Transfer Student FAQs

There is no minimum number of credits necessary before you are eligible to transfer to PennWest. If your credits were earned from an institution of higher education that’s recognized by CHEA, PennWest will accept them, depending on the grade. Coursework completed at institutions that are not recognized by CHEA may be accepted by the University following evaluation by the academic deans in consultation with department chairpersons.

If you graduated from high school or earned your GED, and subsequently enrolled in post-secondary coursework, you are a transfer student. If you never attended college or if you're a high school student who completed post-secondary coursework prior to high school graduation, you are considered a freshman. Transfer students must submit all college records for review—they cannot elect to apply to the University as a freshman.

As a transfer student, you must submit your official high school transcript, along with official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended. Students transferring in a minimum of 12 credits are exempted from having to submit their high school transcript. All students applying for an ASN or BSN Nursing degree must submit their high school transcripts. Students in their first semester of college after graduating high school can submit their final high school transcript with proof of graduation to be considered for admission.

No, as long as you have completed one semester with final grades showing on the transcript, we are able to review your application for admission. A final official transcript will be required once all coursework has been completed. 

In general, a 2.0 GPA or higher is preferred for transfer student admission. A lower GPA may be considered in certain circumstances. A higher GPA may be required or preferred, depending on the major (e.g., Education and Nursing).

Official transcripts must be sent directly to the PennWest Admissions Office from your previous school(s). The mailing address is PennWest University Office of Admissions, 250 University Avenue, California, PA 15419. The email address for electronic transcript submission is admissions@pennwest.edu.

1. A student who wishes to appeal the transfer decision of one or more courses must make their appeal to their academic dean. The student should secure course descriptions and syllabi from the other institution and provide those materials to the academic dean.
2. The academic dean will coordinate the evaluation of the course materials with the appropriate academic department chairs.
3. The academic dean will communicate decisions to the Transfer Office to be reflected on the student’s transcript and updated within the Articulator. The Transfer Office will communicate the decisions of the student.

Open elective credits may be awarded for valid academic courses for which PennWest has no direct equivalent.

No. Transfer credits carry no grade point value. Courses and credits may transfer, but not grades. New transfer students begin with a “clean slate” (0.00 GPA).

Quarter-hour credits will be converted to semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by 0.667. (Example: five quarter hours equals three semester hours.)

Yes! University credit may be granted for work completed in formal service schools and training programs based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education as indicated on the Joint Services Transcript (JST) or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript.

Yes. To be eligible for honors recognition at graduation, you must have attempted and earned at least 45 semester hours of credit at PennWest and have earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4 (4.0 scale) for all credits graded on the A through F scale earned at PennWest.

No! Please see the graduation residency requirements.