Pre-McGill transfer credit for University/College coursework

Did you take a course at another university/college before coming to McGill?

You may be eligible for credits and/or exemptions if you completed dual-enrollment or other university/college courses at another institution prior to coming to McGill. Please follow the steps below.

1) Submit your declaration form by September 15 

All incoming students who completed university or college courses before starting their studies are required to submit the Pre-McGill Coursework Declaration webform to declare their coursework. The deadline to submit the form is September 15th. After this date, you are no longer eligible to request transfer credit for your pre-McGill studies.

Following the submission of your form, you will receive an email with guidance on next steps.

NOTE: it is not possible for McGill or SOUSA to confirm the specific credits or exemptions you can expect until after the start of the Fall term. You will need to register for courses BEFORE your credits and equivalencies are processed. Please review the information on this page and consult with a Degree advisor if you need guidance. Consult the timeline information in Step 6 for further details.

2) Submit your official transcript(s):

You must make arrangements to have your final, official transcript sent directly from the institution(s) to McGill. Documents uploaded by a student are considered unofficial.

McGill accepts electronic transcripts and proof of graduation sent through a recognized digital credential service provider or directly from the issuing institution(s) by email.

Send in your final marks

If your prior university studies are not accurately recorded on your Minerva application checklist, consult with Service Point to discuss any missing information.

3) Gather your course materials:

In order to evaluate your course(s), you will be asked to provide a detailed syllabus. This syllabus must:

• Be issued by the university/college which issued your transcript. If your course was dual-enrollment, a syllabus from your high school will not be accepted.
• Be from the semester that you took the course
• Include the assessment methods, weekly topics, and any assigned readings.
• If your course had a lab component, you must have a detailed description including topics for the lab included in the syllabus

5) Submit eligible courses for assessment through the Course Equivalency System (CES):

6) Verify that your credits and equivalencies appear on your student record (processing timeline)

NOTE: You will need to register for courses BEFORE your credits and equivalencies have been processed.

Once processed, your credit and equivalencies will be viewable in Minerva (Go to Minerva > Student Menu > Student Records Menu > View Your Unofficial Transcript).

Note the following timeline:

• Enrolment Services receives the official transcript and conducts an initial review. This may result in students receiving generic transfer credit (as TRNS XXX).
• The SOUSA team then receives your file and will assess your course(s) for equivalency and update your Minerva transcript (this is referred to as "articulation"). Articulation takes place during the Fall semester/early January. The table below shows how the credits/equivalencies look when initially processed (by ES) and after articulation (by SOUSA).

What is a 0cr Exemption?

A 0-credit exemption may be used to satisfy a prerequisite or a degree/program requirement, but it does not add credits toward your degree. 

A 0-credit exemption is used when the credit weight at the other institution does not match the credit weight at McGill. Example: You took a 3-credit course that is deemed the academic equivalent of CHEM 110 (a 4 credit course at McGill). In this case, your transfer credits would be articulated as:

               CHEM 110 0 cr Exemption

               CHEM 1XX 3 cr

In some cases, an exemption may be given without any accompanying credit (if you have reached the maximum number of transfer credits allowed by the faculty). This means you won't have to take the course for which you received the exemption, but the overall credits you need to graduate won't be further reduced.

If you can't find your previous institution on the course equivalency system or are having any other issues with the CES, please contact mary.gauthier [at] mcgill.ca (Mary Gauthier) in SOUSA and provide an explanation of the error you are encountering.