1. Applying
  2. Transfer Credits
  3. University Transfer Credits

University Transfer Credits

Queen's Students Switching Faculties

Queen's University may grant Transfer Credits to students coming from a number of different programs. Transfer credit assessment varies depending on the courses or curriculum that the student has completed, the student's scores/grades achieved in that program, the Queen's program that the student is entering, and the student's year of entry to Queen's. Students entering into their first year of study at Queen’s and who have previously taken courses during high school that may be eligible for transfer credit must apply for credit no later than the end of fall term of their first year. Eligible students who do not submit a transfer credit request (and all supporting documents) by the end of first term are considered to have declined credit. Transfer credit requests submitted after fall term of the student’s first year will not be assessed.

Transfer credit assessment varies depending on:

  • the courses and curriculum that the student has completed
  • the student's scores/grades achieved in that program
  • the Queen's program that the student is entering
  • the student's year of entry to Queen's

See also Transfer Credit Policies.

Current Queen's students who are transferring from one faculty to another (such as from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science to the Faculty of Arts and Science) will have the courses that they have taken at Queen's examined to see if any of these completed credits can be applied towards their new degree program.

Current students applying to change your academic program, do NOT need to submit information to Undergraduate Admission about what courses you have taken at Queen's (i.e. course descriptions).

For Internal Transfer students, a Statement of Transfer Credit will be completed by Undergraduate Admission. Internal Transfer students can expect to receive this information at the time that they receive an offer of admission to their new academic program.

Each student's Statement of Transfer Credit will clearly outline which courses from their original academic program have been assessed by Undergraduate Admission. Only courses that a student is receiving transfer credit(s) for will be listed on the Statement of Transfer Credit. The statement will also indicate what credit(s) the student will receive towards their new academic program (i.e., what the course is equivalent to in their new program, and what course weight has been granted).

Finally, the Statement of Transfer Credit may include some comments about these courses. These comments may list exclusions or exemptions on transfer credits.

The Faculty of Arts and Science, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Smith School of Business, and School of Nursing all provide information regarding transferable courses in their Academic Calendars.

Notes about transferable courses:

  • Any transferable course that a student has failed in their original academic program will be counted as a failure in their new academic program.
  • Arts and Science: Any non-Faculty of Arts and Science student taking courses offered Arts and Science can transfer these courses to their new academic program within Arts and Science, provided they have received a passing grade in the course(s).
  • Arts and Science: All Bachelor of Commerce courses with a passing grade are considered transferable to the Faculty of Arts and Science. Of these courses, students may transfer a maximum of eight (8) Commerce courses (24 credit units) towards their new Arts and Science degree program.
  • Arts and Science: The following table shows some courses from the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science that can be transferred to the Faculty of Arts and Science:
Engineering and Applied Science Course Arts and Science Equivalent Weight Comments: Exclusions, Exemptions, etc.
APSC 111 + 112 PHYS 106 6 credit units Exclusion PHYS 104, 107
APSC 131 + 132 CHEM 112 6 credit units Exclusion CHEM 116
APSC 143 CISC 101 3 credit units Exclusion CISC 110*
APSC 151 GEOL 104 3 credit units Exclusion APSC 151
APSC 171 + 172 MATH 121 6 credit units Exclusion MATH 120, 122, 123, 124, 126
APSC 174 MATH 112 3 credit units Exclusion MATH 110, 111
  • Smith School of Business: A maximum of 36.0 credit units from the Faculty of Arts and Science can be transferred to a Bachelor of Commerce degree program. These courses will all be considered elective courses in the Bachelor of Commerce program.
  • Dan School of Drama and Music: The Dan School of Drama and Music lists all their current courses on their website. The website indicates which courses can be taken by Bachelor of Music students, non-Bachelor of Music students, or both. All of the courses are transferable as electives between the Dan School of Drama and Music and all other undergraduate Queen's faculties and schools, with the exception of Bachelor of Music specific courses. Go to the Dan School of Drama and Music.
  • School of Nursing: Any non-nursing courses listed in the School of Nursing Academic Calendar are transferable to the Faculty of Arts and Science. In addition, NURS 100 will transfer to the Faculty of Arts and Science as either HLTH 131* or HLTH 230*.
  • Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science The following table shows a list of first-year Faculty of Arts and Science courses, the potential equivalent Engineering transfer credits and the minimum grade required for transfer:
Arts and Science Course Required Mark Engineering and Applied Science Exemption(s)
PHYS 104 or 106 D APSC 111 + 112
CHEM 112

B-

 APSC 131 + 132

CISC 101, 110 or 121

 D- APSC 143

GEOL 104 or 106

 D- APSC 151
MATH 120 D- APSC 171 + 172
MATH 121 or 126 C APSC 171
MATH 121 B APSC 171 + 172
MATH 110 or 111 D- APSC 174
MATH 112 C APSC 174

Queen’s University has the capacity to accommodate transfer students from other accredited post‐secondary institutions. However, the admission process is highly competitive and preference is given to those applicants with the strongest qualifications.

