Transfer Credit

• SUNY New Paltz will accept a maximum of 70 credits from an accredited two-year college and a maximum of 90 credits from an accredited four-year college or university. 

• A maximum of 15 non-liberal arts credits may be awarded for coursework taken within government agencies, industry, the Armed Services or other non-collegiate settings. A request for review of such coursework should be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admission, along with appropriate documentation (e.g., course/program syllabus; Joint Services Transcript, etc.). 

• SUNY New Paltz does not award life-experience credit.

"Seamless Transfer" within SUNY

• Students with a SUNY A.A. or A.S. degree who are accepted into a parallel baccalaureate program at New Paltz and who have successfully completed the SUNY General Education Requirement (GER) and the appropriate transfer-path courses benefit from SUNY's transfer-friendly policies. Such students will be afforded true junior standing and the opportunity to complete the requirements for a bachelor's degree within four additional semesters of full-time study or the equivalent.
• Transfer of credit for SUNY-GER courses is guaranteed if a course is successfully completed with a grade of C or above.
• SUNY transfer-path courses are guaranteed to transfer as courses in the major or as required cognates if completed with a grade of C or better. (Note that courses with a grade of C- may be eligible for transfer toward the major or required cognates, at the discretion of the appropriate academic department.)
• Courses other than transfer-path and SUNY-GER courses may be eligible for transfer credit toward the major with a grade of C- or better, at the discretion of the academic department concerned.

Transfer students with questions about how their credits are applied or who wish to petition for transfer credits to count toward General Education or major/minor requirements, may consult the Office of Academic Advising. Information about transfer credit equivalencies is available from the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Transferring from outside SUNY: All courses with a grade of C- or better are eligible for transfer; however, each academic department reserves the right to determine the transferability of coursework that relates to a student's major.

Submitting Transcripts and Score Reports for Transfer Credit

Students are responsible for requesting transcripts and scores; these documents are not automatically sent from the prior school or testing center. (Note the submission deadline indicated below.) Students are also responsible for monitoring their records to see that credits have been received.

All newly matriculated students (freshmen and transfers) must submit to the Office of Undergraduate Admission all final, official college transcripts, AP exam scores, IB exam scores, CLEP exam scores, and other pertinent collegiate coursework no later than the first day of classes of the first semester at SUNY New Paltz. Pre-matriculation transfer credits and/or course waivers may not be accepted beyond this date.

In addition, students who transfer New Paltz courses back to their community college to earn an A.A. or A.S. degree are not eligible to have the number of GE waivers changed.

Transfer Credits Post-matriculation

This policy applies when a student who has matriculated at New Paltz earns credit at another college with the intention of transferring the credit to New Paltz. Matriculated students should consult their advisor before taking a course elsewhere to avoid problems with credit acceptance and financial aid. Permission is required to transfer credit for courses taken post-matriculation. 

Two pathways exist for earning post-matriculation transfer credit:

• The post-matriculation registration process is for students who wish to take a course at a non-SUNY college.
• The cross-registration process is for students who wish to take a course at another SUNY college. Cross registration must be approved by the Office of Records & Registration by the start date of classes at New Paltz.

Regardless of pathway, the student should consult with the appropriate office to determine the impact of taking courses at other institutions on financial aid, repeat course limits and maximum transfer-credit allowances (70 credits from an accredited two-year college and 90 credits from an accredited four-year college or university).