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ADMISSIONS

A Generous Transfer Policy

Get Credit for Work You’ve Done—Requesting Transcripts Can be Easy

Take the Next Step—Transfer to WGU or Request WGU Official Transcripts

If you’ve taken courses or received a degree from a community college or another college or university, you're likely already well on your way to a WGU degree. You can almost always transfer credits when you send accredited bachelor's or associate degree transcripts. 

Similarly, if you're in need of your official WGU transcripts to transfer to another university or for a job, it's simple to make that request and show the courses you have taken at WGU.

Ready to Transfer to WGU?

The first step to earning transfer credits is to submit your previous college transcripts to WGU. We'll review them and let you know how many transferrable credits you have.

Need Your WGU Transcript?

It's simple to request your WGU transcripts to submit to another university, for another advanced degree program, or for proof of graduation for a job. Learn more about how to make this request.

FAQs on transcripts and transferring to WGU

Yes. Official transcripts (including evaluated international transcripts) and certifications are used to develop your personalized degree plan. WGU requires that official transcripts of previous academic work completed at other accredited institutions or through approved certification companies be submitted for evaluation. You can use our free transcript service to submit your transcripts or gather and submit them independently. Please contact your Enrollment Counselor for more information.

Yes. Students applying to a graduate degree program must send their official bachelor's degree transcripts verifying they received a bachelor's degree from an institutionally accredited institution. This can be sent via our free transcript service. Official transcripts should be received by the 5th of the month prior to the start of your program. Some graduate programs allow the transfer of individual courses and others do not, please speak to an Enrollment Counselor for the specifics of your desired program.

Your official transcripts are reviewed by a member of the Transfer Evaluation Department. The time it takes to review your transcripts and report which subject areas are cleared with transfer credit will vary. You and your Enrollment Counselor will be notified via email when your transfer evaluation has been completed and we endeavor to ensure an evaluation within two weeks of your final transcript having arrived.

Official transcripts should be received no later than the 5th of the month prior to your intended start date. If you utilize our free transcript service, we will work to get your transcripts gathered and submitted swiftly. This allows plenty of time for an evaluation to be completed and the development of your personalized degree plan to take place. WGU will not award transfer credit after a student has begun their program, so it is important to ensure that everything is submitted in a timely manner.

Unofficial transcripts cannot be accepted to award transfer credit, and WGU does not perform unofficial transfer evaluations. You can utilize the free transcript service to ensure you submit official transcripts to WGU. Please speak with your Enrollment Counselor if there are any concerns about sending official transcripts.

Yes. If you are applying for a bachelor's degree program and have completed college-level coursework at another accredited institution, we can review your transcripts to determine if some or all of the requirements for lower-division courses can be met through transfer credits. In some programs, approved professional certifications may clear additional requirements. For additional information on submitting official transcript, including evaluated international transcripts, or certifications, please speak with your Enrollment Counselor.

Many students transfer into a WGU degree program already having accumulated many credit hours or having earned an Associate degree.  Official transcripts are evaluated on a course-by-course basis according to the following general guidelines:

  • Depending on their selected program, students who hold an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree from an institutionally accredited institution of higher education may be able to clear some or all of the lower-division requirements.  Please speak with your Enrollment Counselor regarding the specifics for your selected program.
  • Some programs allow an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree to clear portions of lower-division requirements.  Please speak with your Enrollment Counselor regarding specifics for your selected program.
  • If you have completed college courses but have not earned a degree, you may be able to have some degree requirements met through a course-by-course transfer evaluation.
  • WGU accepts limited college transfer credits at the graduate (master’s) level in some degree programs. There are special requirements to receive graduate-level transfer credit that vary by program.  Please speak with your enrollment counselor for more information.

Because course content can vary between schools, all transfer credit is reviewed on a course-by-course basis. Transfer credit can be awarded if the course comparability aligns with WGU course offerings. 

