Faculty of Arts

The maximum number of transfer credits which can be granted by the Faculty of Arts is:

• 10.0 academic course units for a four-year degree;
• 7.5 academic course units for a three-year degree.
• See Residency Requirement for further details.

This total includes all and any credit given at the point of admission (or re-admission) and any academic course units completed by Letter of Permission; this includes courses taken via cross-registration at Wilfrid Laurier University. University of Waterloo disciplines that offer courses and/or majors jointly with Wilfrid Laurier University may be exempt from the transfer credit maxima.

Admission from Another University of Waterloo Faculty

Transfer credit for students admitted to Arts from other faculties within the University of Waterloo will be assessed by the Arts Admissions Committee in accordance with the student's academic record at the point of admission. Either:

• all Arts Faculty courses with a grade of 50% or higher and all pertinent courses taken from other faculties with a grade of 60% or higher will be treated as transfer credit, up to the appropriate maximum, in which case the grades attained in these courses will not be used ("cleared") in the student's averages and will not be applied towards the Residency Requirement; or
• all pertinent attempted courses (passed and failed) will be applied directly, and are therefore not considered transfer credit, in which case the grades attained in these courses will be used in the student's averages and will be applied towards the Residency Requirement.

This will be determined at the discretion of the Arts Admissions Committee. Students should consult with an Arts academic advisor.

Admission from Another University

Upon admission to the Arts Faculty, a student from another university may be granted transfer credits for external university courses related to a University of Waterloo Arts degree in which a grade of 60% or better was obtained. Transferred courses will count toward the University of Waterloo degree; however, grades obtained in these courses will not be included in the calculation of the student's University of Waterloo averages.

Students who have been granted more than five academic course units (ten courses) in transfer credits are not normally admissible to co-operative programs.

Admission from Other Accredited Post-Secondary Institutions

Transfer credits may be considered on a case by case basis. For further details, see Applicants from College or University in the Admissions section of this calendar.

Admission from Advanced Placement, "British" System, Caribbean System, or International Baccalaureate

For further details, see Education Systems in the Admissions section of this calendar.

International Exchange Programs

Courses offered through a department- and faculty-approved international exchange program (e.g., Paris [French Studies], Waterloo in Germany [Germanic and Slavic Studies]) are treated as University of Waterloo courses and are not subject to transfer credit maxima, except that:

• such courses will normally receive a credit/no credit (CR/NCR) grade (as opposed to a numerical or alpha grade);
• students who have already reached the transfer credit maximum will only be allowed to receive credit for an additional five academic course units (to be treated as University of Waterloo academic course units) taken through such a departmental international exchange.

Courses taken through international exchange programs other than programs which have been approved at the departmental and faculty levels are treated as transfer credits, not as University of Waterloo courses. Students should consult with their academic advisors for further information on international exchanges and transfer credits.

Admission to a Second Degree 

See Second Bachelor of Arts Degrees for further details.

Re-admission to an Arts Program After a Failed Academic Standing in Arts

All Arts Faculty courses with a grade of 50% or higher and all pertinent courses taken from other faculties with a grade of 60% or higher may be transferred, up to the appropriate maximum.

Notes:

1. College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) and Bible College credits cannot be added to a student's record once s/he has accumulated a total of ten academic course units, from any or all sources, that may be counted towards a University of Waterloo Arts degree.
2. The Faculty of Arts does not allow "Challenge for Credit."
3. The University reserves the right to grant or withhold transfer credit as appropriate.