Transfer of credits

If you have completed academic studies from a Swedish or foreign institution of higher education, other relevant studies or occupational work experience, you can apply to have it credited to a course or part of a course at Umeå University. You may also need to apply for transfer of credits to fulfil the requirements for your intended degree. A decision approving a transfer of credits means that you do not have to study the corresponding course or part of course twice.

Before you apply

How do I get help if I have questions about what I should apply for?

Contact a study counsellor if you need help with your study planning and what transfer of credits you should apply for. You can choose to contact a study counselor at your department, your program or a general study counselor at Student Services.

If you need your transfer of credits to fulfill the requirements for your intended degree, we recommend that you find out what is required for that degree. You will find the degree requirements in the relevant local qualifications descriptor (in Swedish only), which can be found here.

What is required for me to be able to apply?

• You shall be admitted to and pursue academic studies at Umeå University.
• Your previous academic studies (courses or part of course/module) must be completed, that is to say, have been awarded a grade.
• Your previous academic studies or occupational work experience should substantially correspond to the course, or part of the course, you want to receive equivalent credits for.

Keep in mind that it is required that your submitted application is complete with the necessary documents in order for us to be able to assess it.

When can I apply?

You have to be admitted to and registered for education at Umeå University to be able to apply for transfer of credits. Apply well in advance before the course starts, but not earlier than the term before the course starts that you want to receive a transfer of credits corresponding to.

The processing time is normally within 60 days, and varies depending on how extensive the particular case is. The processing time is counted from when your application is complete and with the necessary documents.

What can I apply for?

As a student at Umeå University you can apply for transfer of credits to a course or part of a course based on relevant studies or occupational work experience. You can also have previously completed academic courses assessed to another main field of study which is established at Umeå University, or as studies abroad.

If you want to get credit transfer for parts of a programme, you need to know which courses are included in the programme. You will find that in the programme syllabus. Seek out syllabuses for programmes and courses in the university's syllabus search to find out their content.

What do I need to apply for transfer of credits for?

You must apply for a transfer of credits if

• you want to earn a particular degree where some courses are required that you have not taken, but you have previous experience that you think corresponds to the course(s).
• you have studied courses at another educational institution which has been classified as courses within a particular main field of study, but which you think corresponds to the main field of study (established at Umeå University) in which you desire to graduate.
• you have completed academic studies abroad that you want included in your upcoming degree.

What shall I not apply for transfer credits for?

You shall not apply for a transfer of credits if you

• have completed courses from a recognised Swedish educational institution and your planned degree has space for elective courses. You choose which elective courses you want to include when applying for a degree. NOTE! A transfer of credits shall always be made from academic studies abroad, even if they are to be used as optional elective studies.
• have completed courses from another recognised Swedish university that belongs to the same main field of study as you want in your degree. Instead, you specify these courses when you apply for the degree.
• are applying for a later part of an educational programme. However, you may need to apply for transfer of credits if you are admitted and commence your academic studies. Contact the student counsellor or the person in charge of the relevant study programme if you have questions about the application for a later part of the educational programme. Contact information for study programmes can be found our education website.

Will my student grants and loans for studies from CSN be affected if I have my application for transfer of credits granted?

If your application for transfer of credits is granted, it may have an impact on your student grants and loans for studies from CSN. Contact CSN for questions concerning student grants and loans for studies.

Transfer of credits and guaranteed admission, grades and getting a degree

A credit transfer decision does not mean that you have a guaranteed place on a course, part of a course or study programme.

You will not get a grade on the course or course module since there has been no new examination of your knowledge.

A course or part of a course that you have a decision approving a transfer of credits for, can not be included in your degree together with the course that the decision is based upon. The credits can not be counted twice and the degree must only be based on courses that do not overlap.

A decision on transfer of credits is not also a decision on which courses may be included in a degree.

What is required for your intended degree is stated in the local qualifications descriptor (in Swedish only).

Apply for transfer of credits

What documents for previous studies do I need to send with my application?

When you apply for transfer of credits and want to base your application on previous relevant studies, you need to attach documents that confirm your knowledge.

We accept documents issued in Swedish or English. If your documents are issued in languages other than these, you must make sure that they are translated by an authorized translation agency. Please note that you must be able to show original documents if we request it.

For previous academic studies, you need to enclose:

• Syllabi for your completed previous academic studies, which are relevant for the semesters you studied the courses.
• Your previously completed thesis/degree project (if it will be the basis for your application).
• Laboratory reports (if laborations will be the basis of your application).
• Certificate of education other than at Swedish university or university college.

