Transfer Credits

It is the policy of Wichita State University to accept all credits (with the exception of remedial coursework) earned at an accredited college. Each academic college or department within W.S.U. determines how those credits apply toward a particular degree program. Sometimes there can be a wide gap between what "transfers" and what counts toward a degree, especially if the courses taken are highly technical in nature.

Courses not listed here: Any college course, not listed as having an equivalent, from any program area, will be accepted as a "Free Elective." Remedial courses are excluded from this category and do not count for credit. Courses from vocational/technical and agricultural related areas are included as free electives and credits are transferred.

Elective credit. Many, but not all, W.S.U. programs have a specified number of elective credits that count toward the degree. Students who seek to transfer to a four year school should be encouraged to plan their course of study carefully so that they do not accumulate more elective hours than they can use. While all these courses will transfer, the student may graduate with more than the usual number of hours required for the bachelor's degree.

All courses taken at a college are defined as "lower division" courses. Lower division means freshman/sophomore level, while upper division is junior/senior level. When a college course is listed as equivalent to a W.S.U. upper division course, it will still be considered as lower division credits when transferred.

Graduation from W.S.U. requires a minimum of 124 credit hours, with at least 60 of those hours having been taken at a four-year institution and with 40 of those hours at the upper division level. Students seeking a bachelor's degree should be encouraged to take no more than 64 hours at the college.

Wichita State has various levels of requirements: University, college and department. You are referred to the TRANSFER GUIDE for these specific requirements.

When a college course is fewer credit hours than the equivalent W.S.U. course, only the number of college hours transfer. However, when the opposite is true - the college course is more credit hours than the equivalent W.S.U. course - all credits transfer but only the lesser (W.S.U.) number of hours will count toward your degree at W.S.U. The other hours would be "Free Electives".

A student who completes an associate degree based upon a bachelor's oriented sequence at a Kansas public college, and whose program of studies has met the requirements of the Kansas Public College and State College/University Transfer and Articulation Agreement, will be accepted with JUNIOR standing and will have SATISFIED the lower division general education requirements of W.S.U. (subject to the "Points of Clarification" agreed to by the colleges and the state schools). This does NOT mean that the student has satisfied the additional lower division graduation requirements established by each college and department. Please see the TRANSFER GUIDE for those requirements.

CAUTION: Any course from a college that will not count toward meeting the requirements of any of their Associate degrees (including the Associate of Applied Science degree), likewise will NOT count toward meeting the requirements of any W.S.U. degree.