External transfer of credit

External transfer credit may be granted to your University of Auckland programme for study from another tertiary institution.  

There are two types of study you could apply for an external transfer of credit:  

• Prior study – study that you have already completed at another tertiary institution. You can apply for prior study to be credited to your programme as an applicant or as a current student 
• Future study – study that you want approval to take at another tertiary institution. You can only apply for future study to be credited as a current student 

Applicants must apply for an external transfer of credit within their application portal. Current students apply for an external transfer of credit by filling out an online application to study.  

This page has some things that all applications have in common. We ask that you take note of these things before beginning your application so that you can prepare appropriately. 

Credit regulations 

All external transfer of credit applications will be assessed under:  

• The credit regulations within the University of Auckland Calendar
• Other regulations that are relevant to the University of Auckland programme that your credit will be counted towards 

We use the term “courses.” You may also know them as papers or classes.   

The credit regulations can be confusing to read. We do encourage you to check them, however, there are some key things to note before you apply: 

• Credit for stage I and II courses are the most commonly approved  
• Credit for stage III and postgraduate courses are more likely to be approved for future study 
• In most cases, undergraduate-level courses from another institution cannot be transferred to a postgraduate programme  

Transfer Credit Calculator 

If you have completed studies at a New Zealand university, you can use our Transfer Credit Calculator to give an indication of which courses may be credited to the University of Auckland.  

The Transfer Credit Calculator is available for both future and current students to use. International students who have completed tertiary study in New Zealand may also want to use the Transfer Credit Calculator. 

The University is continuously adding new courses and institutions to the Transfer Credit Calculator. If your institution or course is not listed, it you may still be able to get credit transferred. 

Please note that the results you get from the Transfer Credit Calculator do not guarantee that you will be awarded a transfer of credit. 

Regardless of whether you can find your course or institution within the Transfer Credit Calculator, we encourage you to still make an external transfer of credit application. 

Timeframes for processing 

The assessment of an external transfer credit application varies by case and the timing within the academic year.  

Application processing can be affected by the following factors:  

• The time of the academic year in which your application is being processed. Credit assessments are prioritised mainly in the lead up to a semester 
• Your application requires a specialised assessment. This is particularly the case with overseas study as these qualifications are more complex to assess. Your application may be forwarded to the relevant department for review 

How you can check the status of your external transfer of credit application 

1. A checklist item will be added to your student account notifying you that an assessment has begun. You can view this in Student Services Online 
2. When the assessment is completed, this checklist will be closed  

Receiving a decision on your application 

An email will be sent to notify you of the outcome of your credit assessment. If your credit has been approved, you will be able to view the details in your unofficial transcript – this can also be accessed within Student Services Online. 

Guidance and support for choosing courses and planning your degree 

For degree and planning advice, please visit your nearest Student Hub. 

If you are not able to visit in person, please Contact us. 

Applicants are students who are not active in a University of Auckland programme at the time that they want to apply for an external transfer of credit.  

If you are an applicant and want to apply for a transfer of credit you must do so as part of your application. The external transfer of credit form is for current University of Auckland students only. 

Within your application, you will be asked if you want to apply for a transfer of credit. Please indicate that you do want to apply for a transfer of credit. 

• Get all your required course outline information and transcript(s) ready 
• Select ‘yes’ to the question 
• Combine all documents into a single PDF file and upload this to your application portal 
• Upload your PDF file for a credit transfer online through your application portal

A hard copy may be required but you will be advised if this is the case.

Your credit cannot be assessed until you have:  

• Submitted all required documents for your credit transfer  
• Received an offer of place for your chosen programme 

Please note that your application to study and your application for an external transfer of credit is assessed separately. You will likely receive an offer of admission first.

Depending on the volume of applications we receive, your application for an external transfer of credit may still be in the assessment stage after your first semester of study has begun. 

After you submit your application 

Keep an eye on the status of your external credit transfer application by logging into your application portal to view your ‘Things you need to do’ list. 

We understand that there may be times where you don’t get it right. These are some common issues and how you can solve them. 

Applied but did not select you wanted a credit transfer   

If you have applied but did not select ‘yes’ to wanting a credit transfer and now want to apply for a credit transfer as part of your application, you will need to contact us.

This is so we can add an option in your application to upload your credit transfer documents.  

In your email, you should include the following information: 

• Your full name 
• Your Student ID number 
• The programme that you want your external credit to go towards 

Applied and accidentally asked for a credit transfer 

If you have applied and accidentally selected ‘yes’ to wanting a credit transfer and now do not want to a credit transfer, you will need to contact us.  

Transferring credit from one University of Auckland programme to another 

Please note that the process to transfer internal credit is different. If you’re currently studying or previously graduated from the University of Auckland and want to request for your prior courses to be credited to your new programme. 

For more information, please see:

As a current student, you will need to complete an online form to apply for an external transfer of credit.   

We will ask you to confirm your study details, as students sometimes change their path of study but do not update these changes on their record (i.e., not updating your major in your Student Services Online).  

Supporting documentation

You will be asked to provide supporting documentation on the courses you wanted credited.  

Applying for external credit for 360 International Semester Exchange?  

360 International manages the credit transfer process for students enrolled in the semester exchange programme.

If you plan to take any courses on your exchange which are not listed on your signed Course Approval forms, these must be approved by your Faculty before a credit transfer can be completed. 

To find out more about the credit transfer process and what documents you need to provide, please see Returning to Auckland.

For more information on the semester exchange application process please visit Semester Exchange.  

You can also Contact the 360 International team.

Is certification required? 

Certification is not required for your course outlines but is required for your academic transcript. 

Is translation required?  

If your course outlines and/or academic transcripts are in a language other than English, you will need to have these translated.  

Submitting your application 

Your application for an external transfer of credit cannot be assessed until you have:  

• Submitted the relevant form for your type of study 
• Submitted all required documents for your credit transfer  
• Paid the $85.00 application fee 

The decision made on your application will be based on your qualification and the course outlines provided.