How can I earn Ways credit for a course taken outside of Stanford?
Beginning Autumn 2015-16, courses taken at a non-Stanford institution must be pre-approved for Ways certification prior to enrollment in the course. Courses that have not been pre-approved prior to enrollment, or were taken prior to matriculation, are not be eligible for Ways credit. Freshmen cannot apply for any courses taken prior to enrollment at Stanford.
You may fulfill a maximum of five of the eleven Ways breadth requirement courses from non-Stanford institutions. No more than 45 units in total transfer credit may count toward the undergraduate degree and is cumulative over that period. Please review the Ways Syllabus Guidelines as it is important to identify the most appropriate Way for a course and to check that your syllabus contains the elements sought in a Ways certifiable course.
You must submit the Ways pre-approval request(s) by the quarterly deadline prior to taking the course. You may request a maximum of five courses for pre-approval per quarter and you must provide the syllabus for each proposed course.
Pre-approval quarter term deadlines
Pre-approval quarter term deadlines for submission of Ways transfer courses are eighth week of the prior term for enrollment in the requested transfer term:
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Winter 2016: November 13, 2015
for pre-approval requests to be taken in transfer at an institution on the quarter schedule system
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Spring 2016: February 26, 2016
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Summer 2016: May 20, 2016
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Autumn 2016: May 20, 2016
Pre-approval semester term deadlines
Pre-approval semester term deadlines for submission of Ways transfer courses:
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Fall semester 2015: August 1, 2015
for pre-approval requests to be taken in transfer at an institution on the semester schedule system -
Spring semester 2016: November 13, 2015
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Summer semester 2016: May 20, 2016
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Fall semester 2016: May 20, 2016
Once Ways transfer credit has been posted to the student’s record by the Office of the University Registrar, it is final and may not be changed.
How can I earn Ways credit for a course taken outside of Stanford prior to Autumn 2015?
Matriculated students may submit courses taken at another institution prior to Fall 2015, however, the Ways transfer credit request form must be submitted prior to December 31, 2015. Requests submitted after this deadline are not eligible for Ways credit. Effective Spring 2015, courses taken prior to matriculation are not eligible for Ways credit, they must be taken while you are enrolled at Stanford. Courses must be tied to earned transfer units, be a minimum of 3 quarter units, and be taken for a letter grade, except for Creative Expression which is a minimum of 2 units, and may only be taken for Satisfactory/No Credit if a letter grade is not offered. Freshmen cannot apply for any courses taken prior to enrollment at Stanford.
You must submit a full syllabus including the required elements in a Ways-certifiable course as outlined in the Ways Syllabus Guidelines. The Guidelines will also help you identify the most appropriate Way category for your course.
So how do you submit a request? Complete the Request for Transfer Credit Evaluation form including the Ways Transfer Credit Request Addendum (page 3) and submit it to the Student Services Center. It typically takes 4-6 weeks to process your Ways transfer request and you will be notified of the Ways transfer credit decision via e-mail.
So how do I submit a request?
If you plan to take a course in the U.S., please complete a Request for Transfer Credit Evaluation Form for Ways pre-approval.
If you plan to take a course overseas, please complete the Request for Non-Standard Study Abroad Transfer Credit Evaluation Form.
What else will I need?
The Ways Transfer Credit Pre-Approval Request Addendum (page 3) must be submitted along with the Request Form.
As part of the transfer request, the student must submit a full syllabus with elements as described in the Ways Syllabus Guidelines, in English, from the instructor and/or institution to demonstrate that the course fulfills the Ways criteria. In most cases, it should include a reading list, assignments, and grading structure. Partial or incomplete pre-approval requests will not be considered for review.
After completing the form(s), submit your request packet to the Student Services Center. About 4 weeks after submitting the transfer request, you will be notified of the transfer credit decision via e-mail.
