The Washington area attracts many residents and students from other parts of the country and the world. For this reason Marymount is especially responsive to students transferring directly from other institutions or bringing academic credits earned elsewhere. Transfer students receive academic counseling from advisors who pay special attention to the quality of prior academic learning as well as degree completion requirements.
Acceptance of course credits earned elsewhere for credit toward degree requirements is at the sole discretion of Marymount University. Courses from other regionally accredited institutions must be completed with a grade of C or better to be considered for transfer credit. The application of transferred course credits toward specific program requirements is determined by program directors, department chairs, or deans within each School.
Transfer applications are welcome at any stage of degree completion. To be considered for admission, a transfer applicant should have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0. Undergraduate credits older than 10 years are subject to review by the appropriate department to determine the timeliness of the content and methodologies. Marymount University does not normally accept for transfer equivalent community college specialized courses whose content appears comparable to junior- or senior-level courses at Marymount unless the applicant successfully completes validation exams.
The University accepts a maximum of 64 credit hours from a two-year institution. Applicants who have successfully completed junior-level coursework at a four-year institution may transfer up to 20 additional credit hours. No student may count more than 84 credit hours toward a degree. The residency requirement is a minimum of 36 credits completed at Marymount after matriculation.
If a student has more credits than the maximum that can be counted toward a degree, the student’s academic advisor will assist in identifying the credits most appropriately applied toward meeting degree requirements.
In addition to credits from regionally approved institutions, Marymount accepts College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) subject examination, International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level examinations, and Advanced Placement (AP) credits. It also provides special challenge credits for diploma graduates in Nursing. As a member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), Marymount also accepts DANTES credits. No more than 30 undergraduate credits can be earned by a Marymount student through any combination of CLEP, ACT/PEP, or DANTES examinations, validation examinations administered by the academic departments of the University, or assessment of portfolios of prior learning. None of these 30 credits may be used to complete the residency requirement for graduation from Marymount; however, they may be counted toward the maximum of 84 credits for a Marymount degree.
After entry, a student may transfer to Marymount University up to two additional courses (a total of 2 to 8 credits from another institution). These courses are in addition to any courses taken through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area and approved courses taken through Marymount’s Center for Global Education.
The following rules govern transfer credits after entry: