Credit transfer during the study programme

Credit transfer during the study programme

• Choice of courses
• Pre-approval of credit transfer
• Final credit transfer
• Submission of applications
• Decision-making authority
• Appeal against the decision
• Students who have completed MSc courses in their Beng or BSc programme

Where do I apply for pre-commencement and final credit transfer?
You apply for pre-commencement and final credit transfer at www.merit.dtu.dk. This is also where you must submit a new application if your courses change.

When should I apply?
You should always ensure that you submit your credit transfer application well in advance. The processing time for a credit transfer application is up to 8 weeks from the date of submission. If you are going abroad, it is recommended that you apply for pre-approval at the beginning of the semester preceding your stay abroad. You can view deadlines for pre-approval applications under "Study Abroad" in the section "Application deadlines for pre-approvals."

Which courses can I choose?
If you are enrolled in a BEng programme, the courses you wish to have transferred must be at the BEng level minimum, i.e. from an engineering college, a university college, or a university.

If you are enrolled in a BSc programme, the courses you wish to have transferred must be at the university level. However, you as a BSc student may have as many as 10 ECTS credits at the BEng level as part of the Elective Courses in your BSc programme (valid from 1 September 2020).

If you are enrolled in an MSc programme, the courses you wish to have transferred must be at the MSc level. However, you as an MSc student may have as many as 10 ECTS credits at the BSc level as part of the Elective Courses in your MSc programme.

You cannot get pre-approved to transfer credit above the prescribed total ECTS credits for the study programme. You must always try to plan your study according to the prescribed total ECTS credits for the programme. Also, see student.dtu.dk under 'Study rules'/Teaching'/'Course registration'/'Rules for choice of courses'.

You cannot have pre-approved or credit-transferred courses that are to replace one or more courses that you are bound by. The head of studies cannot grant you an exemption from this rule. See the rules on binding courses under Study rules/Teaching/Binding courses. 

As a BEng and BSc student, you must, as a minimum, pass courses and projects at DTU corresponding to 90 ECTS credits (BEng Arctic Technology and Fisheries Technology minimum 105 ECTS credits and BEng Global Business Engineering minimum 120 ECTS credits) to receive a diploma for a full-time study programme at DTU. This rule does not apply to pre-commencement credit transfers.

As an MSc student, you must, as a minimum , pass courses and projects at DTU corresponding to a minimum of 60 ECTS credits to receive a diploma for a full-time study programme at DTU. This rule does not apply to pre-commencement credit transfers.

Choice of courses
Regarding credit transfer to BSc and MSc programmes, a distinction is made between specific engineering courses and general engineering courses. Courses that do not have technical-scientific content but fall within the learning objectives of the study programme are categorized as general engineering courses. These courses are considered part of the elective courses. Students may earn the following number of ECTS credits within the general engineering course category:

• 15 ECTS credits on the BSc programme
• 10 ECTS credits on the MSc programme 

Courses transferred to the elective group in the Bachelor of Engineering programmes (elective courses) must all be pre-approved by the Head of Studies with regard to their relevance to the programme, the chosen specialization, and any overlap with mandatory courses.

Language and culture courses
Language and culture courses cannot be transferred to the programme, nor in connection with pre-commencement credit transfer. 

Final projects
A final project from another Danish or foreign educational institution cannot be transferred to a study programme at DTU. Further rules regarding final projects (BEng project, BSc project, and Master's thesis), including the possibility of preparing the project abroad, are stated in the programme specifications for the said programme. 

MSc students passed MSc courses in their bachelor's programme
On student.dtu.dk, under 'Study rules'/'Teaching'/'Course registration', you can read about the situation where you as a master's student on your BSc or BEng programme , have passed a course that is a general competence course or a technological specialization course in your master's programme, and which course you should choose instead.

Before you leave - apply for pre-approval of credit transfer
Before taking courses at another university in Denmark or abroad, you must ensure that the courses you plan to take can be transferred to your programme at DTU.

It is a requirement that you obtain pre-approval for any planned educational components to be taken at another university or higher education institution—whether in Denmark or abroad—before commencing the course or stay.

You are is responsible for ensuring that the desired courses can be included in the programme's maximum allowed ECTS credits. If you plan with odd credits in relation to DTU's credit structure of 2½, 5, and 10 ECTS, you must ensure to plan with other courses so that the plan works. This can be achieved, for example, by using EuroTeQ courses or project courses.

When searching for courses on a foreign university's website, it is often impossible to find the specific courses offered during the semester you plan to go. You can therefore base your application on the courses offered during the corresponding semester of the previous year. It is quite common for courses at the host university to change. If you have received pre-approval for one or more courses you planned to take at the host university, and those courses subsequently change, you must submit a new application for pre-approval of credit transfer. Each application must include a complete list of courses taken at the host university. A new decision for the same period and the same host university will replace former decisions.