For previously completed studies abroad, you must also enclose the Official Transcript of Records:

• The Official Transcript of Records must be issued by the university (or other academic institution) you have studied at. The Official Transcript of Records must be digitally signed or verifiable, e.g. via link or QR code. If your Official Transcript of Records lacks this possibility for verification, it must be sent directly from the university to Umeå University.
• The Official Transcript of Records must state the name of the educational institution, name of the course, date of completion of academic studies, academic level and the credits earned, along with the grades received.
• Enclose all pages of the Official Transcript of Records along with information about the university (or other institution of higher education education) and its educational and grading system.

What documents for occupational work experience do I need to send with my application?

When you apply for transfer of credits and want to base your application on relevant occupational work experience, you need to attach documents that confirm your knowledge and skills.

We accept documents issued in Swedish or English. If your documents are issued in languages other than these, you must make sure that they are translated by an authorized translation agency. Please note that you must be able to show original documents if we request it.

For previously completed occupational work experience, you need to enclose:

Certificate from the employer (not salary specification or employment contract). The employer's certificate must state:

• Relevant work tasks that you had during your employment. Your work tasks must be stated extensively.
• The extent of the work (% of full-time or number of hours if you have been employed by the hour)
• Period of employment (yymmdd-yymmdd)
• Information about any leave of absence (yymmdd-yymmdd)
• Date, signature and contact details for the employer

"Relevant work tasks" means something that corresponds to the course objectives and the content of the course or part of the course that you want  transferred to credits.

The decision will be based on how well your documented experiences correspond to the course content, objectives and expected study results. You will find the syllabus for the current course in the university's syllabus search.

If you have other documentation that proves your knowledge and skills and that may have a bearing on the decision on transfer of credits, you should enclose that documentation when you apply.

Apply here

Make your application here.

Check your e-mail address in Ladok
In Ladok for students, your e-mail address is normally already registered and it is automatically included when you apply for transfer of credits. Notifications concerning your application and the decision will be sent to that e-mail address. If you want to use a different e-mail address you must enter it when you make your application. It is also possible to change the e-mail address under "My pages" in Ladok for students.

Once you have submitted your application

Confirmation that your application has been received

You can see your submitted application on "Credit transfer" when you are logged in to Ladok for students. Your application can be found under the heading "Current cases" where you can see, for example, the case number of the application. Any messages and the decision regarding your transfer of credits will be sent to the e-mail address you have in Ladok. Please note that the e-mail may end up in your spam folder. 

How your application is processed

Once you have submitted your application, it is received, processed and decided by Student Services/Degree Evaluation Office.

The university will make an assessment of the contents and level of the studies or occupational work experience you want to transfer credits for. We assess what knowledge you have gained from this and compare it to the content of the course at Umeå University that you want to transfer credits to. After the assessment, you will receive a decision if your application is granted (approved), partially granted​ or if your application is rejected. The decision​ will be sent to you via e-mail.​​​​​​​

How can I add information or change my application?

If you have already submitted the application and want to supplement it with additional information or attachments, you shall not submit a new application, instead notify Infocenter. Remember to also enter your case number or Swedish personal identity number and to attach any documents, when contacting Infocenter. The person handling your application will receive your message.

If the course starts before you have received a decision

If the course you have applied for transfer of credits to starts before you have received a decision, our recommendation is that you study the course until you have received the decision.

If you choose to complete the course and no longer wish to apply for transfer of credits, you must withdraw your application before a decision has been made. You can do this by sending a message to the Student Services/Degree Evaluation Office via the contact form on this page.

We will contact you via e-mail

If we need additional information or documents from you, we will send you an e-mail to the e-mail address you have in Ladok. The decision concerning transfer of credits will also be sent via e-mail.

Please note that the e-mail may end up in your spam folder.

Normally you will receive a decision to your application within 60 days

The Student Services/Degree Evaluation Office will make a decision concerning transfer of credits as soon as possible and then send the decision to you via an e-mail message. Please note that the e-mail with the decision may end up in your spam folder. 

The processing time for transferring credits is usually within 60 days. However, this may vary during the year depending on how many applications have been received and on how extensive your particular matter is. The processing time will not start until your application is complete and with the necessary documents.

You can appeal if your application is denied

If all or part of your application is denied, you are entitled to appeal against the decision. Information about what you need to do if you want to appeal will be stated in the notification of the decision on your application. The appeal must be made in writing and submitted to the Registrar at Umeå University within three weeks of the date you received notification of the decision.

Please note that you can only appeal decisions based on the qualifications you provided, and the documentation that you attached, when applying. If you are dissatisfied with a rejection of an application and wish to attach more qualifications, you should not appeal the decision you received. Instead, you should submit a new application where you attach all the qualifications and documentation on which you want your application to be based.

Learn more about how to appeal.

If you pay a tuition fee, you can receive the tuition fee refunded if your application for a transfer of credits is granted

Those who pay a tuition fee, study within a study programme and have had the application for transfer of credits granted, may be entitled to a reimbursement of the tuition fee. More information on tuition fees can be found in the Rules for tuition fees.