Students who have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours at an accredited college or university after high school graduation or GED certification are considered transfer students. Please note: This excludes dual credit, concurrent enrollment, early college, and courses taken the summer immediately after high school graduation. 

Southwestern University requires a minimum of 12 credit hours to transfer. The Admission Committee encourages students to be enrolled in at least 12 hours (full-time) of college coursework the semester prior to enrolling at Southwestern.

While most Southwestern students are of traditional age and attend classes full-time, we have a small contingent of non-traditional students returning after a long absence from school or attending part-time. We recommend that non-traditional students apply after completing at least two semesters of full-time work at another college, with a grade point average of at least 3.0. We also have an increasing number of students returning after military service. We have created a page with more information regarding using your Military Benefits.

There is not limit to the number of credits that can be transferred, however, a student must take at least 64 hours (2 years) and must complete at least 60% of the chosen major (and/or minor) in residence in order to earn a degree from Southwestern University. Most transfer students need a minimum of 5 semesters worth of coursework to obtain a degree from Southwestern.

Campus residency is strongly encouraged for all students. More than 86% of our current students live in our residence halls and on-campus apartments. Students who have had less than four, full-time semesters or fewer than 48 combined hours in college will be required to live in University residence halls and must purchase a meal plan from the University’s food service provider, if applicable. Military veterans, married students, students with children, and students 22 years of age or older are exempt from this housing policy.

At Southwestern, courses are taught primarily during the day, during working hours. Very few night classes are offered. It is not possible for an undergraduate student to obtain a degree from Southwestern solely through the attendance of evening classes. Southwestern does not offer on-line courses.

All non-technical/non-vocational courses from accredited colleges, in which a student has earned a C- or better, are eligible for transfer to Southwestern. If the course is found comparable to a course at Southwestern, an appropriate course number will be assigned in a transcript evaluation by the Records Office. Southwestern faculty members may be consulted for course compatibility and the applicant may be asked to submit course descriptions, syllabi and reading lists to complete the official transcript review. If a course is accepted for credit, it will be counted as “transfer credit.” No grade points for transfer courses will be calculated in the Southwestern University grade point average. Remedial/developmental coursework is not accepted.

In order to obtain credit for advanced placement examinations, transfer students are required to submit an official score report to Southwestern from the College Board. A score of 4 or 5 must be obtained on the AP exam and a 5 or higher on the higher level IB exams in order to receive credit.

Credits received for CLEP subject examinations while students are enrolled at other universities are usually treated like other transfer credits if they appear on official transcripts.

At Southwestern University, a student may obtain a different degree from the one previously earned (e.g., after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, a student may earn a Bachelor of Science degree). Students must complete at least an additional 64 hours (2 years) in residence for the second degree. Southwestern’s liberal arts requirements, as well as the coursework in the new major/minor, will also need to be completed. Southwestern offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science in Education and Bachelor of Music degrees. 

If you submitted an application to Southwestern when you were in high school, you can reactivate that application by filling out and submitting the Application Reactivation Form below. The following document are required for a transfer application:

1. The Application Reactivation Form

2. An official final high school transcript

3. Official ACT/SAT exam scores (requirement met if listed on official high school transcript)

4. Official college transcript(s) from each institution attended

5. The College Conduct Report 

Transfer students who are academically ineligible from another institution are not eligible for admission at Southwestern University.

If you provide a copy of your college transcript(s), a tentative, unofficial transcript review can be done with the transfer admission counselor during an information session. An official transcript evaluation by the registrar will be completed after the offer of admission has been sent to the student. This official evaluation will be sent to the student prior to the time in which the student has to place an enrollment deposit.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis once all required documents have been received. If new or additional information is needed, particularly if we believe new information can be potentially helpful, a final decision may be deferred until the new materials are received. More information on transferring to Southwestern can be found on our Transfer Student webpage