Worldwide Campus

Transferring Credit

Assessment of Prior Credit

Undergraduate

Once admitted to the University as degree candidates,students are expected to complete all work to be applied toward their degrees with the University, unless advance written authorization is granted. Students applying prior academic work toward their Embry-Riddle degree program requirements must submit appropriate documentation for such credit as part of the admission process.

Previous academic credit is evaluated on a course by-course basis. Acceptable transfer work will be recorded on the Embry-Riddle transcript. If courses are not applicable to the student’s degree program at Embry-Riddle, they will be considered as electives in excess of minimum degree requirements. The level of credit (upper or lower-division) is determined by evaluation of the course at Embry-Riddle. The student must arrange to have official transcripts sent to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Transcripts that have been in the possession of a student are not considered official. Transfer credit may be granted under the following conditions:

  1. Appropriate coursework completed with a grade of A, B, C, pass, satisfactory (or equivalent) will be accepted.
  2. Credits earned at institutions listed as degree granting institutions in the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education (AIPE) as published by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) will be considered for transfer credit. Academic credit is accepted without regard to the date that the course was completed. Embry-Riddle has sole discretion in determining which and how many transfer credit hours will be accepted toward degree requirements.

Embry-Riddle may, at its discretion, require an evaluation examination for any course submitted for transfer credit if there is doubt concerning the equivalency of the transfer course with a similar course offered at Embry-Riddle. Embry-Riddle cannot guarantee that courses are transferable unless otherwise established by any contract or memorandum of understanding/agreement currently in effect. Courses are accepted at the discretion of the University. The transfer student’s records (transcripts, etc.) will be evaluated according to the rules and regulations as described in the catalog, and in accordance with University policies in effect at the time of the student’s admission to a degree program. After evaluation, the student will be notified that an official evaluation has been completed, which details all applicable transfer credit that has been accepted by the University.

Advanced Standing Credit

Advanced standing credit for prior learning may be awarded for postsecondary education, work and/or training experience, or from programs completed before enrollment at Embry-Riddle. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all documentation of previous course work, military learning experiences, credit by examination, and all FAA certificates are submitted for evaluation along with the formal application for admission as a degree-seeking student. Just as official transcripts are required to transfer credit from one university to another, documentation of prior learning through professional training and experience must be official.

  1. Embry-Riddle will accept the minimum scores recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) on all exams offered by CLEP, DANTES, and Excelsior College Examinations-ECE (formerly REC or ACT-PEP) for the award of undergraduate academic credit. In addition, the amount of academic credit and the academic level (upper or lower-level) designation recommended by ACE for a passing score on each of the exams will be accepted by the University. As per University policy, challenge exams (including CLEP, DANTES, etc.) must be completed prior to the time the student reaches the last 30 credits of a Bachelor’s degree, or the last 15 credits of an Associate’s degree.
  2. Embry-Riddle will generally follow the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) for courses listed in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs and the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces.
  3. Credit may be granted on the basis of certain FAA licenses with appropriate rating.
  4. In addition to course-equivalency challenge exams, students who believe their knowledge and prior learning experience qualify them for credit for a specific Embry- Riddle course may submit the Petition for Award of Validated Advanced Placement (VAP). To be eligible for an award of VAP credit, you must be admitted to an ERAU degree completion program and have received the completed evaluation of previous credit. Students may petition for VAP credit only once and this must be done within one year of the first term of enrollment. The student must submit a VAP petition form, a detailed comparison of the training to the learning outcomes in the outline of the course(s) in question and creditable supporting documentation to substantiate the petition, which is then retained by the University in the student’s academic file. ERAU department chairs will review the petition and make the determination of credit. There are eligibility maximums established for both undergraduate and graduate VAP credit awards. Credits awards through the VAP process are generally minimal. Contact the Registrar’s Office at worldwide.registrar@erau.edu or (866) 393-9046 to request additional information regarding the Validated Advanced Placement process.

