The conversion formula and its scope
A quarter credit is an academic unit, not a 15-minute interval. The common ratio gives two semester credits for three quarter credits. The University of Washington publishes a quarter/semester conversion in its transfer guidance; your receiving institution remains responsible for the credit it actually awards.
This tool retains the exact 2/3 multiplier internally for quarter-to-semester arithmetic and rounds the display to two decimal places. Do not treat the display rounding as the receiving school's recording policy.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Quarter credits | Semester-credit estimate |
|---|---|
| 3 | 2.00 |
| 4 | 2.67 |
| 5 | 3.33 |
| 12 | 8.00 |
| 45 | 30.00 |
| 90 | 60.00 |
Add a course list before comparing totals
For a quarter schedule with courses worth 5, 4 and 3 credits, the total is 12. Dividing 12 by 1.5 gives 8 semester credits. A single five-quarter-credit course gives 3.333… before display rounding.
Keep fractions until the end of a planning calculation. Rounding each small course down can create a different total from rounding the combined value. If a university awards different values course by course, use its evaluation rather than choosing a rounding method to obtain a preferred answer.
Converted, awarded and degree-applicable credits are different
A conversion estimates volume. A receiving school may award transfer credit after reviewing course level, content and other rules. A department then decides whether awarded credit satisfies the specific degree requirement. Those are separate decisions.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Stage | What it answers | Evidence to use |
|---|---|---|
| Volume conversion | What is the common unit equivalent? | This ratio and transparent arithmetic |
| Transfer credit awarded | How many credits did the school recognise? | Receiving school evaluation |
| Degree applicability | Which requirement does the course satisfy? | Programme/adviser confirmation |
| GPA treatment | Does the grade enter a specific GPA? | Institutional or admissions policy |
How the optional school-awarded fields work
Leave a field blank when the awarded credit is unknown; blank is not interpreted as zero. Enter zero only when the school has actually awarded zero in the destination unit. If you enter values for only some rows, the result labels the record as partial.
When every row has a school-awarded value, the optional target calculation uses those values. Otherwise it uses the converted estimates and labels that basis. Existing credits must not overlap the courses entered above, or you will double count the same study.
A numeric target is not a graduation audit
A plan may reach a total while still missing required courses, residency credit, upper-level study or other programme conditions. Likewise, a credit conversion does not prove full-time enrolment or financial-aid status. Use the relevant institution's criteria for those decisions.
For example, 90 quarter credits converts to 60 semester credits under the common ratio. It does not follow that every receiving programme will accept all 60 toward the degree. Keep the evaluation and requirement match beside the estimate.
Check your progress
0 of 5 complete · kept only while this page is open