Transfer credit
Olin College generally does not accept transfer credit for incoming students, but the Course Substitution and Transfer Board (CSTB) may grant exceptions on a case-by-case basis for incoming students who have demonstrated strong performance in rigorous courses taken at accredited institutions.
Enrolled students wishing to take a course at another college and transfer the credits to Olin must obtain prior approval from the CSTB. A student will need to provide detailed information about the school and the course including, but not limited to, a course description and syllabus. Minimal conditions to determine appropriate schools and courses are 1) the institution must be accredited, and 2) the institution should offer, at minimum, Bachelor degree programs. NOTE: In general, Olin does not accept transfer credit from community colleges. On-line courses may be accepted provided that items 1 and 2 above are fulfilled.
The CSTB will ask appropriate faculty to review the course materials before granting approval. If approved, the CSTB will notify the student in writing. Once the course is completed, it is the student’s responsibility to have an official transcript sent to Olin College. Provided the student meets the minimum grade (B- or equivalent) requirement for transfer, the course and the credits will appear on the student’s Olin transcript. To ensure standard equivalencies for transfer, the course must be taken for a letter grade or equivalent. Pass/fail grading does not transfer to Olin. In order to receive a degree from Olin, matriculated students must earn at least 60 of their credits from Olin or BBW courses.
Approved coursework will appear on student transcripts with the name of the institution issuing the academic credit, the course title and the credits earned (in equivalence to the Olin semester credit hour). These credits are included in the cumulative earned hours total. NOTE: The pace of progression calculation for financial aid satisfactory academic progress uses credits taken away in both attempted and earned categories. See the Student Handbook financial aid section for more details.