A. Required Units for Admission

Although individual consideration is given to each applicant, it is expected that all applicants, except in the most unusual circumstances, will minimally satisfy the unit requirements listed below. A unit represents a year’s work.

For Arts and Education Curricula:

• English 4
• Foreign Language 2
• History or Social Science 2
• Mathematics 3
• Science 1
• Electives 3

For Science and Mathematics Curricula:

• English 4
• Chemistry 1
• Mathematics 4
• Foreign Language 2
• Physics 1
• Electives 4

B. College Courses Taken Prior to High School Graduation

College-level work done prior to high school graduation may be awarded transfer credits upon receipt in the Dean’s Office of the following three documents:

1) An official letter from the college/university stating that the courses were taught on its campus by a member of the regular faculty, open to enrollment by and graded in competition with regularly matriculated undergraduates at the college, and a regular part of the normal curriculum published in the college catalog. Courses taught at the high school will not be accepted;
2) An official, seal-bearing transcript from the college/university;
3) An official letter from the high school principal or guidance counselor describing the college-level program of study.
Transfer credit will not be awarded for college level courses that are used to meet high school graduation requirements.
 

C. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

Students should request that the College Board send AP scores to Villanova University (our code is 2959). AP scores are received in the Registrar's Office and forwarded to our Dean’s Office, where the determination on credit is made. Most AP scores for incoming freshmen reach Villanova by mid-July. If the scores are received before freshmen classes begin, a representative of the Dean’s Office will communicate with the student, then authorize the Registrar's Office to post the appropriate credit to the academic record. For scores received after classes begin, this representative will simply direct the Registrar to add any credit they approve. AP credits appear in the "Transfer Credit" area of the student record.

Incoming students who have taken Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IB) exams should inform their Academic Advisor and should report to the Dean’s Office during the first week of classes to verify Villanova’s receipt of the official scores and to ensure that proper adjustments have been made to their academic record. In some instances scores are sent to the Villanova Registrar after courses have been assigned based on the student’s response to the Incoming Students Questionnaire.

The guidelines for granting credit for courses that are equivalent are shown on the following page. Please consult the Dean’s Office for guidelines regarding equivalency for International Baccalaureate courses. The following is the list of tests and scores and their application to the baccalaureate degree.
 

The first table is a list of AP tests; the second is a list of Higher Level IB tests and scores.

* Sample of lab work needed for approval of lab courses CHM 1103 and CHM 1104

D. Foreign Language Placement

All students who decide to continue their study of French, German, Italian, or Spanish from high school in order to fulfill the Core Curriculum requirement of two courses at or above the intermediate-level are required to complete the online language placement examination for the language in which they will enroll by June 15.

The online language placement examination consists of questions on vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension and generally takes about 25 minutes to complete. Based on the results of the test and a number of other factors (such as the number of years of study of the language in high school, study or time abroad, etc.), the student will be placed at the appropriate level by professors of the language of choice and automatically registered for the appropriate course. For important additional information on the online placement exam and to take the online examination, please visit: http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/modernlanglit/about/langrequirements/placementtest/
 

Please note that if you have never studied French, German, Italian, or Spanish and wish to do so to meet the Core Curriculum language requirement, you must register for the first semester introductory course of the language, Introductory I, numbered 1111. You do not have to take the online placement examination, but remember that in this case, you must successfully complete four semesters of that language.

As an alternative to meet the language requirement, students may choose the two-semester introductory sequence in either Arabic, Chinese, Classical Greek, Japanese, or Russian.

E. Mathematics Placement

The Core Curriculum requirement for all students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is two courses. For Science students, it is two Math courses. For Arts students, one course has to be Math and the second course can be either Math or Computer Science. All incoming students to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences take a Math or Computer Science course in the first semester. A student’s potential choice of major and career plan affects his or her choice of Mathematics.

1. Health Professions, one of the following sequences:
   • Preferred: MAT 1310 and 1315, Calculus for Life Science Applications
   • MAT 1320 and 1325, Calculus for Liberal Arts
   • MAT 1500 and 1505, Calculus
2. The Sciences
   • Biology- MAT 1310 and 1315
   • Chemistry, Computer Science, Comprehensive Science Mathematics, Physics - MAT 1500 and 1505
3. Naval Science, one of the following sequences:
   • MAT 1500 and 1505, Calculus
   • MAT 1320 and 1325, Calculus for Liberal Arts
   • MAT 1310 and 1315, Calculus for Life Science Applications
4. Interdisciplinary Concentrations
   • Environmental Studies- MAT 1230, Introductory Statistics and one course in Calculus
5. Business Minor
   • MAT 1230 and 1235, Introductory Statistics I and II
6. Arts Students
   • Two Math courses. They do not have to be in the same sequence. A student could choose an introductory calculus course and an introductory statistics course; or
   • A Math course and a computer science course.

F. Transfer Credit Hours

Students who have taken college courses at another institution prior to attending Villanova, must present the necessary course descriptions and other documentation as needed to the Dean’s Office before or during their first semester at Villanova. Credit for courses taken at two year institutions (community colleges) will be considered for transfer only if the courses were taken prior to matriculation at Villanova. However, once a student has been matriculated at Villanova, no credits may be transferred from two year institutions. Transfer credit will not be awarded for college level courses that are used to meet high school graduation requirements.

Courses will be given consideration for transfer credit only upon receipt of a seal-bearing, official transcript sent by mail to the College, and, upon request, an official course description (e.g., from a course catalog). If such courses are not presented for evaluation during the first year, no future possibility for evaluation or credit will exist. Transfer credit will be awarded only for approved courses in which a student earns a grade of “C” or better. The actual grade received at the other institution (earned either before attending Villanova or earned during a summer) is not calculated into the student’s cumulative grade point average.

