Transfer Information

Biola University Transfer Policy

1. Credit will be accepted only from institutions accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency with similar accredited academic programs i.e., WASC, ABHE and ATS.

2. Students from unaccredited institutions may request a copy from the Registrar's Office of Biola's policy on validating an accredited coursework if the school is recognized by their state as an academic institution. The validations process must be completed during the first semester of enrollment.

3. Biola University measures all courses in semester units of credit. Quarter units are converted to semester units by reducing the quarter units by one-third. Such a reduction does not mean loss of credit.

4. A maximum of 70 semester units are acceptable from two-year community colleges.

Transfer students may fulfill their general education requirements by completing Biola University's General Education Curriculum or, prior to enrolling at Biola, completing the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC).

The IGETC model for the California State University (CSU) system or University of California (UC) is accepted by Biola University with the following provisions:

    • The current foreign language requirement for all bachelor degrees will be retained.
    • The minimum of 130 units for graduation will stay the same.
    • In addition to the IGETC, all prerequisites and support courses for existing majors must be met.
    • Transfer students following the IGETC must complete it before they enroll at Biola University. Students who do not complete the IGETC before they enroll will follow the Biola General Education curriculum.

5. Biola University will accept credit for equivalent courses from schools accredited by regional or national agencies recognized by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Administration), including courses by distance education.

6. All students are required to take a minimum of 24 units of upper division in their major, 15 of which must be taken at Biola University.

7. Biola has a residency requirement for biblical studies. Of the 30 units of Bible required for all students, 15 units must be taken at Biola.

8. Grades do not transfer - only units of credit. A student's grade-point average is computed for graduation purposes only on work completed at Biola University.

9. Courses may not transfer for several reasons: repeat of work already taken, low grades ("C-" or lower), technical or vocational courses, remedial courses, etc.

10. College-level credit earned during the 10th, 11th and 12th grades will be given credit, including AP, IB and CLEP exams.

11. A non-music major is limited to a maximum of eight units of credit in applied music (including ensembles), and a non-physical education major is limited to eight units of credit in physical education or skill courses.

12. The combined total of transferred units plus completed Biola units determines student level:

Freshman0-26 units
Sophomore 27-56 units
Junior 57-87 units
Senior 88 units and above

Download this Transfer Policy.

Any questions regarding evaluations should be addressed to the Office of the Registrar.