Frequently Asked Questions About Transfer Guide and Exemptions

Policy Overview — Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing

Students who have completed courses at another accredited post-secondary institution or at George Brown College may be eligible for admission to a level higher than first year/semester (advanced standing). In addition, you may be eligible for individual transfer credits in any semester. All such Advanced Standing applications will be assessed in competition with other new applications and will be judged on academic and, where applicable, non-academic criteria, as well as availability of space.

When you are granted transfer credits you may:

• Reduce required time to graduate,
• Enhance your studies with further education,
• Minimize barrier(s) to mobility, eliminate credit duplication,
• Reduce cost.

Transfer Credit Eligibility

Continuing Education, Certificate & Diploma Program Transfers:
Students who have completed studies at another accredited post-secondary institution or at George Brown College must have received:

• C- or greater (where C- equals 60% or higher) at George Brown in the Certificate & Diploma level or other accredited post-Secondary Intuitions for courses to be eligible for transfer credits to another Continuing Education, Certificate & Diploma Programs.
• For some Diploma level programs, the minimum grade required may be higher. Please check with your academic department.

Degree Program Transfers:
Students who have completed studies at another accredited post-secondary institution or at George Brown College must have received:

• C or greater (where C equals 63% or higher) for degree level or University courses, or
• B or greater (where B equals 70% or higher) in a Certificate or Diploma level at an accredited community college/institute of technology courses to be eligible for transfer credits to a degree level program.

Postgraduate Transfer Eligibility:
Students who have completed studies at another accredited post-secondary institution or at George Brown College must have received:

• C or greater (where C equals 63% or higher) for degree level or University courses, or
• B or greater (where B equals 70% or higher) in a Certificate, Diploma level program at an accredited community college/institute of technology courses to be eligible for transfer credits to a degree level program.
  • For some Postgrad level programs, the minimum grade required may be higher. Please check with your academic department.
  • Some Programs may have limited amount of transfer credits eligible. Please check with your academic department. 

Not all GBC courses will be eligible for transfer credit consideration based on program discretion. This is determined on a program by program basis.

Notes:
These grades will not be recorded as graded courses, nor will they be used in the calculation of your grade point average (GPA).
Additionally, you must meet the minimum grade required for the specific course in the program to be granted an exemption & have the credit used in the program requirements. The minimum grade is the higher of the College standard as described above or Program course requirement, for example 'B' in some Health Science programs.
George Brown College reserves the right to assess transfer credits on an individual basis and to make such changes in rules, regulations, and policies as may be required.

See more details in our Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer Credit

A course taken at a different institution or in a different program that is equivalent to and transferred to a course in a George Brown certificate, degree, postgrad, or diploma program. At George Brown approved external transfer credits are shown as an EX (Exemption) on your student record.

Credits transferred between George Brown programs are called Internal Transfer Credits and are applied from the original program to the new program and calculated in the GPA.

Visit our Transfer Credit Master Guide for more information.

Exemption

An exemption is the same as a transfer credit. When a transfer credit from another institution is approved it is recorded as an exemption (EX) on the student record. It is not included in the GPA calculation.

GPA – Grade Point Average

The grade points assigned to a course are the product of the value of the letter grade ("A" through "F" only) and the course credit. A grade point average (GPA) is the sum of the course grade points for all courses divided by the sum of the course credits.

Office of the Registrar Policies, Grading System policy

Block Credits

A group of courses taken at one institution or program that are equivalent to a group of courses at another institution that leads to entry to a program in a semester higher than semester one. These are often, but not always, clearly defined in an Articulation Agreement between the sending and receiving institutions.

The Advanced Standing grade of AS is assigned for courses in a block transfer. The grade is not calculated in your GPA and you are not required to take the courses with an assigned AS grade.

Advanced Standing

A student applying for advanced standing is applying for admission to a program of study to a semester higher than semester one. Advanced standing provides block credits for previous courses taken in a related area of study to a student upon admission, which enables entry to the second semester or higher of a program. For more information see how to apply for advanced standing, contact the Admissions Office at admissions@georgebrown.ca or see policy on Office of the Registrar Policies, Advanced Standing policy.

Advanced standing is the term generally used at George Brown when referring to block transfer credits.

The advanced standing grade of AS is assigned to all courses for the semester for which a block transfer is granted. The grade is not calculated in your GPA and you are not required to take the courses with an assigned AS grade.

Articulation Agreement

An articulation agreement is a formal agreement between institutions that allows transfer of credits from a specific program at one institution to be applied towards advanced standing or entry at another institution. These are routes that students can take to move between different programs, institutions and credentials i.e. 1st year of a business program at one institution may apply towards the first year of a similar business program at another institution.

See the Transfer Agreements and Opportunities Database for articulation agreements signed by George Brown College.