Transfer to The Faculty of Arts and Science

Full-time upper-year admission: Bachelor of Arts Honours and Bachelor of Science Honours

The Faculty of Arts and Science has capacity to accommodate transfer students from other accredited post‐secondary institutions and from other faculties and schools at Queen’s. However, the admission process is highly competitive and preference is given to those applicants with the strongest qualifications. A small number of Arts and Science departments, programs and plans are unable to accommodate upper-year transfer students.

Are you an upper-year candidate?

Upper year candidates include:

  • Students who have attempted a minimum 24.0 units (or equivalent) at another accredited university or college with a university transfer program at the undergraduate level.
    • 24.0 Queen’s units are typically four full-year courses (one course taken over two terms) or 8 one-term only courses.
    • Upper-year candidates have generally attended university for a minimum of two terms. If you have attempted fewer than 24.0 units, you must apply to a first-year program. However, your full post-secondary record will be considered in support of your application and must meet the minimum entrance requirements for applicants with post-secondary.
  • Ontario community college students who are in a three-year diploma program and will be graduating
  • Graduates from three-year Ontario community college diploma programs
  • CEGEP students who are in the final year of three-year professional/career programs who will be receiving their DEC
  • Graduates of a three-year CEGEP professional/career programs who have their DEC

Admission Information

The Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees in the Faculty of Arts and Science require applicants to specify a plan either as a major (for those in an honours program) or general (for those in the general program).

Due to space limitations, not all plans are open to students transferring into the Faculty of Arts and Science. After being admitted to an open plan, upper-year transfer students will not be able to transfer into a plan that was closed when they were admitted to Queen’s, or that closes subsequently. This is the case even for those who take a qualifying course once at Queen’s and receive a competitive average.

Applicants interested in full- or part-time studies must meet the Admission Requirements for External University Transfer. After you are admitted, you may choose to take a part-time load.

Learn more about available plans in Arts and Science.

For GPA minimums, see: Admission Requirements for External University Transfer.

Transferability of Courses

Transfer credits are assessed by individual departments and are based on grades achieved as well as equivalency to Queen’s courses. Students are informed of their transfer credits after they have accepted their offer of admission. Credit is considered for courses with a final grade of a Queen’s C (63%) or higher.

For a four-year honours program, the maximum number of transfer units allowed is 57.0 units in total including a maximum of 24.0 units toward the core and option requirements of the plan. If the maximum number of units are transferred to Queen’s then 63.0 units must be completed at Queen’s (including a minimum of 36.0 in the plan’s core and option requirements). Should a student receive the full 57.0 units, all remaining courses must be completed in the Faculty of Arts and Science on-campus or through Arts and Science Online.

Note: In the Faculty of Arts and Science, on-campus students in a full course load generally take five full-year courses or 10 one-term only courses in a year, which translates into 30.0 units over the course of an academic year. 63.0 units, therefore, refers to approximately two years of full-time study (four or five terms).

Deadlines / Apply

Students are encouraged to apply as soon after the application open date as possible as space is limited in many programs and admission decisions will be made on a rolling basis.

All documentation requested must be received at Undergraduate Admission, Queen’s University, by the document deadline dates. Earlier receipt is encouraged as admission offers will be made on a rolling basis as applications are complete.

Entry Term Summer Entry Fall Entry
Application Open February 1 February 1
Application Deadline March 31 June 1
Document Deadline April 15 June 15

*Please note that we will accept unofficial documents for application assessment but will require a  final official document (s) by the extended July 15th deadline to maintain an offer of admission.

Documents may be submitted to support an application at transfer@queensu.ca

Please note we cannot pre-assess potential transfer credit.  More about our transfer credit process can be found here

Applicants who meet one of the following criteria do not need to submit a test of facility in English:

  • completed an IB diploma (completion of SL English B is not sufficient) or
  • lived in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language for the most recent three years prior to beginning their university studies or
  • attended an education institution full-time where the medium of instruction is English for the most recent three years prior to beginning their university studies

All other applicants must achieve a satisfactory score on one of the tests of facility in English listed below.

