Courses at Other Institutions Petition

Students may petition to take a course at another institution during interim periods between semesters (e.g. during summer and winter session). A student must be in good academic standing (see below for eligibility) and must follow the instructions below.

Courses at Other Institutions

The course description and/or syllabus must be reviewed and approved by the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center. Courses taken at other institutions may affect student eligibility for graduation honors.

Eligibility

In order to be considered eligible, a student must:

  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
  • Not have any "Incomplete" grades
  • Not currently hold a "Leave of Absence" status
  • Have transferred fewer than 63 outside credits into Suffolk
  • Not have accrued more than 86 total credit hours toward graduation
  • Not have begun the final 30 credits of the degree program
  • New students in their first semester without final grades may not be approved for outside courses.

Please note: Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee that a petition for an outside course will be approved.

Outside Course Petition Policies

  • Petition must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the start of Suffolk's Summer Module One (see university calendar for dates).
  • Summer Session: Students may not take more than 16 credits over the whole summer term and no more than 8 credits during overlapping modules.
  • Winter Session: Students may not take more than 2 credits during a winter session.
  • Courses taken outside must be academically equivalent in order to be approved.
  • Language courses (French, Spanish, etc.) may NOT be taken in an online format.
  • Courses taken outside must follow the prerequisite pathways established in Suffolk University's curriculum. For example, you will not be approved to take WRI 102 outside if you have not completed WRI 101.

Outside Course Petition Instructions

  • Include the course name, number, and description, as well as the URL for the course description.
  • Contact the institution and request a copy of the syllabus or a .pdf of the catalog, if unavailable online, to upload with your petition.
  • Write a detailed request explaining which academic requirement you would like this course to fulfill and if it is a prerequisite for another course that you must complete.
  • Expect it to take 5 to 10 business days for your petition to be reviewed.
  • You will be notified via email whether your petition was approved or denied.
  • Petitions will not be reviewed the week before registration and during registration week.

If Outside Course Petition is approved, please note the following:

  • You must earn a "C" grade or better in the outside course for transfer of credits. The credits for a grade of "C-" will not transfer.
  • Student assumes full responsibility for the prompt delivery of the transcript from the outside institution to Suffolk University.
  • An official transcript from the outside institution must be delivered to:
    • Suffolk University, Undergraduate Academic Advising Center,
      73 Tremont St., 9th floor, Boston, MA 02108
  • IMPORTANT: if the outside course is a prerequisite for a class you plan to take in the upcoming term, make sure the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center receives proof that you have enrolled in the requested course and successfully completed the prerequisite course prior to the start of the upcoming term or you may be dropped from the upper-level course.

When approving the Outside Course Petition, Suffolk University is only reviewing the academic content of the courses and the ability to transfer outside credits back to SU. Suffolk University does not provide any guarantee as to the quality or suitability of the course, or of the other institution's ability to meet any specific student needs. By approving the Outside Course Petition, Suffolk University does not assume any of the risk involved in taking a course at another institution.

Petition Form

Outside Course requests must be submitted through Workday. The petition can be found under the Academics Hub tab in Workday. Choose “Create Request.” Then choose “Courses at Other Institutions.”

In order to be considered eligible, a student must:

  • Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
  • Not have any "Incomplete" grades
  • Not currently hold a "Leave of Absence" status
  • Have transferred fewer than 63 outside credits into Suffolk
  • Not have accrued more than 86 total credit hours toward graduation
  • Not have begun the final 30 credits of the degree program
New students in their first semester without final grades may not be approved for outside courses
    Please note: Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee that a petition for an outside course will be approved.

    Be as specific as possible so that we may process your request efficiently. You must submit a petition for each course you are requesting to take outside.

    Please review the Course Repeat Policy if the course at the outside institution is being used to repeat a course completed at Suffolk.