Transfer Credit

Transfer credit refers to those courses taken at an accredited institution before matriculation at Penn. Students should post those courses to XCAT as early as possible and carefully monitor any requests.

Elementary and Intermediate Language Courses (Spanish 0100 - 0400 Equivalents)

  • Submit your request for transfer credit via XCAT. Be sure to include your course materials (syllabus and detailed course description, including the number of contact hours per week and the length of the course; occasionally tests, quizzes, and compositions may be requested). 
  • Transfer credit exams are held at the beginning of each semester. The transfer credit exam is a 60-minute multiple-choice exam taken in-person at Penn which covers grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. There is no oral or listening comprehension component. Contact the Undergraduate Coordinator to register for the exam.
  • Transfer students may not take the online placement exam as a substitute for the department's transfer credit exam.
  • Based on your transfer credit exam score and your course materials, the director will determine whether or not you will receive credit for the equivalent level at Penn. In the message that you will receive from the director, you will also be given information regarding Spanish placement if you plan to continue with Spanish either to complete your language requirement or to enroll in 1000-level courses. You will also see the department’s decision on your XCAT account by clicking on “list your requests.”
  • As the message from the director will indicate, if you wish to continue taking language courses at Penn, you should register for the course above the level for which you received credit. For example, if you received credit for Spanish 0300, you should register for Spanish 0400.

Advanced Language Courses (Courses above Spanish 0400)

  • Submit your request for transfer credit via XCAT. Be sure to include your course materials (syllabus, detailed course description, tests, quizzes, compositions). 
  • The Undergraduate Chair will use your course materials from XCAT to determine whether or not to award credit for the equivalent level at Penn. You will see the department’s decision on your XCAT account by clicking on “list your requests.”