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Petitions & Core Transfer Credit

The core curriculum rules and course lists for each Catalog are developed by faculty committees and approved by the Faculty Council, The University of Texas System, and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. We take these requirements very seriously and enforce them strictly for students in all majors.

In accordance with 19 Texas Administrative Code §4.28(j), courses taken in residence will only satisfy core requirements when listed as a core curriculum course in the Catalog under which a student plans to graduate. UT Austin does not generally accept in-residence coursework in substitution for core requirements.

Transfer credit may, however, be accepted to fulfill core curriculum requirements. An explanation of the rules governing this process follows. It is strongly advised that you consult with your academic advisor before beginning the petition process. The staff in the Center for Strategic Advising is also available to consult with you on any questions you or your advisor may have.

UGS Petitions
512-232-8400
Flawn Academic Center, Room 338

Initial Evaluation of Transfer Credit

Coursework completed at other institutions is evaluated by the Office of Admissions to determine whether it may transferred to the university for credit. The Office of Admissions is responsible for assigning a specific UT Austin course number (e.g. M 302), general credit within a particular field of study (e.g. M 3HRS), or general elective credit (e.g. ELV 3HRS) to all acceptable transfer work. This evaluation initially determines how transfer credit may be counted toward core, major, and elective requirements at the university. For example, the core math requirement would automatically be satisfied by transfer credit evaluated as a direct equivalent to M 302, which is a core math course at UT Austin, but not by transfer credit evaluated as generic M 3HRS or ELV 3HRS.

Students whose transfer work has been evaluated in such a way that it does not automatically satisfy a core or major requirement that the student believes it should satisfy have two recourses: (1) petition the Office of Admissions to reevaluate the transfer credit to assign a specific UT course number that will satisfy the requirement, or (2) petition the appropriate academic affairs office to count the transfer credit (as evaluated by the Office of Admissions) toward the requirement by substitution. See below for more information about each of these options.

Note: Before submitting any petition, students should check the Interactive Degree Audit system to see how their transfer and in-residence credit is currently being applied toward core and major requirements.

Transfer Credit Reevaluation (Office of Admissions)

Students who believe that their transfer credit has been evaluated incorrectly (e.g. should be considered the direct equivalent of a UT Austin course but was not) may submit a petition for reevaluation of transfer credit to the Office of Admissions. Transfer credit evaluated as a direct equivalent to a specific UT Austin course number will function essentially as it would if taken in residence; it will automatically be available in the degree audit system to satisfy appropriate core and major requirements.

Credit by Substitution

Transfer credit accepted in any form by the Office of Admissions (directly equivalent to a UT Austin course number, general credit within a field of study, or general elective credit) may be used to satisfy core or major requirements by substitution if approved by the appropriate academic affairs office. In the case of major and elective requirements, substitutions must be approved by the student’s college or school. In the case of core curriculum requirements, all substitutions must be approved by the School of Undergraduate Studies.

Students may request a core curriculum substitution by submitting a petition for core curriculum accommodation to the School of Undergraduate Studies. Please read the instructions on the form carefully and consider discussing your options with an academic advisor before submitting the petition. Transfer coursework proposed to satisfy a core requirement is evaluated based on the Student Competencies of the core area to which the student proposes that it apply.

It is strongly advised that you consult with your academic advisor before beginning the petition process. The staff in the Center for Strategic Advising is available to consult with you on any questions you or your advisor may have.

UGS Petitions
512-232-8400
Flawn Academic Center, Room 338

Core Credit from Texas Public Institutions

In accordance with 19 Texas Administrative Code §4.28, transferred coursework that is not evaluated as a direct equivalent to a UT Austin core course and not approved for credit by substitution will still be automatically counted toward appropriate core curriculum areas if transferred from another Texas public institution that considers the course part of its core curriculum. Students who complete the core curriculum at another Texas public institution are deemed to have satisfied the entire core curriculum at UT Austin.

Before submitting a petition, check the Interactive Degree Audit system to determine whether transferred work has been automatically applied to your core requirements.

More Information

The Office of Admissions maintains a number of resources that may be helpful to students transferring credit to UT Austin: