Taking courses off-campus and want to transfer them here?
You are taking an Economics course OR you are an Econ Student?
...this is your guide, so please read closely

  • Determining how transfer credits are applied to satisfy your graduation requirements can be complicated.
    • Some credits may transfer as specific U of I courses, and therefore satisfy specific degree requirements.
    • Others may transfer only as hours of credit in a general area, and therefore as open electives only.
    • Work with your academic advisor to determine how your transfer credits may be applied in your program.
  • Transfer courses must be taken for a letter grade!
    • When you transfer them to ILLINOIS, they will show on your transcript as 'CR' or 'TR' (see GPA Section).
    • Transfer courses may be used to fulfill requirements (gen eds, econ major requirement, and supporting coursework).
  • ILLINOIS Study Abroad Courses: Please visit the Econ Study Abroad Page as the below information does not apply
Courses within the United States (Articulations/Transcripts):

Some courses may already be 'articulated,' or the University of Illinois already has an agreement to accept a course at another U.S. institution and has evaluated how the course will transfer. If the course is already approved, you may take the course and have the transcript sent to the University- see the section below).

**Make sure you discuss any courses you plan on taking off-campus with your Department and College Advisors BEFORE you take the class, as there are some restrictions (certain courses required on-campus).**

Check Transferology www.transferology.com to view any courses already articulated/evaluated:

  • Create or login to an existing account and select "View Equivalancies"
  • You may search either by "Instituion" or by selecting "Find a replacement course"
  • Pay close attention to these equivalency listings: If there are multiple courses on the left side, you will most likely need to take all the courses shown to get transfer credit for any course (or courses) shown on the right; taking anything less than all the courses shown on the left will likely earn no credit at all at U of I or only partial credit
  • If the Illinois number isn't specific (for example, it reads HDFS 1--), then the transfer course will earn credit, but won't count as any specific Illinois course
  • Pay attention to the effective date information listed (make sure that it is still an active articulation)

Not in transferology/the institution is not listed? 
Request a pre-articulation (evaluation) following the steps below (ONLY for courses taken in the United States)

  • Students should send all syllabi as attachments (PDF preferred) to ouacoursearticulation@illinois.edu. We ask that students include the following information in the body of their email message:
    1. Full name as it appears in Illinois records
    2. UIN
    3. Transfer course subject and number
    4. College of enrollment
  • It is important to do this as soon as possible as the process takes time to process (you may submit any courses taken within the U.S. prior to taking/completing the course)
  • Once you have completed the course, contact the transfer institution and have them send your transcript to the UIUC Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Register for transfer courses following the transfer institution's policies/procedures

  • Contact the other institution directly with questions about enrolling, prerequisites, costs, etc.

Mail Transcripts to UIUC Office of Undergraduate Admissions

  • See our Transcripts Section to read about officially transferring the course(s) to UIUC, and our Concurrent Enrollment section if you have questions about taking the courses while a UIUC student
  • See our GPA Section to know how these courses transfer

International Coursework (Outside the United States):

International coursework is NOT reviewable prior to completion of the course, per International Admissions Processing policies.

Historically, the campus has discovered that course titles can change from term to term and the course documentation can differ from the formal official transcript. Irrespective of term, coursework completed at an international institution that is not affiliated with a UIUC Study Abroad program will be reviewed by syllabus submission after completion of the course. Additionally, the International Admissions Unit must have processed the official transcript and the coursework added to the student’s academic record before they may be articulated (transcripts must have been received). At that time, the syllabus from the term completed can be submitted and formally reviewed. Exceptions to this are military/political/philosophical propaganda course content offerings which are always NON-transferable.

Steps for Courses Taken Internationally:

  • Complete the course (courses taken internationally are not guaranteed to transfer or articulate in a certain way, so you are taking the course at your own risk)

  • Make sure to take for a letter grade (will not transfer otherwise)~ see our GPA Section below to see how they transfer

  • Have official transcript sent from the international institution to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions

  • Once transcript has been received by UIUC:
    • Students should send all syllabi as attachments (PDF preferred) to ouacoursearticulation@illinois.edu. We ask that students include the following information in the body of their email message:
      1. Full name as it appears in Illinois records
      2. UIN
      3. Transfer course subject and number
      4. College of enrollment

How do Transfer Courses Count into your GPA?

