Academic Catalog

Limitations on Credit Applicable Toward an Undergraduate Degree

  • Seattle Pacific University will accept no more than 90 credits combined total from two-year colleges, advanced standing for international 13th year and approved testing programs1, and nationally recognized2, degree-granting institutions that do not hold accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) or its peer accrediting organizations3.
    • Of those 90 credits, no more than 45 credits combined may come from advanced standing for International 13th year, and exam programs (i.e., AP, Cambridge International, CLEP, and IB), including SPU’s Credit by Exam.
  • Credit for military service is limited to 3 credits of physical activity for basic training.
  • Credit will not be awarded for travel, life experience, or work experience.
  • You may earn no more than 30 credits from other institutions after matriculating at SPU, with the exception of courses earned through a pre-approved study abroad program.
  • You may not earn credit twice for the same course content. See Repeating a Course.
  • The minimum grade that can be applied toward a major or minor is C- (1.7). Some majors may require a higher grade in some or all classes.
  • Only courses taken for a regular grade (not “pass/fail” or “credit/no credit,” etc.) will be applied toward requirements in General Education, the Common Curriculum and Exploratory Curriculum, and toward your major and minor, with the exception of clinical practicum classes in the Nursing program and performance practicum courses in the Theatre major.
  • At least 25 of your final 45 credits for the degree must be earned through SPU, with the exception of approved study abroad credits. 
  • Except when participating in approved study abroad, you may not take courses concurrently from SPU and another institution during the regular academic year (Autumn through Spring quarters). 
  • You may enroll in 5000-level courses, but they will not apply to undergraduate degree program requirements at SPU, nor are these courses eligible for financial aid. 
  • Graduate-level courses will not apply toward an undergraduate degree, except in the case of students formally admitted to the BA in Christian Theology to MA in Christian Theology program.
  • If you are a non-matriculated student, credits in excess of 45 completed before matriculation at SPU will not apply toward a first undergraduate degree. 
  • If you are a non-matriculated student, credits in excess of 15 taken prior to matriculation at SPU may not be applied to a post-baccalaureate degree. 
  • See additional limitations on credit applicable to a degree listed under Transfer Policies and under Major and Minor Curriculums.
1

Approved testing programs include: AP, Cambridge International, CLEP, and IB.

2

To be “nationally recognized” means that the institution’s accreditor has been reviewed and accepted as a national accreditor by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation or the U.S. Department of Education.

3

Peer institutions include: Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Western Association of Schools and Colleges; Higher Learning Commission (HLC); Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE); New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE); Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC); WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).