General Advice to Transfer Students

Am I a Rising Junior Transfer Student starting at Occidental or am I a Sophomore Transfer starting at Occidental?

Transfer students are awarded a set number of semesters of aid upon acceptance to Occidental. You can find this in your letter from Financial Aid.

Rising Junior Transfer Student: Awarded four semesters of aid
Rising Sophomore Transfer Student: Awarded six semesters of aid
Sophomore Student transferring mid way through the sophomore year: Awarded five semesters of aid
If you do not receive Financial aid, you can judge your status by how many semesters you intend to spend at Occidental to complete your degree.
If you receive Veterans benefits contact the Veterans Administration Office to determine your aid package.
If you have any questions about your aid package you should contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@oxy.edu

Where can I see my expected graduation date?

You can find your expected graduation date on the Grades & Academic Records module or on Degree Works.

To access Grades & Academic Records or Degree Works, log into myOxy and look for the relevant link in the Academics box at the top of the dashboard screen.

How can I see the list of courses that have been accepted for transfer credit?

Go to myOxy > Grades & Academic Records and click on the link for Transfer Courses. Each course should be listed with the number of credits (in semester units) that were awarded. If you see courses marked IP (in-progress) it most likely means that the Registrar’s Office has not yet received an official transcript with grades for that course.

What do I need to do to complete my degree?

In order to complete your degree you must earn at least 64 units at Occidental, must complete all Major and Core requirements, complete first and second stage writing, and have earned 128 units by the end of your final semester at Occidental. When planning how to complete your degree it is important for you to know that at most 64 units may be transferred into Occidental from elsewhere. See the degree requirements here.

How many units should I be enrolling in each semester?

The standard load at Occidental is 16 units each semester, but all students can enroll in up to 18 units a semester. See the policy here.

When should I plan to have completed my Core requirements?

If you enter as a Rising Junior it is imperative that you complete all of your requirements as soon as possible while also getting started on your major, so that you can focus on your major and take advantage of any opportunities in the time you will be at Occidental. If you are starting Occidental mid way through your sophomore year or earlier in your academic career, you should aim to complete your Core requirements by the end of your sophomore year. Most majors do have courses that meet core requirements and that should be something you take into consideration when setting out your plan to complete your major and your core requirements.

How do I determine whether the courses I took before meet Major, Minor or Core requirements, and how can Degree works record reflect that?

Core requirements: The registrar did a preliminary review of all of your transfer work, and the letter you received from the registrar/admissions outlines how many units have been transferred and which of Occidental’s Core requirements you have met with your prior courses. If you have any questions about which Core requirements you have met you should contact the Core Office at coreprogram@oxy.edu.

Major and Minor requirements and course equivalencies: With very few exceptions, your prior courses have not been marked as equivalent to Occidental’s courses. But some of your courses may be equivalent to Occidental courses, and even if they are not equivalent they may meet major or minor requirements at Occidental. For any of your transfer courses the transfer student adviser/department chair of the department that would house the course is the person who needs to determine whether the course is equivalent to an Occidental course and/or whether it meets a major or minor requirement for a major or minor offered in that department. You will need to meet with the transfer student adviser or department chair for that department, share the syllabi (preferred) or course descriptions, and have them fill out a Transfer Credit and Course Substitution form with the requirements met or course equivalencies determined. You must submit that form to the registrar to have those decisions noted and reflected on your record. It is strongly advised that you do this before you register for the first time.

How do I know which courses to enroll during my first semester for my intended major?

Go to the College Catalog page for the major you are interested in and you will find that it includes both general advice regarding the major specifically for transfer students, and guidance on what to register for in your first semester to stay on track for the major. The transfer advice section will also tell you who the transfer student adviser is for the major, and you should contact that person if you have any questions as soon as possible, and if possible before you register for the first time.