Transfer of credits

Transfer of credits means that your previous experiences may correspond to a course given by us

When applying for a transfer of credits, we will make an assessment of the contents and level of the studies or professional experience you want to transfer credits for. We assess what knowledge you have gained from this and compare it to the content of the course at Umeå University that you want to transfer credits to. If we find that your previous experience provided the required knowledge, we will approve your application.

If you want to get credit transfer for parts of a programme, you need to know which courses are included in the programme. You will find that in the programme syllabus.

Seek out syllabuses for programmes and courses in the university's syllabus search to find out their content.

Before you apply

Before you start an application for transfer of credits, there are some things you need to know. Therefore, please look through these questions and answers.

If you are unsure of what you can get credit transfer for or how to complete the application, contact the student counsellor at the department that provides the course. On the course page on our education website you will see which department is responsible.

What can I apply for if I want to?

If you have completed academic studies from a Swedish or foreign institution of higher education, you can apply to have the credits transferred to correspond to a course, or part of a course, at Umeå University. It may also be possible to have credits transferred from other relevant studies or credits granted for professional experience. A decision approving a transfer of credits can mean that you do not have to study the corresponding course or part of course twice.

What do I need to apply for transfer of credits for?

You must apply for a transfer of credits if

• you want to earn a particular degree where some courses are required that you have not taken, but you have previous experience that you think corresponds to the course(s).
• you have studied courses at another educational institution which has been classified as courses within a particular main field of study, but which you think corresponds to the main afield of study in which you desire to graduate.
• you have completed academic studies abroad that you want included in your upcoming degree.

If you apply for a later part of a educational programme, are a VAL-student (Further Training For Teachers), or you pay a tuition fee, you shall not apply for a transfer of credits. Learn more under the next question on this page.

What shall I not apply for transfer credits for?

You shall not apply for a transfer of credits if you

• have completed courses from a recognised Swedish educational institution and your planned degree has space for elective courses. You choose which elective courses you want to include when applying for a degree. NOTE! A transfer of credits shall always be made from academic studies abroad, even if they are to be used as optional elective studies.
• have completed courses from another recognised Swedish university that belongs to the same main field of study as you want in your degree. Instead, you specify these courses when you apply for the degree.
• are applying for a later part of an educational programme. However, you may need to apply for transfer of credits if you are admitted and commence your academic studies.
• Contact the student counsellor or the person in charge of the relevant study programme if you have questions about the application for a later part of the educational programme. Contact information for study programmes can be found our education website.
  www.umu.se/en/education
• are accepted within the Further Training For Teachers (VAL) project. If you want to apply for transferring credits as a VAL student, contact your academic supervisor in the VAL project at the Umeå School of Education:
  Further Training For Teachers (VAL-projektet vid Umeå universitet; in Swedish only)

Will my student grants and loans for studies from CSN be affected if I have my application for transfer of credits approved?

If your application for transfer of credits is approved, it may have an impact on your student grants and loans for studies from CSN. Contact CSN for questions concerning student grants and loans for studies.

Transfer of credits and guaranteed admission, grades and getting a degree

A credit transfer decision does not mean that you have a guaranteed place on a course, part of a course or study programme.

You will not get a grade on the course or course module since there has been no new examination of your knowledge.

A course or part of a course that you have a decision approving a transfer of credits for, can not be included in your degree together with the course that the decision is based upon. The credits can not be counted twice and the degree must only be based on courses that do not overlap.

A decision on transfer of credits is not also a decision on which courses may be included in a degree.

What is required for your intended degree is stated in the local qualifications descriptor (in Swedish only).

Apply for transfer of credits

When you intend to apply for transfer of credits, you can get help from the following questions and answers. You will reach the application through the link under the tab “Apply here”.

What is required for me to be able to apply?

• You shall be admitted to and pursue academic studies at Umeå University.
• Your previous academic studies (courses or part of course/module) must be completed, that is to say, have been awarded a grade.
• Your previous academic studies or professional experience should substantially correspond to the course, or part of the course, you want to receive equivalent credits for.

Keep in mind that it is required that your submitted application is complete with the necessary documents in order for us to be able to assess it.

When can I apply?

You have to be admitted to and registered for education at Umeå University to be able to apply for transfer of credits. Apply well in advance before the course starts, but not earlier than the term before the course starts that you want to receive a transfer of credits corresponding to.

