Credit Transfers to The Art Institute of Austin

Many students transfer to The Art Institute of Austin from various colleges and universities. Upon application, they may apply for a transfer of credits for courses they have previously completed with satisfactory grades (2.0 or better) when such courses reasonably relate to similar courses offered by The Art Institute of Austin. All college level credit must have a C (2.0) grade or better to be considered. We need a copy of earned credit prior to matriculation.

Students who have earned college credit at another institution must provide official transcripts of prior education within the first 30 days of starting their first quarter at The Art Institute of Austin. Official documentation of CLEP or AP scores, computer aptitude testing or experience related to transfer, or proficiency credit must also be received within the 30-day grace period in order to be considered for credit. No credit will be awarded after the first 30 days of enrollment. Students who drop and re-enter will not be awarded transfer credit for any work completed after their initial start date. Students who wish to complete coursework at another institution while attending The Art Institute of Austin full time must apply for "concurrent enrollment" approval prior to enrolling. See section on "Concurrent Enrollment".

Transfer of courses in the program specific area (i.e., Graphic Design, Media Arts & Animation, etc.) will be based on course competencies and in the General Education area will be based on content area (Humanities, Communication, etc.) Refer to the Transcript Evaluator for details regarding the awarding of credits.

Credit Transfers from The Art Institute of Austin

The mission of The Art Institute of Austin is to help you to prepare for entry-level employment in your chosen field of study. The value of degree programs like those offered by The Art Institute of Austin is their deliberate focus on marketable skills. The credits earned are not intended as a stepping stone for transfer to another institution. For this reason, it is unlikely that the academic credits you earn at The Art Institute of Austin will transfer to another school.

Programs offered by one school within The Art Institutes system may be similar to but not identical to programs offered at another school within the system. This is due to differences imposed by state law, use of different instructional models, and local employer needs. Therefore, if you decide to transfer to another school within The Art Institutes system, not all of the credits you earn at The Art Institute of Austin may be transferable into that school's program.

If you are considering transferring to either another Art Institute or an unaffiliated school, it is your responsibility to determine whether that school will accept your Art Institute credits. We encourage you to make this determination as early as possible. The Art Institute of Austin does not imply, promise, or guarantee transferability of its credits to any other institution.

The Application Process
If you attended any post-secondary school(s) before you applied to The Art Institute, you may submit your official transcript(s) for evaluation for possible transfer credit. Transcripts from other universities must be received by The Art Institute no later than 30 days after you begin school in order to be considered for transfer credit. Transcripts submitted after the 30-day deadline will not be evaluated and no credit will be awarded.

Transfer credit will be awarded for courses you have already completed with a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) if they are equivalent to courses included in The Art Institute program in which you are enrolled. Courses “transferred in” will appear on your transcript with a “TR” grade, which will not affect your cumulative grade point average (CGPA). Any course(s) for which you receive transfer credit will not have to be taken at The Institute nor will tuition be charged for transferred courses. No more than 50% of total program credits can be awarded through transfer credit.

The amount of transfer credit you receive may affect your eligibility for financial aid, especially if you transfer in so much credit that you no longer qualify. The Student Financial Services Office will be notified of any credit awarded from previous studies, and your planner will address this issue when working with you to establish your financial plan. The Art Institute of Austin has no provision for accepting courses taken on a non-credit basis.