Transfer Credit Information

How Do Courses Transfer to Pacific University? 

• Transfer guides for several local community colleges are posted online. 
• Read the polices and procedures about transferring credits via the Registrar's Office. 
• Learn how to read your Transfer Summary on BoxerOnline.
• Please contact Academic & Career Advising for questions about transfer credit.

There is no limit to the number of transfer credits Pacific will accept; however 30 of your last 40 credits must be completed at Pacific in order to graduate. 

How to Fulfill Core Requirements with Transfer Courses

Pacific will accept courses from regionally acredited institutions on a course-by-course basis. If a course is equivalent to a Core or Major requirement, it will count towards or fulfill the requirement (example: PCC's WR 121 and 122 is equivalent to Pacific University's ENGW 180).

If a course transfers is as a generic subject (example: a ceramics class at PCC is given ARTST-2TR Art Studio lower-division) then it may also be used to count towards or fulfill a core requirement. The following transfer course disciplines will meet the Core Requirements. Classes in these subjects can be reviewed to meet other Exploration designations on a class-by-class basis by the Core Director.

Other transfer classes can be reviewed on a class-by-class basis to determine if they meet the Explorations requirements, including Quantitative Reasoning. 

Please inquire with us about math, writing, language, and international/diverse perspectives courses. Transfer credits may fulfill these requirements as well. It is typical that students wait to take courses to fulfill the civic engagement and sustainability requirements once they begin at Pacific University. 

Students with Transfer Degrees (AAOT, DTA, LBRT, IGETC, or CSU-GE)

• The following applies to all students (including incoming freshmen and transfer students) who have earned applicable transferrable college credit.  This includes students who earn credit in High School through programs such as Early College High School, Willamette Promise, Running Start, or Dual Credit.
• Students with the following block transfer degrees will have Core Requirements met except for the requirements listed below: 
  • Associate in Arts - Oregon Transfer (AAOT) meets majority of Core except: 
    • Foreign Language, Civic Engagement (CE), International and Diverse Perspectives (IDP), Sustainability, and Writing in the Discipline (WiD)
  • Associate of Science - Oregon Transfer in Business (ASOT-BUS) meets majority of Core except: 
    • Foreign Language, Civic Engagement (CE), International and Diverse Perspectives (IDP), Sustainability, and Writing in the Discipline (WiD)
  • Washington Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) meets majority of Core except: 
    • Foreign Language, Civic Engagement (CE), International and Diverse Perspectives (IDP), Sustainability, and Writing in the Discipline (WiD)
  • Washington Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA-MRPs) in Biology, Computer Science, Math Education, and Music meets majority of Core except: 
    • Foreign Language, Civic Engagement (CE), International and Diverse Perspectives (IDP), Sustainability, and Writing in the Discipline (WiD)
  • Associate in Liberal Arts Hawai'i (LBRT) meets majority of Core except: 
    • Foreign Language, Civic Engagement (CE), Sustainability, Writing Core Requirement, and Writing in the Discipline (WiD)
  • California IGETC or California State University GE (CSU GE) meets majority of Core except:
    • Foreign Language, Civic Engagement (CE), International and Diverse Perspectives (IDP), Sustainability, Writing Core Requirement, Math Core Requirement, and Writing in the Discipline (WiD)

Prior Bachelors Degree

• Transfer students with Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees meet the same requirements as the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree. BM & BFA degrees meet the same requirements as the AAOT in the case of BMT only.

Semester vs. Quarter Schools 

Pacific operates on a semester basis. This means that transfer courses accepted from a quarter system school will be calculated at .67 of a semester credit. For example, 15 credits from Portland Community College will be converted to 10.05 semester credits. Don't worry though! It comes out even in the end because of the total credits required to graduate. Pacific University is a semester school that requires 124 credits where many quarter schools will require 180 or more credits. 

Grading and General Equivalencies

• Pacific accepts graded courses of "C-" or better.
• Transfer grades are not calculated into the Pacific GPA. You will start fresh!
• Transfer courses which may be acceptable in some Core requirements but not equivalent to a specific Pacific course are identified by:
  • "2TR" (lower division) in place of an actual course number, e.g. "HIST-2TR"
  • "3TR" (upper division) in place of an actual course number, e.g. "ARTST-3TR"
• Typically, a course must be 2.68 semester credits (4 quarter credits) or greater to satisfy a Core requirement. 
• The prefix "GE" stands for General Education and is used when no specific department prefix applies, e.g. "GE-2TR, GE-3TR"
  • These credits can count towards electives but typically not towards any Core or Major requirements. 

Credit Limits and Degree Requirements

There is no limit to the total number of transfer credits Pacific may accept; however degree-seeking students must meet Pacific’s residency requirement, which is as follows:

• Students must complete at least eight credits from Pacific University in upper division courses in their major and eight credits from Pacific University in upper division courses for any minor. Individual departments may require a greater number of credits be completed at Pacific University. For these requirements, consult the list of requirements for each major or minor.
• Students must also complete 30 of the last 40 hours counted towards their degree at Pacific University

Staff in Academic & Career Advising are available to help transfer students navigate the transfer process.