By applying, you consent to DTU requesting the necessary information from the host institution regarding the application if you are unable to procure the documentation yourself.

The pre-approval of credit transfer is registered in the study administration system , but will not appear in the Study Planner until you have passed the courses and applied for final credit. 

It is impossible to pre-approve more ECTS credits than there is room for in your study programme/framework.

After you have been away - apply for final credit transfer
You must apply for final credit for all passed courses and ECTS credits. It is a requirement that all passed ECTS credits must be credited. You, therefore, cannot choose to only apply for credit transfer for some of the passed courses or ECTS credits. Once a course has been passed, final credit must be sought, and the credit is binding to you and cannot be withdrawn. However, according to DTU's specific assessment, fewer ECTS credits may be transferred if this is necessary to ensure the study plan fits within the limit of ECTS credits in the study programme.

Programme elements that have been credit transferred will be recorded on your DTU diploma with the grade 'Passed'. This applies to both pre-commencement credit transfers and credit transfers during the study programme. However, if a programme element from another Danish educational institution assessed on the 7-point grading scale is credited as equivalent to a specific DTU course, the grade from that institution will be recorded.

With your application, you consents to DTU obtaining the necessary information for the application, that you cannot obtain at the host university.

To transfer course credits, the courses must have been passed.

Submission of applications
Applications for pre-approval of credit transfer and final credit transfer are submitted electronically via www.merit.dtu.dk. For other inquiries regarding credit transfer, please send an email to merit@adm.dtu.dk using your student email.

Applications must include the following:

• Course description
• Documentation of level
• Documentation of workload (ECTS/credits)
• For final credit transfer, documentation of passed and failed courses and an official description of the grading scale according to which the course is assessed.

Decision-making authority
The Board of Exemptions for the BSc and MSc programmes (CMDU) and the Board of Exemptions for the BEng programmes (DMDU) have authorized the heads of studies and the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs (AUS) to make decisions in cases related to credit transfer. A decision on credit transfer is not valid until the Office for Study Programmes and Student Affairs (AUS) issues a written decision to the student via email or www.merit.dtu.dk.

The overall processing time for credit transfer applications is approximately 8 weeks from the date the application is received. The processing time may be longer if there is incomplete information or documentation.

Appeal against the decision
If you do not get your application granted, you can appeal the decision via email to merit@adm.dtu.dk.

BSc and MSc students
If the appeal concerns the academic assessment of final credit transfer for Danish educational components (including pre-enrollment credit transfer) or pre-approval of credit transfer for both Danish and foreign educational components, the appeal is processed by a Credit Transfer Appeals Board in accordance with the Executive Order on Credit Transfer Appeals Boards. The deadline for submitting an appeal is two weeks from the day the decision is communicated to the appellant.

If the appeal concerns the academic assessment of final credit transfer for foreign educational components (including pre-enrollment credit transfer), the appeal is processed by the Qualifications Board. The deadline for submitting an appeal is four weeks from the day the decision is communicated to the appellant. Upon receipt of an appeal to the Qualifications Board, DTU will re-evaluate the university’s decision. If DTU upholds its decision, the appeal will be forwarded to the Qualifications Board. In doing so, DTU will attach a statement explaining why the appeal is not being granted, the case files, and relevant documentation.

If the appeal concerns legal issues (e.g., that the case was not processed in accordance with laws/executive orders or general principles of administrative law), it is processed by the Dean of Studies and Student Affairs. The deadline for submitting an appeal is two weeks from the day the decision is communicated to the appellant.

BEng students
If the appeal concerns the academic assessment, the appeal is processed by the Qualifications Board. The deadline for submitting an appeal is four weeks from the day the decision is communicated to the appellant. Upon receipt of a complaint addressed to the Qualifications Board, DTU will re-evaluate the university’s decision. If DTU upholds its decision, the complaint will be forwarded to the Qualifications Board. In doing so, DTU will include a statement of reasons for not granting the complaint, the case files, and relevant documentation.

If the complaint concerns legal issues (e.g., that the case was not handled in accordance with laws/executive orders or general principles of administrative law), it will be processed by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science. The deadline for submitting a complaint is two weeks from the day the decision was communicated to the complainant. Upon receipt of a complaint addressed to the Agency, DTU will re-evaluate the university’s decision. If DTU upholds its decision, it will prepare a statement regarding the decision and the complaint. This statement will be sent to the complainant, giving them the opportunity to comment on it. Finally, the complete case file will be forwarded to the Agency for processing.