Understanding Baruch College Transfer Credit Evaluation

I'm planning to transfer to Baruch College and want to know how their credit evaluation process works. How can I figure out which of my previous courses will be accepted, and is there anything specific I should prepare?

The transfer credit evaluation process at Baruch College begins after you've been admitted to the college. Before you're admitted, it's tough to get an exact idea of how your credits will transfer. However, you can generally rely on the assurance that most credits from regionally accredited institutions will be accepted, especially if they are in similar fields to what Baruch offers.

As a student transferring to Baruch College, the compiled credits from your previous college(s) get evaluated by Baruch College's Transfer Center. They broadly categorize the courses into the following:

1. Equivalent Course: Courses that match directly with a course in the Baruch College curriculum.

2. Liberal Arts elective credits: Courses that don’t specifically match any at Baruch but are within the liberal arts and science category.

3. Extra Electives (extra elective credits): Courses that do not fall into the above categories but are considered university-level learning.

As a note, electives may or may not fulfill a specific requirement for your degree—it will depend on your specific degree program.

Regarding preparation, prior to admission, you can do a self-evaluation using tools like Transfer Explorer or TES (Transfer Evaluation System). However, bear in mind that this won't necessarily reflect the official evaluation. You should also ensure that you've sent your official transcripts from all previously attended colleges for the Transfer Evaluation Team to review.

Once you're admitted, the official evaluation process begins. After it’s finished, you will receive a Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) which you can view in your CUNYFirst account. This will tell you how all your classes were categorized and what they count for at Baruch.

If aside from general credit, you're aiming to fulfill your major with transferred credit, you will have to appeal to the appropriate department to have those evaluated. Provide the syllabus for each course, and the department will decide if your past coursework is equivalent to a course in your intended major at Baruch.

Keep in mind that credit transfers are usually a long process and doing it in advance would be to your advantage as you plan for your first semester at Baruch.