Your transfer credit assessment will have a few different notifications and important sections. Read through this page to understand what the notifications in your transfer credit assessment mean.
Transfer Credit Course Codes
The table below shows some examples of what transfer credit course codes look like. For more information about Arts & Science course codes, see the Academic Calendar.
| Course Code (Crs Code) | Title | Credit Weight (Wgt) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENG110Y1 | Transfer Credit – Equivalent Univ of Ottawa | 1.00 | This transfer credit is a specific credit, which is equivalent to a Faculty of Arts & Science course. Visit the Academic Calendar for more information about what each part of the course code means and to see the equivalent course description. |
| HIS2*** | Transfer Credit – Equivalent Canadian History (BR=3) Univ of Ottawa | 0.50 |
The first three letters indicate the discipline, in this case, History. The asterisks “***” indicate that the transfer credit is an unspecified credit, meaning there is no exact equivalency among courses offered in the Faculty of Arts & Science. (BR=3) refers to the breadth requirement for the transfer credit. This transfer credit is a 200-level, 0.5 credit History course with a breadth requirement category of 3. |
| HIS1*** | Transfer Credit – Equivalent Intro to History (BR=3) Univ of Ottawa | 1.00 | This is an unspecified History transfer credit. This credit is a 100-level, 1.0 credit History course with a breadth requirement category of 3. |
| TBB1*** | Transfer Credit Equivalent Knowledge (BR=2) Univ of Ottawa | 0.50 |
This transfer credit is a generic breadth requirement credit. This transfer credit is a 100-level, 0.5 credit course with a breadth requirement category of 2. |
In addition to the information associated with course codes, you will notice your transfer credit assessment contains other information. The table below explains what this information means.
| Text in Your Transfer Credit Assessment Letter | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Total Credits Earned: 3.00 | This is the total number of transfer credits you have received. You need 20.0 credits to complete your degree. Your total transfer credits will determine your year of study in Arts & Science. |
| If you received specific courses as transfer credits, you may not enrol for degree credit in any courses listed in the Academic Calendar as exclusions to these courses. In addition, you also may not enrol for degree credit in the following course(s): CHM135H1, CRI205H1, MAT135H1, MAT235Y1, MAT244H1, PSY328H1. |
Some courses in Arts & Science have exclusions, which are courses that have very similar but not exactly equivalent content. Although you can enrol in a course if you have completed an exclusion to that course, the academic unit may remove you from the course due to exclusions, and even if they choose not to remove you, the new course will not count for degree credit and will be marked “Extra”. For example, if MAT223H1 is listed as a specific transfer credit course on your assessment, you may not enrol for degree credit in any exclusions to this course as listed in the Academic Calendar. As another example, if you receive the unspecified transfer credit MAT1**H and MAT135H1 is listed as an exclusion on your transfer credit assessment letter, you may not enrol for degree credit in MAT135H1 (you may contact your College Registrar’s Office to ask to be enrolled in the course, but the academic unit may remove you, or if you remain enrolled, MAT135H1 will be marked "Extra"). You can still enrol for degree credit in any course listed as an exclusion to MAT135H1 in the Academic Calendar (you will not be removed from the course and the course will not be marked "Extra" due to an exclusion to MAT135H1). |
| Should you wish to enrol for degree credit in RLG100Y1 and RLG280Y1 or its published exclusion(s), the corresponding half-course transfer credit will be made "extra." | You may see this note in your letter if you received a half (H) transfer credit with an exclusion to a full (Y) credit. You can choose to enrol in and receive credit for the Y credit instead. If you choose to do this, the transfer credit will not be removed from your transcript. Instead, it will be marked "extra" (EXT) and will not count for degree credit. |
| Transfer credits will be determined upon the completion of the degree credit course(s) and the writing of the placement test (mandatory) with the Department of French, University of Toronto, once you return. | You may see this note if you are a current student taking a French language course through one of the four transfer credit pathways. Note that you must complete the French Placement Test within one year from the completion of the course in order to be considered for transfer credit. One full level higher than the last examined level must be achieved for transfer credit to be awarded. |
Definitions
As you read your transfer credit assessment and review your new academic record, there are some terms you may want to know more about.