Course Equivalency Challenge Exams

Students who believe they possess sufficient knowledge of an Embry-Riddle course and who have not previously failed, taken, or are currently enrolled in the particular course may apply to take the course equivalency examination, up to a maximum of 15 semester credit hours. As per University policy, challenge exams (including CLEP, DANTES, etc.) must be completed prior to the time the student reaches the last 30 credits of a bachelor's degree, or the last 15 credits of an associate's degree. Only undergraduate students who have matriculated are eligible for challenge examinations.

Graduate

Credits earned at institutions listed as degree granting institutions in the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education (AIPE) as published by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) will be considered. Credit may be received for certain graduate courses taken as nondegree graduate work or as part of another (completed or incomplete) Embry-Riddle graduate degree program. When transferring from one Embry-Riddle graduate program to another this credit may include prior work on a Graduate Capstone Project (GCP). The combined total credit applied to an Embry-Riddle graduate degree for most programs is 12 credit hours. A maximum of 6 credit hours may be applied to the Master of Science in Technical Management Program. Students pursuing the Master of Science in Management or Master of Science in Technical Management to the Master of Business Administration in Aviation degree may transfer a maximum of 15 credit hours. In order to satisfy a graduate degree program requirement, the academic work for which such credit is sought must be determined to be specifically relevant to the applicant’s graduate degree program at Embry-Riddle. The content of the applicable course or other program should be used to determine the nature of the credit to be applied to the student’s degree requirement. The appropriate department chair and program chair will make these determinations.

Credit will be granted only if the student demonstrates academic performance expected of a graduate student at Embry-Riddle, meaning that the course was completed with a “B” or better (3.0 on a 4.0 system). Credit for academic work used to satisfy the requirements of an undergraduate degree will not be accepted toward the requirements for a graduate degree. Credit will only be considered for course work that is not more than seven years old at the time the admissions application is received at Worldwide Headquarters. This includes previously earned ERAU graduate credit that is over seven years old at the point of readmission. The seven-year time limit will not be applied to advanced standing credit for academic work at eligible senior military service schools if the service member is on active duty when accepted for admission. The seven-year limit for such applicants commences on the date the service member separates from active military service.

Veterans Transfer Credit

Prior academic work and courses taken at other institutions by Veteran students and/or eligible students receiving Veterans Education Benefits will be evaluated and credit granted as appropriate and reported to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) as required by law.

Transcribing Transfer and Advanced Standing Credit

Students are eligible for an Embry-Riddle transcript showing credit awarded from other sources toward their degree, after they have matriculated. Matriculation occurs when an applicant has been officially accepted for admission, has enrolled in an Embry-Riddle course within one year of the date of admission, and has maintained that enrollment beyond the drop period. If an applicant fails to maintain enrollment beyond the drop period, he/she will need to reapply for admission. 

Continuing student status is maintained through enrollment beyond the drop period in at least one course within a two year period. If a student fails to maintain enrollment beyond the drop period, he/she will forfeit active student status, need to reapply for admission, and the matriculation process will begin again. Courses previously taken with ERAU will not immediately matriculate a returning student.

Articulations and Educational Partnership Agreements

Articulation and Educational Partnerships are two distinct types of cooperative agreements that facilitate the transfer of students from other institutions to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 

Articulation Agreements provide for formal evaluation and guaranteed acceptance of courses within specific degree programs from other institutions to ensure that their content and course objectives are the equivalent of those at the University. The primary benefits of an Articulation Agreement to the student are guaranteeing acceptance of courses completed at the other institution satisfying specified degree requirements at the University and locking students into the requirements of the curriculum specified in the catalog at the time of enrollment. As long as the student has completed and signed the Articulation Agreement Enrollment Form, he/she is assured that the courses taken will still apply, even though the curriculum may have undergone significant change before the student has actually transferred to the University (subject to matriculation and continuous enrollment requirements). 

Educational Partnership Agreements seek to link specific programs for transfer into the University, but without the same level of evaluation and guaranteed, program-specific, credit acceptance under a specific catalog year. 

For more information regarding either of these types of curricular agreements, please contact the Worldwide campus location that you plan to attend or, for online students, contact the Worldwide Admissions, Advising and Student Affairs Office.