Common Questions for Ways Transfer Credit
No, the faculty board who reviews your request needs detailed information to understand how a student will experience the "thinking" and "doing" of the Way for each requested course. It is your responsibility to reach out to the other institution to get the most recent syllabus. Your request may be denied or we may ask for you to furnish the syllabus which can delay the review and decision of your request.
All non-Stanford courses must be submitted for review and “pre-approved” to earn Ways transfer credit. COVID exception: During 2020-21, there was an exception allowed for post-course completion evaluation requests.
No, online transfer courses are ineligible for Ways credit. Ways is about the “practice” of “doing” the skills and capacities of the particular Way. An online course does not provide the rigor and interaction of the Way capacity/skill. COVID exception: During 2020-21, there was an exception allowed for online courses.
No, once Ways transfer credit is posted, it is final and cannot be changed.
No, all Ways transfer courses must be pre-approved, so courses taken prior to becoming a Stanford student are ineligible for Ways credit, but they may be eligible for general university transfer credit (excludes units earned towards a high school diploma). Once a student matriculates (frosh), you can request pre-approval for non-Stanford courses to qualify for Ways transfer credit.
The key to identifying classes for Ways is to review the Ways Guidelines which describes each Way. It is a common mistake to classify a course by only the course name. It is important to select the Way that best fits your course since it is reviewed by different faculty subcommittees with particular Way expertise, otherwise, the request can be denied.
No. Only one transfer course may fulfill a Way. You will need to fulfill the other requirement at Stanford.
The syllabus must be submitted in English. If a syllabus is in a language other than English, it must be translated prior to submission.