This test is a firm requirement and admission decisions cannot be made until an acceptable score has been reported. If you are in doubt about whether you meet our language requirements, submit an acceptable English language test score as soon as possible to avoid potential delays in the processing of your admission application.

Faculty Information

Transfer to the Smith School of Business

Full-time upper-year admission: Bachelor of Commerce

Are you an upper-year candidate?

Upper year candidates include:

  • Students who have completed a minimum 24 units (or equivalent) at another accredited university or college with a university transfer program.
    • 24 Queen's units are typically four full-year courses (one course taken over two terms) or eight one-term only courses.
    • Upper-year candidates have generally attended university for a minimum of two terms taking academic courses – as opposed to applied or professional
  • Ontario community college students who are in a three-year diploma program and will be graduating
  • Graduates from three-year Ontario community college diploma programs
  • CEGEP students who are in the final year of a three-year professional/career program who will be receiving their DEC
  • Graduates of three-year CEGEP professional/career programs who have their DEC

Admission Information

To be considered for admission, upper-year applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 (B+). However, most successful applicants have a minimum GPA of 3.7 (A-). In addition to submitting academic documentation, all upper-year applicants to the Bachelor of Commerce program must fill out a supplementary application. 

There are a very limited number of upper-year spaces available. The admission process is highly competitive and preference is given to those applicants with the strongest qualifications.

For GPA minimums, see: Admission Requirements

Second-Degree Applicants

Candidates who have already completed an undergraduate degree at Queen's or another academic institution are encouraged to consider applying either:

  • As a post-degree student on a non-degree program (post-degree students on a non-degree program are permitted to take courses in the School of Business for one or two terms during one academic year; to be considered as such a candidate, please apply directly to Undergraduate Admission no later than July);or to an MBA program

Transferability of Courses

Transfer credits are assessed by individual departments and are based on grades achieved as well as equivalency to Queen's courses. A "Statement of Transfer Credit" is sent out after the offer of admission. Credit is not granted for courses with a final grade lower than 1.7 (C-).

Deadlines / Apply

Entry term Fall entry only
Application opens February 1
Application deadline June 1
Document deadline June 15

All documentation required to complete your application will be posted on your SOLUS Student Centre and must be received at Undergraduate Admission no later than June 15.

Complete files of eligible applicants are reviewed for admission decisions in late June.

In early July, offers of admission will be sent to candidates whose applications have been approved.

Apply through OUAC.

*Please note that we will accept unofficial documents for application assessment but will require a final official document (s) by the extended July 15th deadline to maintain an offer of admission.

Documents may be submitted to support an application at transfer@queensu.ca.

Please note we cannot pre-assess potential transfer credit. Please review the transfer credit process in our transfer credit policy. 

Applicants who meet one of the following criteria do not need to submit a test of facility in English:

  • completed an IB diploma (completion of SL English B is not sufficient); or
  • lived in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language for the most recent three years prior to beginning their university studies; or
  • attended an education institution full-time where the medium of instruction is English for the most recent three years prior to beginning their university studies

All other applicants must achieve a satisfactory score on one of the tests of facility in English listed below.

This test is a firm requirement and admission decisions cannot be made until an acceptable score has been reported. If you are in doubt about whether you meet our language requirements, submit an acceptable English language test score as soon as possible to avoid potential delays in the processing of your admission application.

Faculty Information

Transfer to Engineering and Applied Science

Full-time upper year admission: Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc)

Are you an upper-year candidate?

Candidates applying to transfer from other accredited institutions are considered for upper-year admission if they have completed more than half of the courses taken in the Queen's first-year program. The curriculum includes first-year courses in:

  • Physics (2 terms)
  • Chemistry (2 terms)
  • Computing (1 term)
  • Geology (1 term)
  • Calculus I and II (2 terms)
  • Linear Algebra (1 term)
  • Graphics (1 term)

Find the full curriculum...

Admission Information

There are a very limited number of upper-year spaces available. The admission process is highly competitive and preference is given to those applicants with the strongest qualifications.

Transferability of Courses

A full Statement of Transfer Credit will be available for admitted students after they have been approved by the Associate Dean and final marks have been received. We regret that "pre assessments" are not available for potential applicants at this time.

English Language Proficiency

All students entering the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science will be required to demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in written English. Within the first four weeks following registration, students must attempt a proficiency test in written English. Students who do not pass this test will have further opportunities to successfully complete it. Students must pass the proficiency test to be eligible for graduation.

Deadlines / Apply

Entry term Fall entry only
Application opens February 1
Application deadline June 1
Document deadline June 15

The Chair of Undergraduate Studies of the department applied to reviews complete applications. The Admission Committee of the Faculty then approves offers of admission proposed by the department.

