FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Students who have completed at least a minimum of 12 hours at an accredited college or university after high school graduation or GED certification are considered transfer students.

Students who have taken more than two courses in any one semester/term at another institution are considered transfer students. If courses have been taken to fulfill high school requirements, a student is not considered a transfer student.

While most Southwestern students are of traditional age and attend classes full-time, we have a small contingent of non-traditional students returning after a long absence from school or attending part time. We recommend that non-traditional students apply after completing at least two semesters of full-time work at another college, with a grade point average of at least 3.0. If you have not attended college for at least one semester full time, you are considered a first year student and should apply accordingly. If you have previously applied to Southwestern University, please see the reactivation information below.

HOW MANY HOURS MUST I TAKE IN ORDER TO TRANSFER TO SU?

There is no minimum number of hours required for admission to Southwestern University. The Admission Committee encourages students to be enrolled in at least 12 hours of work the semester prior to enrolling at Southwestern.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HOURS I CAN TRANSFER TO SU?

A maximum of 60 hours from a two-year institution and 30 additional hours from a 4-year institution can be transferred to Southwestern and be applied toward a degree. A student must take at least 33 hours at Southwestern University and at least 18 hours in the chosen major in order to earn a degree from Southwestern University. Most transfer students need a minimum of 3 semesters worth of work to obtain a degree from Southwestern.

IS CAMPUS RESIDENCY REQUIRED?

Campus residency is strongly encouraged for all students. More than 80% of our current students live in our residence halls and on-campus apartments. Residency is required for students who have not completed one full year of college. No married student housing is available on Southwestern's campus.

ARE EVENING AND INTERNET COURSES OFFERED AT SOUTHWESTERN?

At Southwestern, courses are taught primarily during the day, during working hours. Few night classes are offered. It is not possible for an undergraduate student to obtain a degree from Southwestern solely through the attendance of evening classes. Southwestern does not offer Internet courses.

HOW DO MY COURSES TRANSFER TO SOUTHWESTERN?

All non-technical/non-vocational courses from accredited colleges, in which a student has earned a C or better, are eligible for transfer to Southwestern. If the course is found comparable to a course at Southwestern, an appropriate course number will be assigned in a transcript evaluation by the registrar's office. Southwestern faculty members may be consulted for course compatibility and the applicant may be asked to submit course descriptions, syllabi and reading lists to complete the official transcript review. If a course is accepted for credit it will be counted as "transfer credit." No grade points for transfer courses will be calculated in the Southwestern University grade point average. Remedial coursework is not accepted.

HOW DO AP COURSES OR CLEP CREDITS TRANSFER TO SOUTHWESTERN?

In order to obtain credit for advanced placement examinations, transfer students are required to submit an official score report to Southwestern from the College Board. A score of 4 or 5 must be obtained on the AP exam in order for a minimum of 3 credit hours.

Credits received for CLEP subject examinations while students are enrolled at other universities are usually treated like other transfer credits if they appear on official transcripts.

IF I HAVE PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, HOW DO I REACTIVATE MY APPLICATION?

If you have applied to Southwestern University within the last two years and wish to reactivate your application, please send us a letter requesting that your application be reactivated. In order to update and complete your application, please send us the following:

1. Letter requesting reactivation that includes current address, phone number and email address.
2. $40 reactivation fee
3. Final secondary school transcript
4. College transcript(s) from all institutions attended
5. Transfer Statement of Good Standing

Note: Only the last two years of applications are kept on file at Southwestern. If you applied prior to the last two academic years, you will need to complete a new application for transfer admission.

HOW DOES SOUTHWESTERN ADDRESS MY ACADEMIC INELIGIBILITY?

Transfer students who are academically ineligible from another institution are not eligible for admission at Southwestern University.

WHAT DO I NEED IN ORDER TO HAVE MY TRANSCRIPT REVIEWED?

If you provide a copy of all college transcripts, a tentative transcript review can be done with the transfer admission counselor during an information session. A formal transcript evaluation by the registrar will be completed after the offer of admission has been sent to the student. This formal evaluation will be sent to the student prior to the time in which the student has to place an enrollment deposit.