Please also see the ONTransfer Pathway Search for available pathway options.

Pathway

A block transfer opportunity that does not have a formal articulation agreement. An example of a pathway at George Brown would be:

A graduate from any Architectural Technology program in Ontario is eligible to apply to semester 4 of the Honours Bachelor of Technology (Construction Management) program.

See the Transfer Agreements and Opportunities Database for pathways available for transfer into and out of George Brown programs.

You must be a George Brown student in order to receive an official assessment of your previous education and be granted transfer credits. Where possible, we pre-assess transcripts received during the admission process. If any transfer credits are identified, they will show on the Admissions Application Summary page in STU-VIEW once you receive an offer of admission.

If your official transcript has not been assessed or there are other transfer credits you might qualify for, you must submit an application. This is done through STU-VIEW.

The following can assist you to determine what transfer credits you might be eligible for:
Course-to-Course Equivalencies Database
Transfer Agreements and Opportunities Database
Transfer Credit Master Guide – Page 5

Please see:
How to Apply for Transfer Credits - video for assistance in applying
Transfer Credit Master Guide

To be assessed and receive transfer credits, you must be a George Brown student.

Post-Secondary Students
If you have accepted your offer of admission, you will be able to begin applying for transfer credits, please check the important dates calendar for specific dates where you may begin to submit transfer credit applications.

Continuing Education Student

For more information on continuing education transfer credits, please visit the Continuing Education website.

Official Transcript — We require this to be sent electronically to transfercredit@georgebrown.ca from your previous institution and/or a secure third party credential sending platform (i.e. Mycreds or Parchment). We cannot accept transcripts from your personal email address (exception of WES/ICAS Evaluation reports).

Students with international education, please see I have International Education.

Where do I sent my transcript?

As noted, we require official transcripts to be sent electronically to transfercredit@georgebrown.ca from your previous institution and/or a secure third party credential sending platform (i.e. Mycreds or Parchment). We cannot accept transcripts from your personal email address (exception of WES/ICAS Evaluation reports).

Course Outline/Syllabus 

For the course from your previous institution, they must also be the one issued from the time you took the course. If the outline/syllabus is not in English or French, an official translation must be submitted. For assistance in obtaining a previous course outline in Ontario please visit the ONCAT webpage.

*Note – In order to submit a transfer credit application both your official transcripts and course outline will need to be included. We will not accept applications with missing supporting documentation.

The application in STU-VIEW has upload functionality for you to attach your course outline to your application. Transcripts will only be uploaded by the Transfer Credit Office; students may not manually upload their transcripts without following one of the methods previously mentioned.

Minimum Grade

Generally, you must have achieved at least 60% in order to receive a transfer credit. There are courses that require a higher minimum grade to qualify for a transfer credit. While very effort is made to ensure that a higher minimum grade required is noted in the Course-to-Course Equivalency Database, changes to the minimum grade requirement can be made at any time. Courses not in the Course-to-Course Equivalency Database may require a higher grade.

For any clarification needed on the minimum grade requirements for your program please reach your academic division.

Note – incoming courses below 60% will not be eligible for application consideration.

To submit an official transcript, you may: 

• Request your transcript through ontariocolleges.ca.
• Request to have your transcript emailed directly from your issuing institution to transfercredit@georgebrown.ca.If you are submitting an evaluation report, email a PDF copy to transfercredit@georgebrown.ca.
• Submit your transcript through a secure third party credential sending platform (i.e. mycreds or parchment).
• Mailed to the following address (*Note – Not recommended unless absolutely necessary due to lengthy delivery times and possible loss of documents during mailing process):
  • George Brown College
  • Office of the Registrar 
  • ATTN: Transfer Credit
  • 160 Kendal Avenue, Toronto ON, M5R 1M3
  • Building C, Room 317

No, if we have already received your official transcript, we will attach it to your application.

If the transcript we have is incomplete, we will contact you for an up-dated official transcript.

No, in order to submit a transfer credit application, we require your official transcripts and course outlines for any courses you wish to have reviewed. We will not accept incomplete applications.

Yes. In order to access your transcript, you need to create an application. If you had your official transcript sent to us electronically from an Ontario institution or if you have previously applied from an institution shown in the Course-to-Course Equivalencies Database, the transcript is already available in your application.

If you have submitted a transcript and it is not available on your application, please contact transfercredit@georgebrown.ca. Include your student ID number and the name of your previous institution.

The course outline is what allows our faculty to determine if a course is equivalent. If you are not able to obtain the course outline, please notify us by emailing transfercredit@georgebrown.ca. Make sure you include your student ID number in the email. We will advise the faculty. In some cases, a decision can be made without the course outline. However, most of the time it is not possible.