Transfer credits (along with AP credit) may be used for no more that half the courses required for the degree, no more than half the courses for the major, minor or concentration and no more than half the courses required for the core curriculum. No more than four web or distance learning courses may be applied to a student’s degree. With the official transcript the transferring student must identify such courses that appear on their transcript.

Transfer Credit will not be awarded for Accelerated or Fast Forward courses. In order for an non professional three credit course to be considered for transfer credit the course must have met on at least 15 different days and with a minimum total meeting time of at least 37 hours. Intersession courses usually do not meet this criteria. For courses in question the student must provide documentation stating the manner in which the course was taught along with the official transcript. Courses in professional studies will be evaluated on a case-by case basis. The College reserves the right to test student to assess course outcomes.

Transfer Credit will be accepted only from institutions that are accredited by higher education regional accrediting agencies. For current A&S students all courses for transfer must be approved before the course is taken.
 

G. Transferring into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Admission to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is competitive. The number of external transfer students accepted for any given semester is determined by the quota agreed to by the College as part of the Enrollment Management Planning Process. The quota includes not only External Transfer students but also Part-time Division transfers, Readmits of students previously dropped, and previously withdrawn students who wish to return to the College. The number varies from year to year.

1. External Transfer Students
Students wishing to transfer to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after having attended a college or university other than Villanova must submit a formal application to the Villanova University Office of Admissions. External Transfer applicants will be considered for admission if, at the time of submitting their application, they have completed a minimum of eight courses of three credits or more with a grade of “C” or better, and have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0.; or have previously applied to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and were wait-listed. In addition, the applicant must indicate if he/she is also applying to another VU college. Applications who do not meet these minimum qualifications will not have their transfer application accepted for review. Applications must be received by June 1st for the Fall semester and by September first for the Spring semester.

Applicants must also submit an academic plan that indicates a direction for future studies with reference to specific academic programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and identifies a major to be pursued. Students intending to transfer more than fifteen courses must apply to and be accepted into a major before matriculating.

For the college courses taken at another institution prior to attending Villanova applicants must present the necessary course descriptions and other documentation needed for review and credit acceptance. An official, seal-baring transcript must be sent directly by mail to the Dean’s office. In addition, upon request, the applicant must provide official course descriptions e.g., from a course catalog. If such courses and other requested documentation are not presented for evaluation during the application process or by the end of the first year of matriculation, no future possibility for evaluation or credit transfer will exist. Once a student has been matriculated at Villanova, no credits may be transferred from two year institutions.

External Transfer students must complete three academic semesters at Villanova before being eligible to study abroad during the academic year.

2. Regular Program Internal Transfer Students,
Admission to the College is competitive and is based on seats available. The number of internal transfer students to be accepted for any given semester is determined by the projection of places available in introductory sections of Humanities courses for the upcoming semester.

Students seeking to transfer from other VU colleges and schools must do so by completing the form, Application to Enter the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Along with the form the student must submit an academic plan that indicates a direction for future studies with reference to specific academic programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the foreign language to be taken. The applicant also must read and sign the A&S Internal Transfer Policy sheet. In addition, the student must address why he/she is transferring from their current college and program, and indicate if he/she is also applying to another VU college. The application form and Transfer Policy Sheet are available on-line and in the Dean’s Office, 105 St. Augustine.

The deadline for application for internal transfer to The College of Liberal Arts and Science is the second Friday in May for the subsequent fall semester; and the second Friday in December for the upcoming spring semester. Applicants will be notified of the decision either prior to or within one week after the application deadline. Primary notification will be by the student’s Villanova email account.

The primary criteria for evaluation are academic performance while at Villanova. The minimum criteria for application to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for students who have completed only one or two semesters at Villanova is a high school profile that includes a minimum SAT score of 1235 and class standing in the top 15%; or a grade point average of 2.33 for all Arts courses taken at Villanova.

For all students who have completed three semesters or more at Villanova the minimum required for application is a grade point average of 2.33 for all Arts courses taken; and an academic plan that includes a direction for future studies with reference to specific academic programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

3. Part –time Division Transfer Students
The number of transfer students from the Part–time and Continuing Studies Division to be accepted for any given semester is part of the quota for External Transfers agreed to by the College as part of the Enrollment Management Planning Process. The number varies from year to year.

Students seeking to transfer from the Part-Time Studies Division must do so by completing the form, Application to Enter the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from the Part-time Studies Division. Along with the form the student must submit an academic plan that indicates a direction for future studies with reference to specific academic programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and must read and sign the A&S Internal Transfer Policy sheet. In addition, the student must indicate if he/she is also applying to another VU college. The application form and Transfer Policy Sheet are available on-line and in the Dean’s Office, 105 St. Augustine.

The primary criteria for evaluation are academic performance while at Villanova. Students seeking to transfer from the Part-time Studies Division will be required at the time of application to have completed a minimum of eight VU courses of three credits or more with a grade of C or better in each and every course, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Included in the eight courses must be a Math course and at least one semester of a foreign language.

Students who have completed more that fifteen courses of three credits or more must apply to and be accepted into a major before matriculating. Only a maximum of four Distance Learning courses and a maximum of four Fast Forward courses will be accepted toward the degree.

The deadline for application for a student seeking to transfer from the Part-time Studies Division is the last Friday in July for the subsequent fall semester; and the last Friday in December for the upcoming spring semester. Applicants will be notified of the decision either prior to or within one week of the application deadline. Primary notification will be by the student’s Villanova email account.