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.
Credits for previous studies
Examples of situations where credit transfer is required:
- When you do not want to take a mandatory programme course because you have already completed another course with the same content.
- When you wish to include education or training other than higher education in your degree.
Examples of situations where credit transfer is not required:
- When you are “building” your own degree and wish to include courses from another Swedish university.
- When you are “building” your own degree and the courses that you want to include are from an officially recognised foreign university.
- When you are studying on a programme and the course that you wish to replace is not listed as a mandatory course in the programme syllabus.
- When you have previously taken a course at Linnaeus University and you are now on a programme where this same course is mandatory. Please note that the course name must be the same; if it is not, credit transfer is required.
- When you wish to replace optional programme courses. If, on the other hand, you wish to replace elective programme courses, you should primarily contact the programme coordinator.
Higher education credits cannot be transferred to the same course that they come from.
If you are unsure what applies to you, please contact degree@lnu.se
Credits for work experience
If you have previous work experience that you wish to convert into credits towards your degree, you must always make a formal application.
Examples include placements, which you may be allowed to skip if you have previous work experience in the same field.
If you have questions about validation of work experience, please contact validering@lnu.se
When you apply for validation of work experience, it is essential that you include a clear written account of your previous professional activities, with detailed information about:
- what you worked with
- what skills and knowledge you acquired as part of your work
- in what way(s) you acquired these skills and this knowledge
- when the work took place.
In your self-evaluation, you should explain in what ways the knowledge and the skills that you acquired correspond to the objectives and content of the course that you wish to replace. You will find the course objectives in the relevant course syllabus.
Linnaeus University’s archive of course and programme syllabi
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 should be attached as files, preferably as PDFs. Do not refer to web pages/URLs, cloud services, or the like, and avoid JPEG files. Make sure to name the files in a way 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 Linnaeus University’s web portal (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 the web portal, please do not hesitate to contact tillgodo@lnu.se.
Documents to be included with an application for credits for previous studies:
- A formal syllabus that was valid when you took the course. A syllabus that was ratified or revised after you took the course will not be accepted. Syllabi are usually available on the relevant university’s website or can be obtained from the university’s registrar.
- The reading list that was used when you took the course.
- A transcript of records/course certificate (certified copies) showing that you passed the course.
You must be able to produce the original documents if so requested by Linnaeus University.
Documents to be included with an application for credits for previous work experience:
Your description of previous work experience should, as far as possible, be supported by written documentation, such as certificates of employment, job descriptions, other types of certificates, diplomas, or the like.
Certificates should include the following information:
- the name of your employer and contact information for your immediate manager
- the duration of the employment
- hours (full or part time)
- a description of your duties, responsibilities, activities, and type of employment
- a certificate of employment/employment contract
- any other certificates or diplomas of relevance.
You must be able to show the original documents if requested by Linnaeus University.
A certificate of employment, a certificate from the headteacher/a teacher, and a self-evaluation are always required for conversion into credits towards teacher education (including supplementary teacher education (KPU)).
For further information on how to apply for conversion into credits towards a teaching qualification, please visit Lärarutbildningsportalen (only available in Swedish).
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.
Approval, partial rejection, and rejection
Approval
Approval means that your application has been fully approved. In addition to the decision, the decision notification will also include information about which of your previous studies/work experience served as the basis for the decision.
The approved credits will be registered in Ladok, so you will be able to see them when you log into Ladok for students.
Partial rejection
If only part of your application has been approved, you will have a partial rejection. The decision notification will then include information about which part has been approved, how many credits you have been awarded, and an explanation as to why the remaining part could not be converted/transferred.
Approved credits will be registered in Ladok, so you will be able to see them when you log into Ladok for students
Rejection
If you receive a rejection, it means that no part of your application could be approved.
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.
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 Linnaeus University’s web portal (see above). If, for some reason, you cannot or do not want to submit your application via the web portal, 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.
Contact us
Please use the following e-mail address to contact us: tillgodo@lnu.se
Administrators
Kristina Anschütz
Phone: +46 (0)470-70 87 21
E-mail: tillgodo@lnu.se
Dan Fogby
Phone: +46 (0)480-44 60 57
E-mail: tillgodo@lnu.se
Johannes Widegren
Phone: +46 (0)470-70 83 11
E-mail: tillgodo@lnu.se
Head of function Degrees/RPL
Desirée Persson
Phone: +46 (0)470 70 87 45
E-mail: desiree.persson@lnu.se
Section Manager
RPL, degrees, validation, and system support
Katarina Holm
Phone: +46 (0)470-70 89 46
E-mail: katarina.holm@lnu.se