First-Year Student Transfer Equivalency Report (TER)

Should I run a Transfer Equivalency Report?

Since you have already earned college credit, we encourage you to review your Transfer Equivalency Report (TER) before registering for classes or contacting an advisor in your intended major. The TER provides information about the number of credits that have been accepted in transfer and details the courses that transfer to Western as well as their Western course equivalent. Courses that do not transfer to Western will not be included in the TER.

You should take time to familiarize yourself with your TER now and then review it again prior to registering for your first quarter's courses. This will assist you in developing your academic plan, help you prepare for registration and prevent you from unnecessarily repeating a course at Western. If you have completed or will be completing additional courses between the time you apply for admission and the time you register, you should run an updated TER before your registration appointment in case additional courses have been added to your TER. Please carefully review the additional details about transcript processing for the quarter you will begin at Western below.

Should I run a Degree Evaluation for GUR Completion?

Many students enroll at Western after they earn a transferable associate’s degree from a Washington state community college; specific information for those students is provided below. If you are enrolling at Western without a Direct Transfer Agreement  associate degree (DTA-AA), you will most likely  have additional General University Requirements (GUR) to complete at Western. Therefore, you are encouraged to run a Degree Evaluation for GUR to determine which GUR you have left to complete. If you are close to earning your DTA-AA degree, we encourage you to seek advising in the event it is advantageous for you to complete your DTA degree rather than Western GUR. This is possible, but there are limitations. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Office of Admissions (before enrolling) or the Academic Advising & Student Achievement Center at 360-650-3100; Old Main 387 (after classes have begun). Students who attended another public four-year university in Washington state and completed the general education requirements for that school may be exempt from WWU’s GUR requirements; contact the Office of Admissions for details.

Transferring with an Associate in Science – Transfer (AS-T) degree

If you earn an Associate in Science - Transfer (AS-T) degree from a Washington state community college, you will have additional General University Requirements (GUR) to complete at Western. Students who are completing an AS-T degree are encouraged to review our  transfer credit policies as multiple options for completing GUR are available.

Transferring with a Direct Transfer Agreement Associate Degree (DTA-AA)

If you are earning an Associate in Arts or Associate in Arts and Sciences degree from a Washington state community college that meets the Intercollege Relations Commission guidelines for the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA), you will have fulfilled Western's General University Requirements (GUR), provided you completed English Composition with a grade of C- or better, or earned an Advanced Placement (AP) score of 4 or higher on either English Language & Composition or English Literature & Composition exams. Since the DTA fulfills Western GUR, you will not need to run a Degree Evaluation for GUR. Your DTA-AA degree must be posted on an official transcript before this will be reflected in your Degree Evaluation.

Fairhaven Students

Fairhaven College's interdisciplinary Core Curriculum replaces Western's GUR. Fairhaven students who are transferring college credit should contact a Fairhaven advisor to determine if some of the Core Curriculum can be waived.

Important Note

Western's web-based academic planning and degree evaluation tool is called Degree Works. Degree Works will help you track degree progress, prepare for future courses, and plan your path to graduation.

Students entering fall quarter

Your TER and Degree Evaluation are based on the course work that is on file by June 1 and do not necessarily reflect the total number of credits we will accept in transfer once your final transcript is received. If you are taking college courses winter quarter/spring semester, we recommend that you submit an updated official transcript to the Office of Admissions by June 1. Your TER will otherwise include only the coursework submitted at time of application. Since spring term grades will generally not be processed in time to be included in your TER and Degree Evaluation, you should plan to bring unofficial copies of all college transcripts with you to the Advising & Registration program and whenever you meet with departmental advisors.

Students entering winter or spring quarter

Your TER and Degree Evaluation are based on the course work that is on file at the time you confirmed your enrollment. To ensure consideration of your complete academic history, you are advised to bring unofficial copies of all transcripts to your Advising & Registration program and whenever you meet with departmental advisors.

How to generate a TER or Degree Evaluation

You can generate your TER or Degree Evaluation reports at any time on your own by completing the following steps:

  1. Log into myWestern. If you can't remember your login information you can access your username or password online.
  2. Select the "Web4U" icon (in the header section, below the tabs)
  3. Click on the "Students" tab
  4. Click on "Transfer Equivalency Report" or "Degree Works"

These reports will be updated, if needed, once final transcripts have been received by the Office of Admissions. Transcript deadlines can be found in the admitted student guides. By following the above steps, you can run your report at any time in the future to determine if additional transcripts have been received and processed and see how previous coursework applies to Western degree requirements.

Academic Advising

We strongly recommend that you contact the academic department of your intended major prior to course registration because you may need special permission to register for your intended courses. You will need to provide a copy of your TER, current transcripts, and any in-progress courses for departmental advising. To schedule an advising appointment with your department, locate them in our Department Directory, or call (360) 650-3000 and ask for the appropriate department.

Orientation

If you haven't done so already, we encourage you to review the New Student Services/Family Outreach Orientation, Advising & Registration website. Here you will find information about orientation and advising programs for new students, critical registration information, and additional resources to assist you in making a successful transition to Western.

Registration

All students register for classes online using Web4U. To view a timetable of classes, visit ClassFinder. We recommend you have a copy of your TER available when you register.

If you have any questions about your TER or Degree Evaluation, feel free to contact the Office of Admissions.