Transfer Students

Transfer Application Procedure

Any student who transfers credit to Clayton State from another college or university is considered a transfer student. Transfer applicants must submit official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended regardless of whether the student has any transferable hours from the institution. Official transcripts must arrive in sealed envelopes. Clayton State will accept eTranscripts. Transcripts sent from personal emails nor student copies of transcripts are not acceptable.

Transfer Admission Standards - Regular Admission

Transfer students will be granted regular admission if they meet the following standards:

  1. Have 30 or more semester hours of transferable credit. (Transfer applicants with fewer than 30 hours must meet the admission requirements for either a recent high school graduates [freshman] or nontraditional student in addition to the transfer admission standards.)
  2. Have a cumulative transfer GPA of at least 2.00, calculated on all attempted transferable college course work (Transfer applicants with a GPA below 2.00 should see the limited admission heading below for possible appeal.)
  3. Be in good academic and conduct standing at the last institution from which credit was earned.r

Transfer Admission Standards - Limited Admission

Transfer applicants who have a GPA below 2.00 and/or who are not in good standing at their last institution may submit an appeal for limited admission.

Transfer Applicants with Fewer Than 30 Semester Hours

Special considerations apply to transfer applicants who have earned fewer than 30 hours of transferable credit:

  1. if the applicant graduated from high school within the last five years, the applicant must meet standards for recent high school graduates in addition to transfer admission standards. Such applicants must submit all high school transcripts as well as college transcripts.
  2. if the applicant graduated from high school more than five years ago, he or she will be considered a non-traditional transfer applicant. The admission decision will be based on a combination of transfer grades and scores on required admission/placement tests.

Academic Renewal – Transfer Students

In most cases, transfer students will meet the regular admission requirements to Clayton State University. However, in the event a student is not eligible for admission or has a poor academic record from a prior institution, another option is available to students through the Academic Renewal Policy. This policy allows transfer students who have experienced academic difficulty at other regionally accredited institution of higher education to make a fresh start after an absence of three calendar years from their previous institution. The policy is as follows:

Eligibility Requirements

  1. A student must be absent from their transfer institution for three calendar years.
  2. A student may request Academic Renewal at the time of application to Clayton State University. If a student does not request Academic Renewal and is denied admission to Clayton State, the Office of Undergraduate Recruitment & Admissions will review the application to determine if the student is eligible for Academic Renewal. If eligible, the student will be presented with this option.
  3. The student must remain enrolled in classes (beyond the drop/add period) in order to be eligible for academic renewal.
  4. The Academic Renewal GPA begins with the first term of enrollment.
  5. A student can be granted Academic Renewal only once.
  6. Students will receive transfer credit for courses taken at another institution during the three years the student was absent from their previous institution.
  7. If academic renewal was granted at another University System of Georgia (USG) institution, it will be honored at Clayton State University. However, the student will be responsible for obtaining the necessary documentation from the institution where Academic Renewal was awarded.

Renewal Policies and Guidelines:

  1. All previously attempted transfer coursework continues to be recorded on the student’s official transcript. A cumulative GPA (including all courses taken) and an Academic Renewal GPA must be shown on the academic record.
  2. Any academic suspensions that occurred at the previous institution will remain on the student’s academic record.
  3. An Academic Renewal GPA and academic standing begins when the student begins taking courses once approval for Academic Renewal has been granted. The institution will place a statement on the student’s transcript indicating the Academic Renewal status and the beginning of a separate Academic Renewal GPA.
  4. Academic credit for transfer coursework will be retained only for courses in which A, B, C, or S grades have been earned. Retained grades are not calculated in the Academic Renewal GPA.
  5. A student may not select which courses apply for academic renewal. All courses with a grade of D may not be used to meet a pre-requisite or degree requirement.
  6. The Academic Renewal GPA will be used for determining academic standing and eligibility for graduation.
  7. Eligibility for certain programs (e.g. Teacher Education, Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Business) will be determined by the college for that major. Academic Renewal may or may not be considered.
  8. The granting of Academic Renewal does not supersede financial aid policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress.
  9. Academic Honors will be calculated on all coursework completed including any coursework eligible for academic renewal.

