Credit Transfer Index: How Many Prior Credits Online Degree Completion Schools Accept
If you have college credits and no degree, the first question is how many of them count. We read the published transfer rules for 220 schools to find out.
The Headline Number
90 of 120 credits
The median online degree completion school accepts up to 90 of the 120 credits a bachelor's needs. That is 75 percent of the degree, from 57 schools with a published transfer cap.
48 of 57 schools set their cap at exactly 90.
Key Findings
- The median transfer cap is 90 credits. Across 57 schools, the lowest quarter and the highest quarter both land on 90.
- 48 of 57 schools cap transfer at exactly 90 credits. Only 9 schools publish a different number: 4 higher and 5 lower.
- The gap between the lowest and highest cap is 53 credits. Gardner-Webb University stops at 60, and Excelsior University goes to 113. That is more than three full-time semesters of work.
- 21 of 24 schools that publish a residency rule require exactly 30 credits. Pennsylvania State University-World Campus asks for 36, University of Massachusetts Amherst asks for 45, and University of Nebraska at Kearney asks for 32.
- At 11 of 12 schools that publish both numbers, the cap and the residency rule add up to 120. The two rules are one split: what you can bring in, and what you must earn at the school.
- At least 32 of 220 schools describe credit for something other than classes. 25 mention prior learning assessment, 4 mention exam credit, and 8 mention licenses or certifications.
- Each class you transfer saves real money. At the $354 per credit SNHU lists, a 3-credit class is $1,062, and a full 90-credit transfer removes $31,860 from a 120-credit degree.
The Charts
How Many Schools Publish Each Transfer Cap
Schools by highest published cap, in credits. Quarter credits and percentages are converted to a 120-credit semester degree.
How Many Credits You Must Earn at the School
Schools by residency minimum, in semester credits. 24 schools publish this number.
Where the 120 Credits Come From
Five schools from the top to the bottom of the range. Purple is the most you can transfer. Yellow is what you still earn.
The Full Table
Every school below publishes a transfer cap for its online or hybrid bachelor's programs. "Credits still to earn" is the larger of 120 minus the cap and the residency minimum, when the school publishes one.
| School | Transfer Cap | Share of 120 | Residency | Still to Earn | Other Credit Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American InterContinental University | 90 † | 75% | 30 | ||
| American Public University System | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Antioch University | 75 | 63% | 45 | ||
| Arkansas State University | 90 | 75% | 30 | Prior learning | |
| Bay Path University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| California Baptist University | 100 | 83% | 20 | ||
| Campbellsville University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Capella University | 90 * | 75% | 30 | ||
| Colorado State University Global | 90 | 75% | 30 | Prior learning | |
| Columbia Southern University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Concordia University, St. Paul | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Davenport University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Eastern Kentucky University | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| Eastern Oregon University | 90 * | 75% | 30 | ||
| Excelsior University | 113 | 94% | 7 | Prior learning, Exams, Licenses or certifications | |
| Franklin University | 94 | 78% | 30 | 30 | Licenses or certifications |
| Gardner-Webb University | 60 | 50% | 60 | ||
| Grace College and Theological Seminary | 75 | 63% | 45 | ||
| Grand Canyon University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Holy Apostles College and Seminary | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| Liberty University | 90 † | 75% | 30 | ||
| Lindenwood University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Louisiana State University-Alexandria | 90 † | 75% | 30 | ||
| Louisiana State University-Shreveport | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| Marshall University | 72 | 60% | 48 | ||
| Methodist University | 93 | 78% | 27 | ||
| Mississippi State University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Monroe University | 90 | 75% | 30 | Prior learning | |
| New England College | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Northern Arizona University | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| Northwest Missouri State University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Norwich University | 90 | 75% | 30 | Prior learning | |
| Old Dominion University | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| Regent University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Saint Leo University | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | Prior learning |
| Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Southern New Hampshire University | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| Texas State University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| The University of West Florida | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Thomas Edison State University | 90 | 75% | 30 | Prior learning, Licenses or certifications | |
| Troy University | 90 † | 75% | 30 | ||
| United States Sports University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| Unity Environmental University | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of Arkansas Grantham | 90 † | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of Cincinnati | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of Illinois Springfield | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| University of Louisville | 90 | 75% | 30 | Prior learning | |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | Licenses or certifications |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | 75 | 63% | 45 | 45 | Prior learning |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of Massachusetts Global | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of Massachusetts Lowell | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of New Hampshire | 90 | 75% | 30 | 30 | |
| University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of North Texas | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of South Carolina Upstate | 90 | 75% | 30 | ||
| University of South Dakota | 90 | 75% | 30 |
* Published in quarter credits and converted to semester credits. † Published as a percentage of the degree and converted using a 120-credit bachelor's. Credits are semester credits throughout. 57 of 220 schools appear; download the data for all 220.
What It Means for You
A transfer cap is a ceiling, not an offer. A school that accepts up to 90 credits still decides which of your classes count, and your major can use fewer of them. But the cap tells you the best case, and you should know it before you apply.
Most schools in this report leave you 30 credits to earn. At three credits a class, that is ten classes. At 15 credits a semester, it is two semesters of full-time study, or about a year of part-time work.
Price the gap. At SNHU's $354 per credit, the last 30 credits cost $10,620 in tuition, and the full 120 would cost $42,480. Fees and course materials are extra. Run the same math with the per-credit price of every school on your list.
The schools at the high end matter if you have credits from more than one place. Excelsior's cap leaves 7 credits, so a long transcript can finish nearly everything. If your transcript is short, the cap won't matter and the price per credit will.
If you are short on college credit but have work history, look at the 32 schools that describe other credit routes in the table. Our guide on credit for prior learning explains how portfolios and exams work, and our ranking of colleges that accept CLEP lists schools that take exam credit.
Methodology
Source. We read the 871 online and hybrid bachelor's program records in the DegreeCompletion.com directory, which cover 220 schools. Each record comes from the school's own program or catalog page, reviewed in September 2026. We pulled the figures on October 6, 2026.
Transfer cap. The most prior credits a school says it will apply to a bachelor's. When programs at one school differ, we use the highest cap (5 schools publish more than one). 57 schools state a number.
Conversions. Quarter credits are multiplied by two thirds, so 135 quarter credits count as 90 semester credits. Percentages are applied to a 120-credit degree, so 75 percent counts as 90.
Residency. The credits you must earn at the school itself, including "final credits" rules. 24 schools state a number.
Excluded. We left out caps that apply only to community college credits, one associate degree route, or a nursing portfolio. Campus-only programs are not counted.
Other credit routes. A school is counted when its record says it can award credit for prior learning, exams, licenses or certifications. This is a floor, because a school can offer these routes without saying so on a program page.
Price. The per-credit price is SNHU's published online undergraduate rate, checked September 16, 2026. SNHU's transfer policy page lists the 90-credit maximum.
Cite This Report
Reporters, advisors and students can quote any figure here. Please link to this page.
Suggested Citation
Rupe, Taylor. "Credit Transfer Index: How Many Prior Credits Online Degree Completion Schools Accept." DegreeCompletion.com, October 6, 2026. https://degreecompletion.com/reports/credit-transfer-index/
