Office of Graduate Admission – International Transfer Credit for USC
Office of Graduate Admission – International Transfer Credit for USC
Students who completed their studies outside the United States and are seeking graduate-level transfer credit will need to have an evaluation report completed for USC. To be eligible, your undergraduate degree verification (Certification of Studies Report) must have already been completed. If your original USC admission letter indicated that you were admitted as a graduate student without advanced standing, then you would not be able to apply for an IERF evaluation report for graduate transfer credit. Visit USC's Graduate Transfer Page
Evaluation Report
Detail Report
| Required for | Students seeking transfer credit at the graduate level |
| Description | This report confirms studies assessed to have been completed at the graduate level. It will include the relevant institution(s) of study and dates of attendance. It will also list individual courses taken with the converted US semester units, grades, and an overall grade point average, where applicable. |
| Fee | $195 |
| Turnaround Time | Every effort is made to complete the evaluation within 15 business days from the time all the necessary documentation and fees have been received. For information about IERF’s rush services, please see below. |
| View Sample Report | IERF reports are transmitted electronically to USC. An applicant copy (PDF) will also be emailed to you. |
Additional Services
Rush Services
If requesting a Rush service, please note that ALL fees must be paid by cashier's check, money order or credit card only. No personal checks will be accepted for rush applications. Please also note that Rush applications received after 12:00pm PST/PDT will be considered to have been received the next business day. This also applies to payments, correspondence and documentation received after 12:00pm PST/PDT. If additional documentation and/or fees are required, the turnaround time will be effective from the date of receipt of the application, required documents and fee. IMPORTANT: When sending in your official records of study, please write your IERF file number on the outside of the envelope. This will notify us that your case is a rush service, so that we can give your application immediate attention. If you are arranging to have your school or translator send documents directly to our office, please also request that they reference your file number on the outside of the envelope. Unfortunately, if your package does not include your full IERF file number on the exterior, IERF cannot guarantee that your rush service will be correctly applied on the business day it is received.24-Hour Rush (Next Business Day)
| Fee | $200 in addition to the report fee |
| Turnaround time | 24 hours from the receipt of the application, required documents and fee. |
5-Day Rush
| Fee | $85 in addition to the report fee |
| Turnaround time | 5 business days from the receipt of the application, required documents and fee. |
10-Day Rush
| Fee | $60 in addition to the report fee |
| Turnaround time | 10 business days from the receipt of the application, required documents and fee. |
How to Apply
Before you submit your application, please be sure to read our full Terms & Conditions. When you are ready to apply, take advantage of our interactive and user-friendly online application. This facility will guide you step-by-step through the process as well as provide various payment options. At the start of the online application, it will also ask “How Did You Hear About Us?” Using the drop-down menu, please select “USC – Graduate Transfer Credit.” If you have previously applied for an IERF Certification of Studies Report (for your undergraduate degree verification for USC), please provide your old IERF file number when asked. Your file number will be the same for your graduate transfer credit evaluation. Note that missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you have all the necessary documents ready (as outlined in the Required Documentation section below).
Required Documentation
ORIGINAL, OFFICIAL academic records are required for the evaluation of your studies. For this reason, you are advised to mail them to IERF by using a service that has tracking (e.g., UPS, FedEx, etc.). When submitting your academic records to IERF, also be sure to include a cover page with your 10-digit USC ID number. When our office has received your records, an email notification and confirmation will be sent to you. The documents should be mailed to: IERF 10736 Jefferson Blvd, #532 Culver City, CA 90230(Courier services require a phone number for delivery purposes. Please use 310.258.9451. To contact IERF with questions, our team members can best assist you at support@ierf.org). For OFFICIAL records of study transmitted electronically by your institution of study, they may be directed to records@ierf.org. However, if all the necessary details are not included included on the electronic document, IERF reserves the right to request that you contact your institution of study to mail the original official documents directly to our office in hard copy form.
IERF General Document Requirements
Be certain that you have all the necessary documents before sending your application, as missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. This includes official academic records for your graduate studies. To avoid possible delays, please also submit scans of your undergraduate records to ensure that your complete educational profile is on file. These scans can be uploaded in IERF’s online application. Also, be sure to read the IERF Country-Specific Requirements section (below), as it provides a more detailed description of the required academic records by country of study. Please submit the following: ORIGINAL Transcripts / Mark Sheets / Examination Certificates / Academic Records indicating courses/subjects, hours of study/units/credits, and grades/marks/examination results, issued in the original language. These must be issued on institutional letterhead and include official signatures and seals. If the hours/units/credits are not included on the academic records, please submit program descriptions/syllabi issued by the institution, where applicable.
IERF Country-Specific Requirements
This section provides a detailed description of the required academic records by country of study. Please first read the IERF General Document Requirements section above. Please click the button below to view any specific document requirements for your country(ies) of study.
View Country-Specific Requirements
Translations
Translations must be submitted for all records not officially issued in English. These must be in the same format as the original-language documents, line-by-line, word-for-word, and must be typed. IERF reserves the right to request translations prepared by professional translation services. In some instances, professional translations are required. Please be sure to check IERF’s Country-Specific Requirements (see section above) for more information. IERF has negotiated a special discount with University Language Services for our applicants who use their translation services. You can contact them directly through their website to learn more about the discount.
Proof of Name Change
If your name has changed, please submit proof of name change (e.g., copy of a marriage certificate or other legal document, etc.).
Request for Additional Information
Be certain that you have all the necessary documents before sending your application, as missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. Please note that at any time during the evaluation process, IERF reserves the right to request additional documents or that documents be sent directly to IERF by the issuing institution(s). All records received from the institution(s) of study will become the property of IERF and will not be returned to the applicant. Please submit the requested documentation and/or fees within 4 months. Otherwise, your case will be closed and an $80 fee will be required to re-open your case.
Report Delivery & Mailing Options
The Official Report Delivery Fees are as follows:
- Email/electronic delivery for $10 per address
- Regular Mail for $10 per address
- Domestic Secure Mailing for $25 per physical address
- Domestic Next Day Delivery for $40 per physical address
- International Secure Mailing for $75 per physical address
USC Review of IERF Report for Transfer Credit
USC will receive your completed evaluation report from IERF electronically. The IERF report provides a list of graduate-level coursework eligible for consideration for transfer credit. Upon receipt, USC will review your report and make the final determination. Transfer credit requests must be submitted no later than the end of your second term at USC. Also be advised of the following guidelines:
- The institution of study must be confirmed as a recognized degree-granting institution.
- The courses must be evaluated as being graduate in level.
- Courses must not have been counted towards the completion of a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree).Policy: USC does not grant graduate transfer credit for classes deemed to be taken at the undergraduate level (no double-dipping). Instead, students are advised to discuss with their department the possibility of obtaining subject credit for those courses deemed to be taken at the undergraduate level.
- The courses must be evaluated as having the US equivalent grade of B or higher.
- The courses must be evaluated as having the US equivalent of 1 semester credit or more.
- No transfer credit is given for the following:
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- Research/projects
- Language study (ESL courses, etc.)
- Military service
- Dogma courses
- Thesis work
- Labs
Contact IERF
For questions regarding IERF’s evaluation process, please contact us at support@ierf.org. Note that all applicants will receive automatic email notifications whenever there is a change in the status of the application. -