How do transfer credits affect GPA and earned hours?

I'm planning to transfer colleges and am confused about how transfer credits impact my GPA and earned credit hours. Can someone help clarify the difference between transfer credit hours and earned hours, and how they both influence GPA?

Sure, I'd be glad to clarify this for you!

When you transfer credits from one institution to another, it's important to understand that usually, only the credit hours, not the grades, will transfer. This means that courses you took at your original college will count towards your total number of credits earned at your new college but will not affect your GPA at the new institution. Your GPA will essentially reset, and only the grades you earn at your new college will contribute to your new GPA.

That means if you aced a bunch of courses at your first college, those good grades won't necessarily boost your GPA at your new school. Conversely, if you struggled in a few classes, those low grades won't pull your new GPA down.

As for transfer credit hours and earned credit hours, it tends to be a semantic difference. Both terms refer to the credits awarded by a college or university for completed coursework. When an institution says transfer credit hours, they're generally referring to the credits you earned at a previous college that they're willing to accept towards your degree. Earned credit hours might refer to the overall accumulated credits you've achieved in your academic journey, including both your previous institution(s) and the new one.

These practices can vary somewhat by school, so check with the transfer admissions office at your intended new college to understand exactly how your credits will transfer and how their policy works. Keep in mind that not all credits necessarily transfer over, it depends on the comparability of the course content and whether the receiving institution deems those credits relevant to your pursued degree at the new college. It's always a good idea to get clarity before transferring to avoid unexpected surprises.