Transfer Credit
Most undergraduate degree programs require a minimum of 120 credits for graduation; BFA degree programs require a minimum of 120-123 credits. Students may transfer a maximum number of 90 credits into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and 66 credits into the College of Art and Design. Transfer credits are accepted from regionally accredited colleges/institutions. Transfer credits may not be used as a student's final credits at Lesley (students must be registered for Lesley courses in the semester in which they intend to graduate).
Transfer students receive a tentative credit evaluation within two weeks of their acceptance. Incoming freshmen who provide an official college transcript when submitting their application file will also receive a tentative credit evaluation within two weeks of acceptance. In determining which credits may transfer, every effort is made to match courses with their Lesley degree equivalents. College-level courses with grades of C- or better are eligible for transfer credit. Students who transfer in a full Associate’s degree may receive credit for all passed courses that applied to the associate degree. Courses taken for a pass/fail grade will be eligible for transfer with a "P" grade.
Your credit evaluation provides an estimate of the number of credit hours and semesters needed to complete your degree program at Lesley. These calculations are the result of dividing the number of credits you have left to complete by the average number of credits taken during a typical semester at Lesley (15). This is an estimate only. It will take longer to complete your degree if you take fewer than 15 credits each semester. Course availability, prerequisites, timing of scheduled courses, completion of MTELs for Education majors, and required internships/field placements may also increase the amount of time it takes to complete your degree.
PLEASE NOTE:
15 credits = 2nd semester freshman
30 credits = 1st semester sophomore
45 credits = 2nd semester sophomore
60 credits = 1st semester junior
Advanced Placement (AP) / International Baccalaureate (IB) Examination Credit
College credit may be requested by students achieving scores of 4 or 5 on appropriate College Board Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. AP scores of 3 or better will be awarded credit in the AP Studio Arts Exams. This credit may be applied to either required or elective courses.
Download the AP Courses and Equivalencies PDF.
Lesley recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum as a challenging program of study and takes the rigor of this program into account when evaluating an applicant’s record. Upon receipt of official results, students completing the IB Diploma may receive the equivalent of one semester of work (18 credits) for Diploma scores of 24-29. Students are eligible for sophomore standing (30 credits) for Diploma scores of 30-45. Additionally, students who take IB courses but do not pursue the full IB Diploma may receive three units of credit for each Higher Level (HL) IB exam with a score of 4; if the score is 5 or greater, six credits will be awarded.
Download the IB Exam Curriculum Mapping PDF.
General Certificate of Education Advanced Level – GCE A-level
Lesley recognizes the GCE A Level as a school leaving qualification offered by secondary schools, sixth form colleges and further education colleges in the United Kingdom, some Commonwealth countries, and at many international schools around the world.
CLEP Credit
College credit may be requested by students who present a passing score on appropriate college level examination program (CLEP) exams. This credit can be applied to either required or elective courses. Students may transfer up to 30 CLEP credits into their degree program (included in the total allowable transfer credits). CLEP credits must be presented prior to, or in, a student’s last semester of attendance. CLEP credits may not be used as the final credits toward a Lesley degree. Students must be registered at Lesley in the semester in which they intend to graduate.
American Council on Education Credit
The University supports the awarding of transfer credits to students with college-level learning acquired via professional development programs, training experiences offered by an employer, community-based organizations, or military experience. If these non-college experiences have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) and college credits recommended, the University may accept these credits towards the student’s degree program. The recommendation from ACE will be reviewed by the Admissions Counselors in consultation with the Academic Advisors and the Registrar’s Office. Official ACE transcripts must be submitted in order to be accepted for transfer. Credits from certain organizations that are transcripted via ACE are limited to15 credits. Those organizations currently include StraighterLine and Study.com. ACE credits may not be used as the final credits toward a Lesley degree. Students must be registered at Lesley in the semester in which they intend to graduate.
Additional Placement Procedures
All undergraduate students at Lesley University must meet competencies in writing and mathematics. A review of Accuplacer test scores, SAT or ACT scores, college coursework, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) test scores will be used to determine students' placements in writing and mathematics courses. If a student feels the course assignment may not provide appropriate challenge, the student may choose to sit for a writing and/or mathematics exam, administered by Lesley, to determine placement.
We also recognize that students may have had experiences or developed life skills related to their future careers or college-level learning outside formal classroom settings. For this reason, accepted degree candidates may participate at the point of matriculation in the University's Prior Learning Assessment Process (PLA) to petition for credit for college level learning earned through experiences that occurred between high school graduation and prior to enrolling at Lesley.
Earning a Second Bachelor’s Degree
Students who have already earned a bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution may apply for admissions to a program leading to a second degree of the same level provided the following requirements are met:
- The major field selected is demonstrably different in curricula and objectives from that of the first degree.
- The applicant must meet the requirements for acceptance into selected fields (i.e. portfolio review for BFA admission).
- Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in their original bachelor’s degree.
- A maximum of 90 credits will be transferable from the first degree; the emphasis in determining transferrable credit is to fulfill General Education requirements. Credits taken at two-year or four-year schools after the first degree was awarded may be considered in the 90 transferable-credit maximum. Official transcripts from all schools attended are required.
- Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and CLEP exams that meet the minimum score requirements may be counted toward transferrable credits, but only official score reports submitted via the College Board or IB programs will be accepted.
- Students may not use units gained through Credit for Prior Learning options unless they are earned at Lesley. These units will be counted among the 90 transferrable credits.
- All new credits toward a second bachelor’s degree at Lesley University must be residential credits. Once admitted to Lesley University, a second bachelor's student may not take course work at another institution and transfer it back to Lesley University.
- Students pursuing a second bachelor’s degree must meet all undergraduate academic standards; second bachelor’s student who fail to maintain minimum academic standards will be subject to academic review.
- Certain programs may require higher GPAs and prerequisite course work. Please check with the appropriate department for more information.
- Second bachelor's students must meet major department requirements from the catalog under which they were officially admitted. Students have ten (10) years to graduate under that catalog.
- Students in a second bachelor’s degree program will be eligible for semester honors and/or Latin Honors if they meet the published criteria.
- Students in a second bachelor’s degree program are not eligible to apply for a dual-degree program at Lesley University.