Credit Weight (0.5/1.0)
Credits are granted as either half (H) or full (Y) credits. H courses have a credit weight of 0.5, and Y courses have a credit weight of 1.0.
Specific Credit
Specific credit is a transfer credit that is equivalent to a specific course offered in Arts & Science. These credits will have a 3-letter course designator and a 3-digit course number (e.g., POL101H1). Visit the Academic Calendar for more information about what each part of the course code means and to see the equivalent course description.
Unspecified Credit
Unspecified credit means transfer credit given for a course that has no exact equivalent in the Faculty of Arts & Science. These courses will have a 3-letter course designator (e.g., HIS) but will have asterisks in the course number (e.g., HIS2***). Unspecified credits may be used to meet course prerequisite or program requirements as long as permission is obtained from the relevant academic unit.
Please note that a French Placement Test is required to adjust unspecified French language transfer credits (e.g., FSL1**Y) to a specific credit (e.g., FSL121Y).
Breadth Credit
Breadth credit is transfer credit for a course for which no equivalent discipline exists in the Faculty of Arts & Science. Generic credits may be assigned to a specific breadth requirement category or awarded as a generic university-level transfer credit.
For example, a generic breadth requirement transfer credit may appear as LTE2***, which indicates a credit that counts toward BR4 (Living Things and Their Environment). A generic university-level transfer credit will appear as USP1***. A USP credit may be awarded for an acceptable university-level course when a credit doesn’t fall into a breadth category. USP credits do not count toward program requirements or breadth requirements but do count toward the total 20.0 credits you need for graduation.
Breadth Requirements
Most courses in the Faculty of Arts & Science are classified by subject content into five breadth categories. More information about breadth requirements can be found in the Academic Calendar and on the Sidney Smith Commons.
The table below explains what the abbreviations on your transfer credit assessment mean.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | Breadth Requirement Category |
|---|---|---|
| BR | Breadth Requirement | Not applicable |
| CCR | Creative and Cultural Representations | 1 |
| TBB | Thought, Belief, and Behaviour | 2 |
| SII | Society and Its Institutions | 3 |
| LTE | Living Things and Their Environment | 4 |
| PMU | The Physical and Mathematical Universes | 5 |
Please note that a USP***, an unspecified generic credit, may be awarded for acceptable university level course when a credit doesn’t fall into a Breadth category. It cannot be used towards program or breadth requirements.
Extra
Extra (EXT) courses that do not count toward the total of 20.0 credits you need for your degree but do count toward program and breadth requirements.
Retained Credits
Faculty of Arts & Science courses completed while a student was registered in another division at the University of Toronto (for example, the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering) are retained credits. Once a student has transferred to the Faculty of Arts & Science, the grades for these Faculty of Arts & Science courses are included in the grade point average (GPA) calculations. For students who transfer from the University of Toronto Mississauga, University of Toronto Scarborough or the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, all credits are retained. See the Internal Transfer Students page for more information.
How can I use my transfer credits?
More information about how you can use your transfer credits is available on the following pages:
- CEGEP students
- Canadian college students
- Canadian and international universities
- University of Toronto internal transfer students
Appeal of Transfer Credit Assessment
Transfer credits are assessed carefully by the Office of the Faculty Registrar. When you receive your transfer credit assessment, please review it carefully. If you believe that your transfer credit assessment should be reviewed based on new information that was not available at the time of assessment, you can submit an appeal. Appeals are normally granted only in exceptional circumstances and will only be considered if you provide all necessary documentation within the specified timeframe. If you wish to have a transfer credit re-evaluated, submit a letter explaining why, along with a detailed description of the course or courses in question to ask.artsci@utoronto.ca. The letter must be submitted within 6 months from the date your transfer credit assessment was issued. An appeal for a given transfer credit course assessment can be submitted only once.