Courses may not be accepted for transfer if the content is misaligned, there is not enough information to determine comparability, the course presented does not carry enough credit hours to be accepted, the grade presented falls below WGU’s acceptable threshold, or the course is deemed as non-transferable thus making it ineligible to receive transfer credit regardless of prior education.

Students should also be aware that not all courses accepted for transfer are guaranteed to transfer across programs offered through WGU.

Sending in Transcripts for College Transfer to WGU

WGU offers a free transcript service to help students gather and submit transcripts. During the application you will be asked if you would like to opt-in to this service, and have your transcripts gathered and sent from participating institutions. 

If you opt out of the free transcript service or if your school does not participate, official transcripts should be mailed directly from transferring colleges to our Transcripts Department. Your copy of your transcript is not considered official unless it is sealed. Please order official transcripts promptly, as they can take a few weeks to arrive. Your transcripts should be received by the fifth of the month prior to your intended start date.

Official transcripts should be mailed or sent electronically directly from transferring colleges to our Transfer Evaluation department. 

Requesting Your WGU Transcript

WGU offers two options for official and unofficial transcripts, the Academic and the Record of Achievement (ROAT). When requesting a transcript, you will need to select a transcript type.

Note: Official transcripts will not list Excellence Award recognitions except for the Capstone Excellence Awards at this time. 

Academic Transcript

The Academic Transcript is a comprehensive statement of attempted and verified learning designed to illustrate and communicate how the student has met program competencies and corresponding learning outcomes. The transcript reflects the student’s permanent academic record, comprised of all courses set into registration, competency units received, certifications/credentials earned, honors/awards received, and degrees conferred. The Academic Transcript is typically required by and for other institutions of higher education. 

Record of Achievement Transcript (ROAT)

The Record of Achievement Transcript is a comprehensive statement of verified learning designed to illustrate and communicate how the student has met program competencies and corresponding learning outcomes. The Record of Achievement transcript is comprised of all completed coursework, certifications/credentials earned, honors/awards received, and degrees conferred. The Record of Achievement transcript may be used for employers, licensing bodies, and other interested parties. 

Comparing Transcript Types

The Academic Transcript is the traditional official transcript meaning it includes all terms, courses passed, and courses not passed. The Record of Achievement Official Transcript lists only the achievements or courses passed for each term. If a term does not have a passed course, that term will not show on the Record of Achievement transcript. 

The transcripts present the GPA statement in reference to the information the transcript provides. The Academic Transcript’s key states, "Western Governors University and its state affiliates do not calculate a grade point average (GPA) or class rank." The Record of Achievement Transcript contains the statement in the transcript header, “GPA: This student completed each of the listed courses with a GPA between 3.0 and 4.0 on a 4.0-scale.”  

Obtaining an Official WGU Transcript

Copies of your WGU transcripts may be ordered using the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). Students can order transcripts from the National Student Clearinghouse by visiting the Transcript Ordering Center and searching for Western Governors University.

Orders placed on or after February 14th, 2022 will be fulfilled through our automated fulfillment process. Electronic orders will be fulfilled within 30 minutes. Mailed orders will be sent out the following business day.

Note: Once your order is placed, you will not be able to make changes to your order.

For any orders requiring additional forms, transcript fulfillment times may vary. If you have questions regarding the confirmation of your transcript(s) being sent, please contact the Student Records Department at records@wgu.edu for further assistance.

Obtaining Unofficial Academic Transcript or Unofficial Record of Achievement Transcript

To access/download unofficial WGU transcripts, please log in to your student portal. Once logged in, proceed to the Student Services - Records section on the Student Support tab of the student portal. Your unofficial WGU transcript may be obtained by clicking Download.

Note: Any questions related to sending transcripts from other universities to WGU during the transcript evaluation processes should be directed to transcriptinfo@wgu.edu.

For information on WGU’s grading system and how that impacts the transcript, please refer to the Student Handbook article Term Registration and Enrollment.

Third Party Transcript Orders

For third-party requests, please contact the National Student Clearinghouse for more information.