Credit Hours and Units
An approved 3-credit-hour course transferred from another institution will fulfill College Core requirements, even though TCNJ courses are the equivalent of four credit hours. Three-credit-hour courses will transfer to TCNJ as only 0.75 units, so students will need to make sure that they take sufficient units at TCNJ to meet the graduate requirement for total units for their programs. The missing 0.25 units can be met by any course and need not be a course that meets the same College Core requirement met by the transferred 3-credit-hour course.
Students Transferring to TCNJ
Associate’s Degree
Students transferring to TCNJ from a New Jersey community college with an A.A. or A.S. degree completed after graduation from high school are exempt from College Core requirements, including the First Year courses (FYW and FYS) and the Social Justice requirements. However, all students, including transfer students, must complete IDS 102/Information Literacy Proficiency.
Students who complete an A.A. or A.S. degree from a New Jersey community college while still in high school are considered first-year students with advanced standing. These students must complete the FYS, FYW 102, IDS 102/Information Literacy Proficiency, and the Social Justice requirements. The remainder of their College Core requirements will be waived.
Students transferring to TCNJ with an A.A. or A.S. granted in a state other than New Jersey will have their transferred courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis for equivalency with College Core requirements.
Bachelor’s Degree
Students transferring to TCNJ with a Bachelor’s, regardless of the institution, will have their transferred courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis for equivalency with College Core requirements.
Criteria for Exemption from the First-Year Seminar (FYS)
Note: All students need the first year writing (FYW102) class, or its equivalent, before taking the first year seminar (FYS). Transfer credit reports will be evaluated prior to transfer student registration in the summer. PAWS should indicate whether FYW102 is required. You will be exempt from taking FYW 102 if, at your previous institution, you have taken a credit-bearing course (numbered 100 or above) in writing or composition which has been approved by TCNJ as equivalent to FYW 102 OR if you enter with an AA/AS degree from a New Jersey community college. Students are invited to take the Writing Placement test in the summer prior to enrollment for exemption from FYW102.
Students who meet one of the following three criteria are exempt from the FYS requirement.
1) Student has transferred (or will transfer) 7.5 or more course units (30 credits) from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. In this case, the student is also exempted from all Social Justice requirements.
2) Student has completed an entire first year at a four-year institution, even if the credits do not add to 30 (7.5 units). In this case, the student must complete the Social Justice requiremens.
3) Student has not completed a full year at a four-year institution but has taken a content-based, full course (at least 3 credits) that serves as a first-year seminar course at such an institution. Please contact the College Core office to have such a course evaluated. In this case, the student must complete the Social Justice requirements.
Completing the Second Language Requirement
Students transferring from another school who have completed one or more second language courses at that school may complete their TCNJ second language requirement at that school as long as they do NOT exceed the maximum for transferring in units (16 units/64 credits for a community college, 20 units/80 credits for a four-year institution).
All students must take the language placement exam before their language credits can be accepted.
Current TCNJ students
Before enrolling in a course at another institution, fill out the Course Authorization Form and take the form to one of the Academic Evaluators in Records and Registration. If they are not able to determine whether the course fulfills a requested requirement, they will forward the form to the Associate Provost for Curriculum and College Core.
Laboratory Science Requirement
Online science courses cannot be used to fulfill the laboratory component of the College Core Natural Science with Laboratory requirement. However, for Summer 2020 only, online science laboratory courses will be accepted because so many colleges and universities are offering only online courses.
Second Language Requirement
Students starting as freshmen at TCNJ must complete all second language requirements at TCNJ.
Transferring Courses from New Jersey Community Colleges
Check NJTransfer.org to see what courses will fulfill College Core requirements. To determine the multidisciplinary perspective requirement satisfied by the course, look at the “GenEd Area(s)” indicator to see what College Core discipline, if any, is satisfied by the course. If the indicator is blank, the course does not satisfy a College Core discipline.
Please note that NJTransfer does not indicate whether or not the course will satisfy a Social Justice requirement. Please see the Academic Evaluators in Records and Registration to determine whether a course will meet any Social Justice requirement.
Please note that designations indicated in NJTransfer do not apply to online laboratory portions of science courses (see above).
Transfer Course Codes in PAWS
The following table gives the College Core requirement fulfilled for transfer course codes that appear in PAWS.
| Transfer Course Code | Requirement Fulfilled |
|---|---|
| LBL CB | Community Based Learning |
| LBL FSP | FSP |
| LBL GL | Global Awareness |
| LBL GN | Gender |
| LBL HP | Social Change in Historical Perspective (SCHP) |
| LBL HU | U.S. History (Satisfies SCHP and Education Licensure Requirements) |
| LBL LA | Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts (LVPA) |
| LBL NS | LL Natural Science (without a lab) |
| LBL QR | LL Quantitative Reasoning (QR) |
| LBL RE | Race and Ethnicity |
| LBL SL | Natural Science with a Laboratory (NS) |
| LBL SS | Behavioral, Social, or Cultural Perspectives (BSCP) |
| LBL VPA | Visual/Performing Arts (Satisfies LVPA and Education Licensure Requirements) |
| LBL WW | World Views and Ways of Knowing (WVWK) |
Additional Information on Transferring Courses
Please see the Records and Registration web page on Transfers.