Credit for Courses Taken Previously
Claiming Exam Credit
Current and prospective CNS students can find information on the website of Student Testing Services about UT college credit associated with AP, IB, SAT, and ACT exams taken in high school.
We strongly recommend you review our FAQs and the section about Claiming and Transferring Credit first.
Transferring Dual Credit
Students who took coursework in high school as dual credit should send in their transcripts from the other institution to UT Austin. Transcripts may take a few weeks for review and processing. Find details on the Transfer Info site from UT Admissions under “Current Students” on how to submit your transcript from another school for transfer credits.
Transferring Additional Credit
Automated Transfer Equivalency System
Students may choose to transfer certain additional courses toward their UT degree. Use the Automated Transfer Equivalency System (ATE) to know what transfer credit will be awarded for common courses transferred from Texas public colleges and universities. Check with an advisor first before taking coursework for transfer–some options may not work for all semesters or degrees.
CNS Concurrent Enrollment Policy
Transferring Biology Coursework
For Bioscience majors, trasnferring Biology coursework to UT presents a unique set of issues and challenges. Upper-division and out-of-state Biology courses rarely transfer to UT directly. Sometimes, transfer students must start the UT Biology sequence from the beginning (BIO 311C) once they arrive at UT.
Texas Community College Lower-Division Biology Transfer Equivalencies:
- BIOL 1406 = BIO 311C + BIO 206LA*
- BIOL 1407 = BIO 311D + BIO 206LB*
*BIO 206LA and BIO 206LB can be petitioned by an advisor to count together as BIO 206L credit in Bioscience degrees. Students with BIO 206LA and BIO 206LB credit will need prerequisite waivers when registering for upper-division Biology labs to meet degree requirements.
Students transferring only BIOL 1406 have credit for BIO 311C only and must take BIO 311D next. Students transferring only BIOL 1407 have credit for BIO 311D only and must take BIO 311C next. Students transferring both BIOL 1406 and 1407 may be ready to take BIO 325 next. Please view UT Admission's Common Transfer Credit Issues for more information.
Most often, students with previous Biology coursework need to submit a complete syllabus for the course(s) they took to be evaluated by a UT Biology faculty member. If you are interested in transferring to UT and have taken Biology courses at another institution, it is strongly advised that you keep your syllabi from those courses, or obtain copies of them from your school before arriving at UT.
Common Biology courses that transfer to UT with a generic course designation, such as the following, must be submitted for faculty review:
- BIO 4FLAB
- BIO 3FRMN
- BIO 4SLAB
- BIO 3SOPH
- BIO 3ADV
- BIO 1LBADV
Students should contact their assigned advisor for information on submitting syllabi for evaluation. Syllabi will be reviewed by UT Biology faculty members, who will determine if the material covered in the course(s) is equivalent to the material covered in UT courses. This process typically takes 4-6 weeks.
Syllabi should include information about the textbook used, the topics covered, and the amount of time devoted to each topic. Lab manuals for courses with labs should be turned in along with course syllabi. Students with more than one course to be evaluated should submit all syllabi at the same time.
Approval of transfer course credit to count for specific course requirements for UT Biology degrees is not guaranteed.
To see how Biology courses from other Texas colleges and universities may transfer to UT, visit UT Admission's Automated Transfer Equivalency website.
Concurrent Enrollment
Concurrent enrollment refers to the act of enrolling simultaneously at more than one college or university, including through online education. Each college at UT has its own policy for the conditions in which you can be concurrently enrolled. Talk to your academic advisor to ensure you know the policy and options before you consider concurrent enrollment.
In the College of Natural Sciences, summer concurrent enrollment is permitted without conditions. Concurrent enrollment is permitted in limited circumstances during fall and spring semesters. You do not need advance approval if you meet both conditions A and B during a fall or spring semester:
A. You are registered in-residence at UT for a minimum of 9 hours, and
B. You want to concurrently enroll in a non-mathematics or non-science course.
To be certain that your courses will satisfy degree requirements, please consult with your academic advisor prior to any concurrent enrollment.
In addition, you do not need advance approval if you meet both conditions C and D:
C. You are registered in residence at UT for a minimum of 9 hours, and
D. You want to concurrently enroll in a mathematics or science course through UT Extension. However, UT Extension will not allow you to take a mathematics or science course through UT Extension if you have already enrolled in it twice at UT.
If you feel you have an academically sound reason to seek an exception to the fall and spring conditions, ask your advisor to initiate a petition prior to enrollment. The Dean's Office will make a final decision and notify you through the Natural Sciences Secure Web Services.
Multiple Degree Seekers: Please note that each college at the University has different policies regarding concurrent enrollment. If you are seeking degrees in more than one college, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are meeting the policies of both colleges.