The Relation of Transfer Credits to GPA

Previous to the 1995-96 academic year the university used a "trailing" GPA for transfer credits counted toward a PLU degree: the GPA of the credits transferred was proportionately averaged in with the GPA of credits taken at PLU in computing the cumulative GPA on a student's PLU transcript. Effective summer and September of 1995* the university changed to a "non-trailing" GPA: valid credits transferred in could count toward the university's requirements for graduation, but they would not be included in the hours determining the GPA listed on the PLU transcript. One of the primary reasons for moving to the new non-trailing GPA was the prevalent desire of parties both outside and inside the university to discern the respective GPAs of various different institutional segments of a student's baccalaureate work.

The Provost's and Registrar's offices have received numerous requests from students for exceptions to this policy in their individual cases. Some who brought credits in under the previous trailing GPA policy have asked that those incoming grades not count in their PLU transcript GPA, and some who are governed by the new non-trailing policy have requested that their previous credits count in their PLU transcript GPA.

The Provost and Registrar will only in the very rarest and most exceptional personal circumstances approve any such requests for exceptions to the respective trailing and non-trailing GPA policies that govern the influence of transfer credits on the PLU transcript GPA at different times in the recent past. Any disadvantageous effect that enforcement of our policies may have on a particular student in competitive application for graduate school or employment is almost always less than is feared. For one thing, graduate and professional schools generally require the submission of all of an applicant's separate transcripts, so that non-trailing GPAs get discerned even when one's PLU transcript GPA is trailing. Furthermore, students can note their separate institution GPAs in their applications even when their PLU transcript is governed by a trailing GPA policy, or to take the opposite case, they can note their own calculated combined GPAs if they fall under the non-trailing policy.

If it is needed in a particular situation, the graduation administrator will be happy to provide written confirmation of any particular student's non-trailing or trailing GPA when the GPA on his or her PLU transcript is the opposite. The graduation administrator can be contacted at 535-7139 and is located in the Registrar's Office in the Administration Building, just across the hall from the Student Services Center.

* For continuing students previously matriculated at the university before fall 1995, all transfer credits taken during and after summer 1995 are counted in a non-trailing fashion. The PLU transcript GPAs of all students newly entering the university as of or after September 1995 are non-trailing.