Apply: Fall entry (OUAC).

*Please note that we will accept unofficial documents for application assessment but will require a final official document (s) by the extended July 15th deadline to maintain an offer of admission.

Documents may be submitted to support an application at transfer@queensu.ca

Please note we cannot pre-assess potential transfer credit. More about our transfer credit process can be found here

Applicants who meet one of the following criteria do not need to submit a test of facility in English:

  • completed an IB diploma (completion of SL English B is not sufficient); or
  • lived in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language for the most recent three years prior to beginning their university studies; or
  • attended an education institution full-time where the medium of instruction is English for the most recent three years prior to beginning their university studies

All other applicants must achieve a satisfactory score on one of the tests of facility in English listed below.

This test is a firm requirement and admission decisions cannot be made until an acceptable score has been reported. If you are in doubt about whether you meet our language requirements, submit an acceptable English language test score as soon as possible to avoid potential delays in the processing of your admission application.

Faculty Information

Transfer to the School of Nursing

Bachelor of Nursing Science: Four Years

For applicants who:

  • Attended university after completing high school
  • Have a three-year diploma from an Ontario Community College (CAAT)
  • Have a three-year DEC from a professional CEGEP program

For GPA minimums and prerequisites, please see Admission Requirements 

Transfer Credits

Credit will be granted for courses applicable to the Nursing program that have a minimum grade of 1.7 (C-).

Transfer credits will reduce the number of Queen's courses needed to graduate, but the program remains four years in length. With rare exceptions, applicants transferring from a Nursing degree program elsewhere will be considered but only for the first year of a four-year program.

Deadlines / Apply

Entry term Fall entry
Application deadline February 1
Supplementary Essay deadline* February 15
Document deadline April 30

* Note the supplementary essay is optional for the first-year Nursing program.

All documentation required to complete your application will be posted on your SOLUS Student Centre and must be received at Undergraduate Admission by the document deadline.

In mid-May, offers of admission will be sent to candidates whose applications have been approved.

Apply through OUAC.

Bachelor of Nursing Science: Accelerated Standing Track (Two Years)

Applicants must meet the following conditions:

  • Completed senior-level high school English (ENG4U or equivalent – English language courses are not acceptable), Biology and Chemistry (or university-level equivalents)
  • Completed at least 60.0 units of graded university credits (equivalent to two full-years) with a 2.7 GPA (Pass/Fail courses are not eligible for consideration towards the 60.0 unit requirement or towards prerequisite courses)
  • Not be currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
  • Submit a Supplementary Application online through the Queen's SOLUS system
  • Completed (or show proof of enrolment by the document deadline) at least one requirement within each subject column listed below in the most recent seven years prior to admission with a mark of 60% (C-) or higher
  Psychology Statistics Anatomy Physiology
Queen's courses PSYC 100 (6.0)* NURS 323 (3.0) ANAT 101 (3.0) PHGY 214 (6.0)
Acceptable courses from other institutions Search for Nursing Accelerated Standing Track (AST) prerequisites by school…
  • * Should the previous university not have a full-year intro PSYC course, we will accept a (3.0 unit) Intro PSYC and another (3.0 unit) transferrable PSYC.
  • Including applicable calendar exclusions: Find academic calendars…
  • Acceptable courses may be available through Queen’s Arts and Science Online.

How is the admission average calculated?

The admission average for the Nursing AST program is based your most recent marks in 60 credits (equivalent to 10 full-year [eight-month] or 20 half-year [four-month] courses) and must include the prerequisites listed above.

Course Credits
Psychology 6.0
Physiology 6.0
Anatomy 3.0
Statistics 3.0
  = 18.0
Most recent marks on 42.0 units + 42.0
Total = 60.0

Required Documents

  • A final high school transcript showing graduation
  • All previous post-secondary transcripts (note: current Queen's students are not required to submit any transcripts)
  • Nursing AST Supplementary Application

Documents may be submitted electronically or mailed.

See also: How to Submit Documents.

Contacts

Deadlines / Apply

Entry term Fall Entry
Application Deadline June 1
Document Deadline June 15
Supplementary Essay Applicants who apply before February 1 will have the option to complete a Supplementary Essay in support of their application.
Admission Decisions October -- End of June*
Final Grade in Prerequisite Courses Due June 15

*Space is limited within this program. We encourage students to submit their application and supporting documents as soon as possible. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis once applications are complete.

Apply: OUAC 

Transfer credit details
 
Apr 18, 2023 10:33 am