Transfer Credit
Two separate sets of approval are required for a transfer course to count toward the Biology major requirements.
University Approval
Obtaining University Approval
The guidelines for transferring courses to Stanford are located on the Registrar's Office webpage. Competing these steps will add your units to a separate "transfer credit" section of your Stanford transcript. Your course(s) cannot be counted toward major requirements without this approval, so be sure to complete this step as soon as possible.
Department Approval
Tip: Before you start filling out department forms, check the "Pre-Approved Courses" document. If your course is in there, you are done with this step!
Obtaining Department Approval
If your course(s) are not pre-approved for department credit, you will need to petition for transfer credit using the steps outlined below.
Complete the Evaluation Form
Fill out the Transfer Credit Evaluation Form (fillable). One form is required per subject area (e.g. One form for all Math courses and one form for all Chemistry courses).
Provide Supporting Documents
Attach the following materials to your completed evaluation form:
- course description (generally found in the course catalog)
- syllabus, including description of prerequisites, list of readings, term papers, and/or exams
Submit to Biology Student Services
Bring the materials to the Student Services Officer in Gilbert 118. Optionally, you may email them to Patricia Ayala Macías (cbeer [at] stanford.edu (subject: Transfer%20Credit%20Evaluation%20Request) (ayalamac@)).
Follow Additional University Transfer Credit Steps
Visit the Registrar's website and follow the steps to have your course units transferred to Stanford, if you have not already done so.
Department Deadlines
Transfer Students
Transfer students should submit their transfer credit requests as soon as possible, even if they have not yet declared the Biology major. This will allow the Student Services Officer to have the most accurate information when relaying quarterly degree progress updates once the student has declared.
Current Students - Lower Division Courses
Students petitioning for a lower division course they have not yet taken are strongly encouraged to have the course evaluated prior to enrolling. If that is not feasible, transfer credit petitions will be accepted up to the add/drop deadline two quarters prior to a student’s intended graduation date. For example, a Spring graduate must submit their transfer credit evaluation requests no later than the add/drop deadline for Autumn quarter senior year.
Current Students - Electives
When requesting equivalency for an upper division Stanford course, the course content must be approved in advance by a department faculty member teaching comparable subject matter or by the Biology Undergraduate Studies Committee. Exceptions will not be made for upper division electives courses that were not submitted in advance.