Incoming first-year students may be able to transfer up to 30 credits. Below is a summary of our policies.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
If you enroll in an AP class in high school and take the official AP exam, we may award college credit for AP scores of 4 or 5 in most subjects other than AP Seminar and AP Research. Official score reports must be received directly from the College Board. A list of AP equivalencies approved for credit at Bentley can be found here.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams
Credit may be awarded for most International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level subjects with a score of 5 or better on the official exam, except Business and Management courses. For any class designated as an IB course in your high school record, your results must be received directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization. A list of IB equivalencies approved for credit at Bentley can be found here.
College Credit
College courses taken at the college will be considered for credit under typical transfer credit guidelines.
Those guidelines include:
- Courses did not count towards high school graduation requirements
- Completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution or non-U.S. institution recognized by the Ministry of Education
- Equivalent to 3 or more semester credit hours
- Final grade of a C or higher
College courses will be considered for credit if offered online or on a college campus, provided the above guidelines are met. Courses offered at a high school will not be considered for advanced standing credit.
Additional Examinations
If you are completing other curricula, you may be eligible to receive advanced standing credit depending on your official examination results, course syllabi and subjects taken. Credit may be awarded for the following programs (this list may not be exhaustive):
- GCE Advanced-level examinations with a grade of C or better
- German Abitur exams with a score of 7 or higher
- Swiss Federal Maturite exams
- French Baccalaureate exams with a coefficient of 4 or higher with a score of 11 or higher
- Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), the second year only
- Singaporean Advanced-level exams
- Finnish Ylioppilastutkinto
- Italian Maturita
- Danish Studentereksamen
- Canadian (Quebec) two-year CEGEP
- Hong Kong HKALE
- Lebanese Baccalaureate
- Icelandic Studentsprof - Menntaskoli exams
Please note: College credit will not be given for CLEP/Excelsior (Credit by Exam or Prior Learning) exams.
The Seal of Biliteracy
If you have been awarded The Seal of Biliteracy in any foreign language, you may be awarded Intermediate Modern Language credit at Bentley. If you have been awarded the Seal of Biliteracy with distinction, you may be awarded Intermediate Modern Language II credit at Bentley.
The Seal of Biliteracy must come directly to ugadmission@bentley.edu from your school counselor, school district, or state. Bentley accepts the Seal of Biliteracy from all states that award it.
Requirements and Deadlines
To apply for advanced standing credit, you must submit all credentials no later than the first day of your first term at Bentley. All test scores, transcripts and other information should be sent directly from the issuing institution to our office. If results are not in English, supporting translations are needed.
A maximum of 30 credits from all sources of advanced standing credit, earned prior to high school graduation, may be awarded. Students who earn more than 15 credits after high school completion must apply as transfer students.
We reserve the right to adjust our advanced standing credit policies at any time.
Please note: These policies are for the incoming class of 2022 and beyond.