If your application indicates "Grade Verification Required" in the Comments column, a course outline is not required.

We want to encourage early applications for Transfer Credit whenever possible, students will be able to apply and submit transfer credit applications at any point during the semester, for any course affiliated with their program. Our Transfer Credit process adheres to an open application model, it is important for students to be mindful of the applicable dates associated with their upcoming semesters when pursuing transfer credits.

For Each Intake: 
Day 1 — Semester Beings
Day 5 — Last Day to Add a Course to the Current Term
Day 10 — Last Day to Drop a Course (with partial refund)

Students who have their Transfer Credit applications approved before Day 1 on the incoming term will be automatically dropped from the course if they are registered in it. 

If the Transfer Credit is approved after Day 1 but before Day 5 or Day 10 of the term, you will receive a notification email that you should go back to Registration and drop the course manually. For assistance with dropping a course please reference information from the Registrar's Office.

You can view the status of your application in STU-VIEW. Click on Registration Services, then Registration. Select either "Submit or Modify an Application for Transfer Credit (Exemption)" or "Review Transfer Credit Application". Each has a table of your transfer credit applications. Check the status column and use the link for more details about what the different statuses mean.

If at any time we have a question that can impact your status, we will contact you by email using both your George Brown email and the personal email you provided with your admission application.

You will also be notified by email of the formal decision that is entered for your application.

If you’ve applied early and received an approval email before Day 1 of the term you will be automatically dropped from the course IF you are registered in it. *Note - General Elective courses will not be automatically dropped if transfer credits are approved before day 1. Please ensure you review your Academic Progress Report on STU-VIEW to confirm General Elective requirements for your program.

If the Transfer Credit is approved after Day 1 but before Day 5 or Day 10 of the term, you will receive a notification email that you should go back to Registration and drop the course manually. 

If the Transfer Credit is accepted after Day 5 but before Day 10, you may not be able to add another course to the current term (same if after Day 10 – you may not get a partial refund if withdrawing from the course/program, but you may drop the course without academic penalty).

For Each Intake: 
Day 1 — Semester Beings
Day 5 — Last Day to Add a Course to the Current Term
Day 10 — Last Day to Drop a Course (with partial refund)

Please refer to important dates calendar for reference with registration related dates.

Please note it is the students responsibility to be aware of their study status in the event multiple transfer credits are submitted and approved. Normally a full-time student is defined as a student who is taking 66% or 2/3 of the courses required in a given semester, however each program and semester may have different requirements. Please contact your academic division to clarify your enrollment requirements to maintain full-time status. 

If the transfer credit is for an elective, you can either drop the elective you are registered in or use the transfer credit for another term. However, it is up to you to drop the course if you do not want to attend the elective you are registered in.

Adding and Dropping Courses

If you wish to remain registered in the course, please email transfercredit@georgebrown.ca to let us know. Please include your Student ID number.

The earlier an application is submitted the sooner we anticipate a decision being reflected by a faculty evaluator. If the application is submitted well before the stated deadline, we aim to have a decision reached within 4 weeks although a final decision may take longer in some cases. If you are concerned about how long it is taking, please contact your academic division.

The decision on all transfer credit applications is final. However, if you wish a review of the decision of your application, please contact the Student Support Representative in your academic division for assistance.

Please include your Student ID number in any emails you send.

Advanced standing is generally granted for all courses in a semester using a block of courses from another institution. In most cases your required courses are waived by your academic division. The courses from your previous institution that were used for advanced standing cannot be used for any further transfer credits.

For Example:
If you attended the first year of a program at Conestoga College and were granted advanced standing for year one of the program at George Brown, you cannot use any of the first year courses from Conestoga College toward any further transfer credits.

If there are additional courses you feel you could receive a transfer credit for in a semester you are required to attend, you can submit a Transfer Credit Application through STU-VIEW.

There are a number of factors that can limit the number of transfer credits you can receive.

Institutional Residency
The minimum number of courses you must complete in your declared program of study at George Brown College in order to be eligible to graduate.

Full-time Programs: Twenty-five percent (25%) of the declared program of study must be earned at George Brown College. 

Continuing Education: Programs eligible for George Brown College certificates,
Fifty percent (50%) of the declared program of study must be earned at George Brown College.

Continuing Education: Continuing Education Exemption Policies
Office of the Registrar Policies, Graduation and Convocation Ceremonies policy.

In a full-time post-secondary program, you may receive up to 75% of your total course requirements as transfer credits and /PLAR.
*Note – Certain Postgraduate Level Programs may have limitations when it comes to the quantity of transfer credit exemptions available. Please inquire with the academic division for any additional questions.

Breadth Requirement for general education
You are required to complete a number of general education courses in your programs from three categories, Humanities, Social Science, and Science. You may be limited in the number of general education transfer credits you can receive in any one category in order to meet the breadth requirements.

