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Credit transfer

If you are a student at Linnaeus University and have previous credits from a Swedish or foreign university, you can apply for credit transfer. Other types of education or training, as well as work experience, may also count as prior learning that can be converted into higher education credits. In most cases, previous studies can be included directly in the degree that you are pursuing, but sometimes credit transfer is required.

In order to be eligible for credit transfer, you must be admitted to, and registered on, at least one course at Linnaeus University.

You will not receive a grade for courses or parts of courses for which credits have been transferred. Note that if you have already successfully completed a course at an earlier point in time, you should not apply for credit transfer; in such a case, the course is instead included directly in your degree.

Before you apply 

The first thing you should do is to find the syllabus for the course that you wish to replace. Go through the objectives and the content of the course and compare with your own knowledge and skills.

Next, you should answer the following questions:

  • Are you a student (that is: admitted and registered) at Linnaeus University?
  • Have you successfully completed your previous studies? (Only courses for which you have been awarded at least a Pass will be considered.)
  • Do you have all the required supporting documentation? (For more information about required documentation, please see “Applying” below.)

If the answer to all three questions is “yes”, you are ready to apply for credit transfer. If the answer to one or more of the questions is “no”, but you have applied all the same, your application may be rejected.

It is also a good idea to make sure that you actually need to apply for credit transfer, to avoid unnecessary waiting for a decision. For more information about this, please see “Credits for previous studies” and “Credits for work experience” above.

Applying 

When you apply for credit transfer or conversion of work experience into credits, the objectives, content, and scope of your previous studies/work experience will be assessed relative to the relevant course at Linnaeus University.

This means that it is important that you provide proper documentation of these aspects when you apply.

  • If you wish your previous studies/work experience to be assessed relative to more than one course at Linnaeus University, you should submit one application for each course.
  • All the required documents must be attached as PDF files. Make sure to name the files so that it is clear what they contain, to facilitate processing of your application.
  • Make sure that any scanned documents are clearly legible.
  • We encourage you to make your own comparison between the syllabus for the course that you have taken and the course at Linnaeus University that you wish to replace, to see if objectives, content, and number of credits correspond. You find all Linnaeus University syllabi online.

Linnaeus University’s archive of course and programme syllabi

The application is best made via "My Ladok" (see below).

It is important that your application is complete in order for it to be processed, so we encourage you to go through the instructions carefully before you submit. The application will not be processed until it is complete, with all the required documents attached.

If you have any problems submitting your application via "My Ladok", please do not hesitate to contact tillgodo@lnu.se.

If, for some reason, you wish not to – or cannot – use the web application, please contact us at tillgodo@lnu.se for information about alternative ways of applying.

Application

If, for some reason, you wish not to – or cannot – use the web application, please contact us at tillgodo@lnu.se for information about alternative ways of applying.

Application decision

Once you have submitted a complete application, the turnaround time is approximately one month, although it may, in some cases, take longer than that, depending on the examiners’ workload. Once a decision has been made, you will be notified of the outcome by email. There are three possible outcomes, which you can read more about below.

Appeals

If you disagree with the decision you have received, you may appeal within three weeks from the date you received it. Your appeal should be addressed to the Higher Education Appeals Board and sent to Linnaeus University.  

The decision notification email will include further information on how to appeal.

Regulations

FAQ - frequently asked questions and answers

I’ve got into a course/programme – when do I count as a student, so I can apply for credit transfer?

Before you can apply, you must accept the offer of admission and register on the relevant course or programme. You may register one week before the course or programme starts.

Where should I send my application?

Applications should be made via "My Ladok" (see above). If, for some reason, you cannot or do not want to submit your application via "My Ladok", please contact us at tillgodo@lnu.se 

How will my application be processed?

The Office of Student Affairs will check that your application is complete; if it is not, you will be given the chance to add the missing information.

The request for further information/documentation will be sent to you via email. Once the application is complete, it will be sent to the relevant faculty, where the course examiner will make a decision. The decision is subsequently sent to you via email by the Office of Student Affairs.

What should I do if I need to change something in my application?

If you wish to change something in your application after you have submitted it, you need to contact us at t tillgodo@lnu.se and let us know what to change. Do not submit another application!

If my application is approved, how is this documented?

All approvals are documented in Ladok.

Can I add supporting documents to an application that has already been decided?

You cannot add to an application that has already been decided, since that case is closed.

It is perfectly fine to submit a new application, though, with the additional documents attached. You can also appeal if you disagree with the decision you have received.

Can I get student finance for transferred/converted credits ?

You will not receive student finance from CSN for credits that have been transferred or converted from previous studies or work experience. You need to notify CSN yourself if you have applied for student finance for a higher number of credits than you will actually study as a result of having credits transferred/converted. 

Can I take a course that I have been given credit for at a later point?

No – once you have been awarded credits for a course you will not be able to register on the course; consequently, you cannot take it at a later point.

Can one and the same course count towards more than one other course?

Yes, but no more than one of these courses can, in turn, count towards the same qualification.

Does credit transfer apply to contract education?

The Higher Education Ordinance only makes provisions for credit transfer relative to higher education.

Contract education is not considered higher education, nor is a student on a contract education course considered a student as defined by the Higher Education Ordinance; consequently, it is not possible to put transferred or converted credits towards a contract education course. There are, however, two exceptions to this, which are regulated by ordinances 2007:223 and 2011:183, on CPD in the form of contract education for teachers and preschool teachers, and in-service training for headteachers and other school leaders (including preschool and extended school) respectively. Both exceptions concern courses falling under the initiative “Lärarlyftet”, offered by Linnaeus University on behalf of the Swedish National Agency for Education.

Can I appeal a decision on credit transfer?

Yes, all decisions on credit transfer/conversion can be appealed. You will receive information on how to appeal together with the decision notification.