General Policies on Transfer Students and Transfer Credit

Once a transfer student is fully admitted to Clayton State University, the student’s information is sent from the Office of Admissions to the Registrar's Office for evaluation. Transfer evaluations are completed in the order of students’ acceptance to the University. Upon completion, an email is sent to the Clayton State student email account and a letter is sent via USPS to the student’s address on file. Completed transfer evaluations may be viewed on the DUCK. 

Transfer credit is evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Clayton State University makes every effort to transfer credits for academic work completed at other institutions. In general, courses will be considered for transfer if completed at a college or university that is accredited by one of the US Department of Education institutional accreditors. 
  • Only undergraduate coursework reflected on an official transcript is considered for transfer credit. 
  • Post-Baccalaureate, graduate, and transient students’ transcripts are not evaluated.
  • Transfer credit is awarded in semester hours. Quarter hours will be converted to semester hours upon evaluation. One quarter hour is the equivalent of 2/3 semester hour. The conversion will be truncated to two decimal places (3.33, 2.67, etc.). 
  • If a course is repeated (and is not a course that is repeatable for credit), only the final graded attempt will be eligible for credit. 
  • A course taken at the freshman/sophomore level at a previous school may not receive equivalent credit for a course taught at the junior/senior level at Clayton State University. 
  • To be eligible for credit, lower-level courses require a grade of D or higher (with the exception of ENGL 1101 English Composition I and ENGL 1102 English Composition II, which require a C or higher); upper-level courses require a grade of C or higher. 
  • Failed courses will not be awarded credit; however, these grades will be included in the transfer GPA. All grades received for college-level coursework completed at an institution from which transfer credit is accepted, including repeated courses and courses not applicable toward the student’s current curriculum, are counted in the transfer GPA. Remedial courses will be excluded from the transfer GPA. 
  • Transfer credit routinely will not be awarded for internships; practicums; seminars; workshops; co-ops; experiential learning; directed studies; research courses; project courses; remedial courses; introduction to college/orientation courses; career planning courses; physical education courses; or audited courses. Transfer credit also will not be awarded for credit by exam, competencies, or exemptions granted by another institution. 
  • Courses used to meet CPC deficiencies at a previous institution will be used to meet the corresponding deficiencies at Clayton State University. 
  • Career/technical courses only are applicable to the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) program at Clayton State University and therefore only will be considered for credit for students admitted to this program. Transfer of technical credit will be regulated by the policies of the BAS program. 
  • Test scores (AP, CLEP, IB) must be officially submitted to the Registrar's Office for consideration. Credit for tests will not be awarded based on a high school or college transcript. 
  • Courses deemed equivalent to those taught at Clayton State University will be assigned Clayton State University course numbers. For courses deemed transferable for which there is no exact equivalent, elective credit will be granted. 
  • Students with transcripts from a college or university outside the United States must submit a foreign credential evaluation from WES or Josef Silny & Associates in order for the credits to be evaluated by the Registrar's Office. For information regarding foreign credential evaluation requirements, please review the Required Materials for International Transfer Students. 
  • A Joint Services Transcript (JST) is not required for acceptance to Clayton State University. However, an official JST must be submitted in order for military experience to be considered for college credit. Upon admission to Clayton State University, students may request a review of a JST by sending an inquiry via their Clayton State University student email account to ClaytonStateRegistrar@clayton.edu. For assistance in obtaining a JST, please visit the Veterans Resource Center page. 

Transfer credit is not guaranteed. Credit is considered on an individual basis. Each student will meet with an academic advisor who will review the student’s academic history and will determine how transfer credit may be applied within the curriculum. For inquiries about a course/courses for which an equivalent or elective credit is thought to be plausible but for which no equivalent or elective credit was granted, please contact the appropriate academic department. Students needing additional assistance with transfer credit policies should contact the Registrar’s Office at (678) 466-4145.