Transferring Credit
General Transfer Credit Information
Transfer Credit for First-Year Students
Transfer Credit for Matriculated Reed Students
Online Coursework
Further Information
General Transfer Credit Information
Reed generally transfers coursework that is compatible with the Reed curriculum, is not experiential or vocational in nature, and does not duplicate work that a student has done or might do at Reed.
Examples of work that will not transfer to Reed include:
- English grammar and composition courses
- Pre-calculus mathematics
- Speech and Communication classes
- Internships
A Reed unit is equivalent to four semester credits or six quarter credits. Courses will transfer as a fractional value, for example a three semester credit class will transfer to Reed as 0.75 unit, a four quarter credit class will transfer to Reed as 0.67, unit. Local public institutions, such as Portland State University and Portland Community College, operate on the quarter calendar.
Courses taken at a school outside of Reed will not replace Reed grades. To replace a grade, the course must be retaken at Reed.
Reed policies about transfer credit may be found in the Faculty Code, which can be found at https://www.reed.edu/
Transfer Credit for First-Year Students
Please note: There will be a new policy pertaining to pre-Reed transfer credit for first-year students starting at Reed in Fall 2023. This will not apply to students who matriculated prior to Fall 2023. See below for details.
For students admitted to Reed as first-year (as opposed to transfer), credit may be granted for college courses taken prior to Reed as long as the coursework was not taken at the high school (or in programs designed specifically for high school students) (even if documented on a college transcript), and is coursework that satisfies Reed's usual transfer credit criteria.
Students should be sure to send two documents to Reed to receive credit:
1. An official college transcript showing the work and
2. A letter or email from their high school registrar or counselor specifiying which courses were taken at the college.
If coursework was used for high school graduation requirements, it may transfer for quantity/elective credit only. If the work was above and beyound high school graduation, it may be possible to use the work for college requirements.
Please note that Reed must receive scores for AP Exams directly to Reed from the College Board, and transcripts for International Baccaulaureate credit must be sent directly to Reed from IB North America (regardless of where the exams were taken).
A first-year student is permitted to transfer up to eight units of credit-by-exam (AP, IB, etc) and/or college work that was used for high school graduation requirements. Such work is recorded as general/elective credit only, and may not be applied to requirements. Additional credit may be granted for work taken at a regionally-accredited college/university that was not required for high school graduation requirements.
New Fall 2023 Pre-Reed Transfer Credit Policies
There will be a new policy pertaining to pre-Reed transfer credit for first-year students starting at Reed in Fall 2023. This will not apply to students who matriculated at Reed at any time prior to Fall 2023. Transfer credit may now be granted for any work documented on an official transcript from a regionally-accredited college or university. It will not matter if the work was taken at the college/university or at the high school, or if the work was used for high school graduation requirements. Courses must still meet Reed's usual transfer credit criteria. Coursework from a college or university may be applied to distribution requirements, it is up to the division or the department/committee whether such coursework may be appled to division or major requirements.
There will be a maximum of eight units of transfer credit available for any combination of pre-Reed transfer credit and/or credit by exam (AP, IB, etc).
Transfer Credit for Matriculated Reed Students
For matriculated students to transfer credit from other schools, the first step is to complete a Request for Transfer Credit Form. This form is available in Eliot 311 at the Office of the Registrar, or can be downloaded and printed from the link below. This form will require that you obtain the signature of the chairperson (or designee) of the closest comparable department at Reed. For example, if you intend to transfer History coursework you will need to consult the chair of the History Department. It is strongly recommended that you complete this form prior to undertaking the coursework, if you know the school you plan to attend and the classes in which you intend to enroll.
Please keep in mind that one Reed unit is equivalent to four semester hours or six quarter hours. A minimum grade of C- must be earned for a course to transfer (this minimum does not apply to Reed's domestic or international off-campus programs). Pass/fail courses will be treated using Reed policies: there must be a demonstrable minimum grade of C-, such coursework cannot be used for requirements, the student must be a junior or senior, and the course must be outside the student's major department.
Completed paper/hardcopy Request for Transfer Credit forms should be returned to Eliot 311, PDF/electronic forms should be sent to bradley@reed.edu or registrar@reed.edu.
Department Transfer Credit Policies:
Chemistry Department
Geology
Mathematics and Statistics Department
Political Science Department
Sociology Department
For transfer credit in Biology, please use the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/
For transfer credit in Psychology, please use the form at https://www.reed.edu/psychology/transfer-credit.html
Here is a list of Department chairs, here is a list of Division chairs, and a list of established interdisciplinary committees can be found here.
Non-Chair Transfer Credit Signators:
Some departments have a member of the department other than the chair who is responsible for evaluation and approval of transfer credit. Here is a current list of those departments and the faculty members with whom to speak about transfer credit:
Anthropology - Paul Silverstein
Astronomy/Astrophysics - Alison Crocker
Art (History) - Michelle Wang
Art (Studio) - Gerri Ondrizek
Biology - Sarah Schaack
Chemistry 101/102 (Introductory) - Danielle Cass
Chemistry 201/202 (Organic) - Gonzalo Campillo-Alvarado and Alicia McGhee
Geology - Dan Gerrity
Mathematics (excluding Statistics) - Zajj Daugherty
Physics - Lucas Illing
Political Science - Peter Steinberger
Statistics - Lenny Wainstein
Forms:
Download the Request for Transfer Credit Form (PDF)
Information for Transfer Students:
Online Coursework
Reed's policy does not prohibit online coursework, it varies by department. In seeking approval for an online course prior to taking the class, be sure to indicate that the course is online.
Download the Report on Online Learning (PDF)
Further Information
For more information, please contact:
Ben Bradley
bradley@reed.edu
(503) 777-7295
Last updated August 25, 2023