For more information about the breadth requirements for your program, see:

• General Education Requirements
• Liberal Studies Requirements
• General Education and Liberal Studies Electives – see Choosing Courses for a Transfer Credit Application

Maintaining Full-Time status
If you are required to maintain full-time status as a student, this can limit the number of transfer credits you can receive in a given term. Generally, you can receive two transfer credits and still remain a full-time student each term.

When you accept your transfer credits in STU-VIEW you will receive a warning if you drop below full-time status. You may elect to remain registered in a course that you have received a transfer credit for or speak with your Academic Department to see if there are other courses you can take in place of the transfer credit. This will allow you to remain a full-time student.

Yes, a list is available in our Course-to-Course Equivalency Database. Select your country, province and institution from the drop down menu to see a list of equivalent courses. We currently have limited data available for international institutions.

See I have International Education for more information if you wish to transfer courses from institutions outside Canada.

If a course is not listed in our database but you would like it reviewed for transfer credit consideration our Transfer Credit Master Document will provide guidance and advising on how to identify potential course equivalencies.

The Transfer Credit Master Guide – Page 5 is designed to assist you in determining which of your courses you can select for transfer credits. After reviewing the guide, submit your application for transfer credits through STU-VIEW. We will evaluate your course outline and official transcript.

Yes, in most cases you need to have taken the course at your previous institution within the last 5 years in order to qualify for a transfer credit. If you took a course ten years ago, the content may be out-of-date now and not applicable to the current curriculum. There are some exceptions where the time limit may differ. In some specialized programs, the time-limit is 2 years. Contact the academic division for time limits on the program to which you wish to transfer your courses.

However, you may apply for English and elective courses that were taken outside the 5 year limitation. They will be evaluated for equivalency. Course outlines are required.

For assistance in determining which of your previous courses meet the general education/liberal studies elective requirements, please see section within the Transfer Credit Master Guide.

See Course-to-Course Equivalency Database for courses that will grant a generic general elective or liberal studies transfer credit.

Yes, we do accept applications for transfer credit for international educational institutions.

See I have International Education for more information.

These are called internal transfer credits. Many are transferred automatically, such as college English and general education and liberal studies electives.

Course to Course: If you were previously in a full-time program or have taken courses in Continuing education, you may be able to use these credits towards your new program. You can use your CAPP – Credential Evaluation or "What-If" analysis tools to help determine which course may be applied to your new program. If courses are applied you will be required to drop them from your schedule. You can do this through STU-VIEW.

Always seek academic advising prior to dropping courses.

If there are courses that are not applied to the new program, contact your academic division. They will review the remaining courses to determine transferability to the new program.

Adding and Dropping Courses

Program to Program: There are a number of George Brown programs with articulation agreements or pathways to other George Brown Programs. Visit the "Careers and Post-Graduate Study Opportunities" section for the program you are transferring to and transferring from for block transfer opportunities.

Program Finder

You may be eligible to register in another full-time post-secondary course that has the same number of hours at no additional charge to replace a course you no longer need to take. This is subject to course availability and space in the class. Please contact your academic division for assistance and advising.

Receiving credit for work experience is known as Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. Your learning will be evaluated as it would be in a classroom environment and your assessment will be graded.

It is recommended that you begin this process at least 3 months prior to the actual start date of your course.

Students on average can have two exemptions in any one term before dropping to part-time status, thereby affecting tuition fees, and OSAP eligibility. Normally a full-time student is defined as a student who is taking 66% or 2/3 of the courses required in a given semester. You may have to return an OSAP loan if your status changes to part-time (less than 60% course load). Each program and semester may have different requirements. 

A George Brown College diploma is a passport to further education at many local, national and international postsecondary institutions.

The Transfer Agreements and Opportunities Database contains transfer agreements and opportunities for George Brown College students and graduates. It is for information purposes and is subject to change at any time. Also, visit ontransfer.ca and the websites of the individual educational institutions that interest you for qualification, admission and application information.

For policy and procedures information email transfercredit@georgebrown.ca or call our Contact Centre at 416-415-2000.

If you are having problems with the application in STU-VIEW, please include a screen shot of the error message you are receiving.

For course equivalency information or for specific program information, contact the respective academic division.

• Advanced Standing
• Applying for Admission
• Course-to-Course Equivalencies Database
• Transfer Credit Master Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions About Academic Records
• Frequently Asked Questions About CAPP- Credential Evaluation
• Frequently Asked Questions About College Processes
• General Education and Liberal Studies Electives
• I have International Education
• Important Dates
• College Policies, Office of the Registrar Policies
• ONTransfer
• Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
• Register Now Main Page
• Transfer Agreements and Opportunities Database