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Transfer Course Equivalencies

La Sierra University currently has list of transfer course equivalencies for courses frequently taken at California Community Colleges, and some Adventist Universities. This information is given to be used as a guide in consultation with a La Sierra University Advisor.

Click here for our Transfer Equivalencies.

International Colleges & Universities

Transfer Credit Information

  • Students interested in transferring to La Sierra University through an ADT pathway, please click here.
  • Official transcripts must be mailed by the institution of origin to the La Sierra University Admissions Office, 4500 Riverwalk Pkwy, Riverside, CA 92505 or emailed to . Transfer credits will only be evaluated by the Records Office after the Admissions Office has determined that the transcript has been received and documented. Unofficial transcripts will not be evaluated by the Records Office.
  • Current La Sierra students wishing to take courses off campus must complete the Off Campus Registration Form before enrolling at another institution. This form is used to determine the equivalency of off campus classes and whether or not they will fulfill the intended course at La Sierra. Completed forms should be turned in to the Records Office.
  • Academic institutions must have regional accreditation recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
  • Lower division classes will only transfer to La Sierra as lower division credit regardless of the material covered (even if a similar La Sierra class is upper division). Class title does not constitute equivalency. Course descriptions are required to determine possible equivalencies. The class syllabus may be required at times if the course description does not provide enough information to determine a possible equivalency.
  • Classes taken at community colleges will only transfer as lower division credits.
  • Basic Skills classes taken at institutions outside of La Sierra University will not be counted in the student's record. The student must have a college-level math and English class in order to have a placement test hold removed from their record. Otherwise, they will need to retest through the Testing Center in order to be placed into the appropriate class.
  • Transfer credits coming from the California community college system that have been determined to be part of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) program will transfer to La Sierra and will meet University Studies requirements.
  • Transfer credits taken from a professional program (e.g., nursing, allied health, criminal justice, technical, etc.) from an institution with regional or national accreditation will be evaluated to determine if the class content is substantially relevant to academic courses offered at La Sierra. Institutions with national accreditation will only transfer as professional elective credits (“PROF”) and will receive half the amount of units taken.
  • College-Level Examination Program – CLEP subject examinations are available through the Testing Center. Credits are granted only for subjects in which a student scores 50 or above. Exams for which credit may be given are determined by the University Academic Council, the Testing Center and the Records Office. An official transcript must be mailed to La Sierra University from the College Board. Contact the Testing Center at (951) 785-2453 or the Records Office at (951) 785-2006 for a current list of CLEP exams accepted by La Sierra University.
  • Advanced Placement – AP Credits may be granted for subjects taken while enrolled in a secondary institution with a score of 3, 4, and 5. An official transcript must be mailed to La Sierra University by the College Board. For a list of subjects currently accepted by La Sierra, please contact the Records Office at (951) 785-2006.
  • International Baccalaureate – IB credits may be granted for Higher Level - HL diploma courses taken while enrolled in a secondary institution with a score of 4, 5, 6, and 7. An official transcript must be mailed to La Sierra University, Records Office by the International Baccalaureate Organization. For a list of subjects currently accepted by La Sierra, please contact the Records Office at (951) 785-2006.
  • Students transferring international credits will be required to provide an official transcript, mailed directly to the La Sierra Admissions Office from the institution of origin. All international transcripts must be evaluated by a foreign educational credential agency. This evaluation must be initiated by the student prior to registering for classes. For a list of valid agencies, please contact the Records Office at (951) 785-2006 or .
  • Once the external evaluation has been completed, all classes will be evaluated for transferability to La Sierra University. Course descriptions and/or syllabi will be required to determine how the classes will transfer to La Sierra. English translation of the course descriptions and/or syllabi will be required.

Course Transfer Frequently Asked Questions:

It is not possible to transfer Basic Skills courses, or any courses below a "100" level. You would need to transfer in a course that awarded credit for MATH 121/155/115 or ENGL 111.
No, those numbers are assigned to courses that La Sierra does not have an equivalency for. It is still possible for these courses to fulfill University Studies or degree requirements, but they must be approved for either to be possible.
Perhaps; every university handles their own course equivalencies, and other institutions cannot influence how these courses are transferred.
• There are many possible reasons for this. Lower Division courses from outside institutions cannot transfer as Upper Division courses here at La Sierra, and most community colleges are not able to offer Upper Division courses.
• Additionally, there are times when a department will rule that courses are not equivalent even if they may appear to be; the Records Office upholds the determinations of the departments in these cases.
• Finally, sometimes the course are similar, but not similar enough. Providing the Records Office with a syllabus for the course will often assist us in making a more accurate determination.
Unfortunately, we are not able to search through our records in that way. We would need to know what institutions you would be interested in attending before it would be possible to search for equivalencies.

Contact the Records Office

La Sierra University
4500 Riverwalk Parkway 
Riverside, CA 92505 
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (951) 785-2006
Text: (951) 888-0846
Fax: (951) 785-2447

Office Location

Administration Building Room #122

Office Hours

Monday-Thursday:
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday:
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

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