Transfer Credit Evaluation
Evaluation of Transferable Credits
As soon as we determine you’re eligible for admission, we’ll send you an email letting you know! We will attach your Evaluation of Transferable Credits to that email.
Your Evaluation of Transferable Credits will tell you:
How to understand the Evaluation of Transferable Credits (directions are located on the last page!)
Which credits will transfer,
Won’t transfer,
And haven’t been evaluated before.
Once transfer credits have been posted to your account, they cannot be removed for any reason.
Transfer Courses Pending Review – XFRPEN
Courses that could transfer to Penn State, but haven’t been evaluated yet, are listed as XFRPEN (Transfer Pending Review).
A course is eligible for evaluation if it is:
Taken at the undergraduate level,
With a final grade of a C (2.0) or better,
Like an existing Penn State program or course, and
Useful in your degree program.
Courses may be ineligible for transfer review for reasons including, but not limited to:
Being taken at a non-domestic institution that isn’t part of the regular degree-granting curriculum.
Having a final grade below a C (2.0).
Use the Transfer Credit Tool
The Transfer Credit Tool is the most up-to-date resource to view the credits we have already evaluated.
If your course doesn't appear in the Transfer Credit Tool, that typically means we have not evaluated the course before and will require the submission of the course syllabus for evaluation.
Submitting Your Transcripts for Evaluation
You can use a service like Parchment, the National Student Clearinghouse, and SCOIR to send us your documents.
Our mailing address is:
Undergraduate Admissions
The Pennsylvania State University
201 Shields Building
664 Curtin Rd
University Park, PA 16802-1294
If your institution requires an email address or a fax number, please use the following:
Email: admissions@psu.edu
Fax: (814) 863-7590
Submitting Your Syllabi for Evaluation
Faculty from the subject area will review your syllabus and consider the following to make a credit evaluation:
Number of credits the course is worth
An official course description (helps determine if the course is for majors or non-majors)
Any required co-requisite or pre-requisite courses
Topics covered by class meeting (not just course objectives)/ schedule of course content
Grading criteria: what was graded and how much was it worth
How many exams, paper assignments, textbooks or readings are required
Textbook(s) used with chapters/sections/topics covered (course content)
Information about any readings besides the textbook
Science courses: presence of a lab component with the kinds of labs done and how much the lab counts; be sure to send both the lecture and the lab syllabus
Music courses: how many hours a week, what instrument or voice, individual or class lesson, major/minor/non major
If you have applied but haven't been admitted to Penn State yet, please follow these directions:
Include up to four syllabi in one email sent to preapproval@psu.edu
Include your name and 9-digit PSU ID number in the subject line
Attach your syllabi as separate .pdf or Word files
Indicate the institution and state where coursework was taken
Admitted students should submit syllabi for any TRN XFRPEN (transfer pending review) courses listed on your Evaluation of Transferable Credit.
Include up to four syllabi in one email emailed to crediteval@psu.edu
Include your name and 9-digit PSU ID number in the subject line
Attach your syllabi as separate .pdf or Word files
Indicate the institution and state where coursework was taken
If you’re planning to take courses at another domestic institution, please meet with an academic adviser first. This ensures you’re taking courses that you know will be useful toward your Penn State degree program.
Search for the course using the Transfer Credit Tool. Please note multiple evaluations may exist for the same course with different effective dates.
If the course does not appear in the Tool, or if there is an evaluation of "pending review (TRN XFRPEN)" with effective dates that correspond with when you wish to take the course, visit the Course Substitutions and Reviews web portal and click on "New Transfer Review." If no course evaluation is found on the web portal, you will be prompted to upload a course syllabus.
If a course evaluation does not exist for the course, and a course syllabus is not provided before you take the course, credit will be added to your PSU record as TRN XFRPEN (transfer pending review).
Syllabi must then be emailed to crediteval@psu.edu for faculty review. If syllabi are not provided, transfer pending review credits will be reassigned to general credit within one semester.