This form is used to officially request transfer graduate credit toward a graduate degree. Graduate students may transfer credit earned at another institution, provided they attended as a graduate student and the courses were completed at the graduate level.
Below are some common scenarios in which transfer graduate credit may be awarded:
- Incoming Ph.D. students who are transferring their master’s degree (30 hours).
- Master’s students who have completed work at another institution either prior or during their program.
- Master's or Ph.D. students transferring credit hours completed as a graduate non-degree student at OSU.
Important Notes:
- Doctoral students can transfer one master’s degree for a maximum of 30 graduate credit hours.
- Doctoral students may transfer up to 26 additional graduate credit hours, if those credit hours are doctoral level, and demonstrate that they attended a Ph.D. program at that institution.
- Master’s students may transfer up to 20 percent of the total required graduate credit hours toward their master’s degree and must complete the remaining 80 percent of the degree requirements over at least two semesters.
Submission Instructions:
Step 1: Log into GradForms at: gradforms.osu.edu
- Select "Forms" → "Enrollment."
Step 2: Click "CREATE NEW +" next to "Transfer of Graduate Credit."
Step 3: Complete the form by entering:
- At the top of the page, you will see "Student Information." Please contact your program office if the "Missing Grades" field is marked "Yes."
- Select your Graduation Level
- Select your Graduation Plan
- Select the Credit Type
- E.g., outside institution or graduate non-degree.
- Graduate Non-degree: "Ohio State University" will automatically populate the institution field. Please note that the system does not automatically limit the credit hours field to ten hours for graduate non-degree credit (see "Graduate Non-Degree" in Section 2.4 of the Graduate School Handbook).
- Transferring a completed master’s degree: Enter the name of the university and indicate "All" in the "Course Title" textbox and "Courses" in the "Course Number" textbox. For the "Credit Hours" textbox, please enter "30."
- Select Advisor *optional
- Search by last name
Step 4: Review all information carefully before clicking "Submit."
- Once you submit your form, you will receive a notification that your form has been submitted.
- Once submitted, you cannot edit the form. If changes are needed, leave a comment on the form.
- To leave a comment, go to "Forms" → "Enrollment" → "Transfer of Graduate Credit."
- Find your form, click "View" → "Comments."
- Comments are visible to both the student and faculty/staff.
- If you are not ready to submit, click "Save" to keep your draft.
- To return to a Draft:
- Go to "Forms" → "Enrollment" → "Transfer of Graduate Credit."
- You can use this same pathway to check the status of your form after submission.
- Find your Draft, click "View", then select "Review and Submit."
Approval Workflow:
- Once submitted, the form is sent to your advisor (if one was added) and then the graduate coordinator/chair for approval for "Initial Review."
- Once all approvers have posted a decision, the form will appear in the Graduate School’s queue for "Final Review."
- If "Approved", the credit is posted to your record, and your form will be marked "Complete."
Graduate School Transfer Support
Graduate School Registration Services: grad-schooltransfers@osu.edu
GRADFORMS Support
GRADFORMS Help Page
Alternatively, you can reach out to:
The Ohio State University Graduate School
250 University Hall, 230 N Oval Mall, Columbus OH 43210
Phone: 614-292-6031 | Fax: 614-292-3656
Graduation Services Email: Grad-SchoolGraduationServices@osu.edu
Registration Services Email: Grad-SchoolRegistrationServices@osu.edu