The processing time is normally within 60 days, and varies depending on how extensive the particular case is. The processing time is counted from when your application is complete.

What documents do I need to send with my application?

When applying for transfer of credits, you will need to attach documents confirming your previous experience.

For previous academic studies, you need to enclose:

• Syllabi for your completed previous academic studies, which are relevant for the semesters you studied the courses.
• Your previously completed thesis/degree project (if it will be the basis for your application).
• Laboratory reports (if laborations will be the basis of your application).
• Certificate of education other than at Swedish university or university college.

When applying for transfer of credits from university studies abroad, you should also attach Official Transcripts of Records from the foreign academic institutions in question. Remember that:

• The transcript must be stamped and signed by the university (or other academic institution) you have studied at.
• It must state the name of the educational institution, name of the course, date of completion of academic studies, academic level and the credits earned, along with the grades received.
• Enclose all pages of the Official Transcript of Records along with information about the university (or other institution of higher education education) and its educational and grading system.

We accept documents issued in English, German, French and the Nordic languages (Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish). If your documents are issued in languages other than these, you must make sure that they are translated by an authorized translation agency. Please note that you must be able to show original documents if we request it.

For previously completed professional/vocational experience, you need to enclose:

An employer's certificate with date, signature and contact details for the employer (salary specification or employment contract is not sufficient). The employer's certificate must contain the relevant work tasks, the extent of the work (% of full-time) and during which period you had the employment.

If you have other documentation that proves your experience and that may have a bearing on the decision on transfer of credits, you should enclose that documentation when you apply.

"Relevant work tasks and documentation" means something that corresponds to the course objectives and the content of the course or part of the course that you want  transferred to credits.

The decision will be based on how well your documented experiences correspond to the course content, objectives and expected study results. You will find the syllabus for the current course in the university's syllabus search.

Apply here

Make your application here.

The decision will be sent to the e-mail address you have registered in Ladok (at the time you make your application). If you want to change your e-mail address in Ladok before you apply, you can change it on My settings.

Please note that the e-mail with the decision may end up in your spam folder.

Once you have submitted your application

Once you have submitted your application with all necessary documents, the processing will begin at Student Services/Degree Evaluation Office. What happens after that are provided in the answers to below.

Confirmation that your application has been received

You will automatically receive a confirmation e-mail when your application has been registered.

Please note that the confirmation e-mail may end up in your spam folder. Add the domain (umu.se) as a trusted sender if this is possible in your e-mail program. This may reduce the risk that messages from Umeå University will end up in the spam folder.

If you have not received a confirmation, you will need to resubmit your application.

Withdraw your application if you decide to take the course

If you choose to take, and receive credits for completing, the course you applied to obtain transfer of credits for, you must withdraw your application before a decision has been made. You can do this by sending a message to the Student Services/Degree Evaluation Office via the contact form on the page.

We will contact you via e-mail

If we need additional information or documents from you, we will send you an e-mail to the e-mail address you provided in the application. The decision concerning transfer of credits will also be sent via e-mail.

Please note that the e-mail may end up in your spam folder. Add the domain (umu.se) as a trusted sender if this is possible in your e-mail program. This may reduce the risk that messages from Umeå University will end up in the spam folder.

Normally you will receive a decision to your application within 60 days

The Student Services/Degree Evaluation Office will make a decision concerning transfer of credits as soon as possible and then send the decision to the e-mail address you provided in the application. Please note that the e-mail with the decision may end up in your spam folder. 

The processing time for transferring credits is usually within 60 days. However, this may vary during the year depending on how many applications have been received and on how extensive your particular matter is. The processing time will not start until your application is complete.

You can appeal if your application is rejected

If all or part of your application is rejected, you are entitled to appeal against the decision. Information about what you need to do if you want to appeal will be stated in the notification of the decision on your application. The appeal must be made in writing and submitted to the Registrar at Umeå University within three weeks of the date you received notification of the decision.

Learn more about how to appeal.

If you pay a tuition fee, you can receive the tuition fee refunded if your application for a transfer of credits is granted

Those who pay a tuition fee, study within a study programme and have had your application for transfer of credits granted, may be entitled to a reimbursement of your tuition fee corresponding to the amount of credits transferred. More information on tuition fees and transfer of credits can be found in the Rules for tuition fees and scholarships, which is found in the Legal framework at Umeå University.