course at another institution while enrolled in student teaching and certain practicums or fieldwork.
  • Departments may require you to take specific courses at SUNY Cortland.  Not all courses are eligible to transfer. 
  • A maximum of 64 transfer credits from a two-year institution, and a maximum combination from two- and four-year institutions of 90 credits may be applied to a Cortland degree program. 
  • Thirty (30) credit hours of coursework must be completed in residence at Cortland, including half of your major, minor and/or concentration courses.  Check your Degree Works audit for your specific residency requirement. 
  • You cannot receive transfer credit for a course you have already received credit for at Cortland.
  • Writing Intensive (WI) requirements do not transfer.  While credit for a course that is offered as WI at Cortland can transfer, the course will not fulfill the WI requirement. 
  • You can request permission for a maximum of:
    • 5 credits during winter session
    • 14 credits total during summer session; no more than 7 credits per session.
    • 18 credits total for spring or fall, including your registered Cortland courses
    • Requests to enroll in more than the maximum for any term (including Cortland enrollment) is considered a course overload and requires associate dean approval

Transfer Credit and Retake Policy

If you choose to retake a course at another institution that you failed (grade of E) at SUNY Cortland, you 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 your cumulative GPA. 

SUNY Cross Registration

For fall and spring semesters, you may be eligible to register at another SUNY institution through SUNY Cross Registration and access your financial aid to cover tuition costs.  Approval for cross-registration is limited and is intended to resolve course conflicts that delay program completion or to allow access to a course that is not offered at SUNY Cortland.  The Associate Deans are the final campus approval for cross-registration.