Courses must be taken for a Letter Grade!

  • Courses with a passing grade (all grades except a failing 'F' grade) will transfer if you send the transcript
  • Pass/Fail or Credit/No-Credit will not transfer or count
  • You are NOT able to grade replace an on-campus course with a transfer course (or replace a transfer course with an off-campus course)~ see the LAS Grade Replacement Policy
    • Repeat courses will both be count into your respective GPAs (see below)

Within the U.S.

  • Show on your transcript as 'TR' for transfer (the letter grade will not show on your UIUC transcript/DARS, only the 'TR')
  • The GPA for these courses will be counted in your 'transfer GPA' and also your 'overall GPA'
  • Your 'UIUC GPA' will not be impacted (only counts classes taken through UIUC), and it will not count in your 'UIUC Major GPA'

Outside the U.S. (International Transfer Courses~ Not counting Study Abroad)

  • Show on your transcript as 'CR' for credit (international transfer)
  • International coursework will not count into any of your GPAs at UIUC (will not show in transfer, combined, major, or UIUC)

Re-articulation of Courses

Believe your course should be Articulated (transferred) as another course?

Sometimes course articulations need to be re-evaluated as they may count within a couple of disciplines (similar to a cross-listed course) or it was articulated incorrectly previously. You may submit the course to be re-articulated:

  • Send an email from your Illinois email account to ouacoursearticulation@illinois.edu
    Provide a message stating you would like the course re-evaluated to see if it counts as ____ (list the other course or provide the department)
    Include the following: Name, UIN, Course Information (term you will take, course number, description), and Attach a Copy of the Syllabus (and all other course information you are able to obtain)
  • If they agree the course should be re-articulated, the course will be officially processed (this will take time) and it will be reflected on your DARS and student report when complete.

Sending Transcripts to UIUC (Officially Transferring the Course)

Visit the University's Transfer Website for information.

When you've completed the course at the other institution, ask the institution to send your transcript to the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions by U.S. Mail or Electronically
Don't deliver the transcript yourself or submit directly-- the Undergraduate Admission's office will not accept transcripts directly from students. 
It generally takes about three to six weeks for the credit to show on your record; you may check your DARS report to see if the credit has posted. 

U.S. Mail (sent directly from the institution):

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
901 West Illinois Street, Suite 103
Urbana, IL 61801

Electronically (sent directly from the institution):

Currently electronic transcripts submitted through Docufile, eScrip Safe, and the Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange (XAP) are accepted. Electronic transcripts can also be sent to etranscript@illinois.edu directly from the institution. If a transcript is received through this account from a student, it will not be considered official.

Where Can You Take Courses?

You may take courses at another institution while enrolled at Illinois, even if you are taking the maximum courseload on-campus (it is important to discuss with your academic advisor about your schedule, and if taking additional courses is a good academic plan).

Please make sure to check the course to ensure you know how it will transfer (following the guidelines above) and that you follow all directions from the University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the other institution.

Questions about enrolling in the course, fees, timeline, etc. should be directed to the other institution. Many institutions will require you to provide your academic history or a transcript, which you may obtain through Self-Service (unofficial and official transcripts available).

Community Colleges

You may search for the Community College in your district or a particular area if you are within the United States here.

Other Colleges

There are many other colleges where students may take transfer courses, both online and on-campus, you may search in Transferology for institutions. If the courses are not already listed in Transferology, make sure that you check with your College Office and the Records Office to ensure it is an acceptable institution, and you may have courses pre-articulated if within the U.S.

Parkland College

Illinois has a strong partnership with Parkland College, located in north-west Champaign. They offer various online and on-campus courses, and students may drive (free parking) or take the MTD buses to the campus. Students must complete the UIUC/Parkland Concurrent Enrollment Form and apply/register for classes through Parkland.
ILLINOIS/Parkland Concurrent Registration Form
Parkland College Website

Financial Aid

Please check with the University Office of Student Financial Aid for questions about funding. Students using Financial Aid must still complete the Student Financial Aid Concurrent Enrollment Agreement available at: http://www.osfa.illinois.edu/aid/special/concurrent.html.