If you have qualifying exam scores or have completed coursework at other colleges or universities that you would like to apply toward your Colgate degree, please review the enclosed “Guidelines for Transfer of Pre-Matriculation Course Credit.”   You will be permitted a total of six course units of transfer work based upon credit completed both prior to and during your enrollment at Colgate. This means, for example, that if you are granted a total of six course units for work taken before your matriculation at Colgate, you will be allowed no additional transfer credit during your subsequent enrollment here.

Pre-matriculation and Advanced Placement Credit
        College liberal arts courses completed satisfactorily while a student is in secondary school may be considered for Colgate credit by the university registrar and the appropriate Colgate academic department upon receipt of an official college transcript certifying letter grades of C or better in courses bearing three semester or five quarter hours as a minimum of credit. (Courses taken on a Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory, Pass/Fail, or other ungraded basis are not acceptable.) These courses must be taken on an accredited college or university campus, in conjunction with degree candidates of that institution, and taught by a regular member of the faculty.  It is further expected that the courses would be comparable to Colgate courses in terms of classroom hours.   Students seeking such credit should be prepared to submit official course descriptions and syllabi in order to permit proper evaluation of the non-Colgate course work. Laboratory materials for courses in the laboratory sciences may also by requested. Final determination of the type and amount of credit awarded, if any, will rest with the appropriate Colgate academic department.  College courses completed prior to matriculation may not be used to fulfill the university distribution requirement.

 Colgate credit is normally granted only to first-year students who achieve a 4 or 5 on the  Advanced Placement tests and when a department certifies that the exam score indicates a level of competence equivalent to the completion of a specific Colgate course. Credit is also granted for scores of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate examinations (Higher Level only). The amount of credit, the conditions under which credit is granted, and/or placement appropriate to the academic development of the student is determined by the appropriate Colgate academic department, following the university registrar's review of the tests and records submitted for advanced placement.

Advanced Placement courses may not be used to fulfill the university distribution requirement. Each department will determine whether Advanced Placement credit will count toward exemption from a course and/or fulfillment of the requirements for the concentration or minor concentration in that department. Such determinations will be certified to the university registrar by the appropriate department chair. Detailed descriptions of advanced placement policies that apply to an entering class may be found in the First-Year Registration Booklet.

All requests for credit for academic work completed prior to entering Colgate must be filed with the Registrar's Office by the deadline for declaration of concentration, prior to preregistration during the fourth semester. Supporting documentation, such as the official transcript(s), official test scores, and/or course syllabi must be submitted with the pre-matriculation credit request.

Advanced course placement without academic credit may be granted by departments to first-year students whose performance on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP subject examinations only), SAT II Subject Tests, or the New York State Education Department's College Proficiency Examinations gives clear evidence of competence in the courses tested.