Transfer and Test Credits
We accept transfer credits for specific courses at accredited institutions and from select exams. Find the full list of eligible credits, and learn how to transfer yours to RISD.
For undergraduates, RISD accepts transfer credit for certain courses from accredited institutions, as well as test credit from select advanced placement (AP) exams, A-level (advanced-level) exams, and the international baccalaureate (IB) program. See below for the full list of courses and tests we accept.
At the graduate level, credits earned prior to enrollment at RISD are only accepted by the Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture departments. For more information, refer to the transfer credit policy.
How to transfer credits
You may transfer a maximum of 12 credits once you enroll at RISD, only nine of which may come from test credits. Find out how to transfer different types of credits below.
From other institutions
To transfer course credits, we accept electronic or paper transcripts sent directly from the other institution.
If the institution uses Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse for transcripts, select Rhode Island School of Design as the recipient/destination when requesting your transcript.
In all other cases, your prior institution must send the transcript to us directly either electronically at registrar@risd.edu or by mail at:
Registrar’s Office
Rhode Island School of Design
20 Washington Place
Providence, RI 02903
AP exams
Submit your official score report from the AP College Board, designating Rhode Island School of Design as the recipient. We accept credits for the tests listed below as long as you earned a score of four or higher.
| AP exam | RISD course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Art History | THAD 8600 | 3 |
| Biology | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Calculus AB | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Calculus BC | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Chemistry | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Computer Science A | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Computer Science Principles | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Macroeconomics | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Microeconomics | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| English Literature and Composition | LAS 8600 | 3 |
| Environmental Science | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| European History | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| French Language and Culture | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| German Language | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| United States Government and Politics | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Human Geography | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Italian Language and Culture | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Latin | LAS 8600 | 3 |
| Music Theory | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Precalculus | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Physics 1: Algebra-based | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Physics 2: Algebra-based | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Physics B | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Psychology | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | LAS 8600 | 3 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Statistics | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| United States History | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| World History | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
International A-level
We accept international A-level (advanced-level) exam credits, but do not accept credits for AS-level (advanced subsidiary) exams.
For your A-level credits to qualify, you must have completed the course exam—you cannot just attend the course. We can receive your results in the following ways:
- Your school may have included your exam and score on the official transcript they send directly to RISD. Contact us at registrar@risd.edu and we will check if we have your score.
- If you are a US student who took the exam through Cambridge International, you may request an official grade transcript to be sent directly to registrar@risd.edu.
- If you are an international student who took the exam through Cambridge International, work with your high school to send us your scores.
- If you took the A-level exam through Pearson, you should request that a Certifying Statement of Results (CSor) be sent directly to us at registrar@risd.edu or by mail to:
Registrar’s Office
Rhode Island School of Design
20 Washington Place
Providence, RI 02903
See below for the list of A-level exams credits we accept:
| A-level exam | RISD course | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Art History | THAD 8600 | 3 |
| Biology | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Chemistry | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Chinese | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Economics | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| English Language | LAS 8600 | 3 |
| English Literature | LAS 8600 | 3 |
| General paper | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Geography | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Government and Politics | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| History | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Italian | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Mathematics | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Physics | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
| Psychology | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Religious Studies | HPSS 8600 | 3 |
| Russian | LAEL 8600 | 3 |
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The IB grading scale ranges from 1–7. To receive transfer credit, you must earn a grade of 5 or higher.
To transfer your IB credits, request your official IB transcript from ibo.org and send it to us either electronically at registrar@risd.edu or mail us a physical copy at:
Registrar’s Office
Rhode Island School of Design
20 Washington Place
Providence, RI 02903
Transfer credits for current students
If you are a current RISD student who plans to take a course at another institution and then transfer your earned credits to RISD, you must submit a prior approval form before the course begins.
If you intend for those credits to go towards your Liberal Arts requirement, submit this form in Etrieve:
Request credit approval for liberal arts credit in etrieve
For all other course credits, obtain prior approval from your department head using this form: