International Exam Policy

In September 2019, the Undergraduate Council (UGC) received a proposal from the Transfer Credit & Articulation Office to replace the German Abitur Exam policy with a more inclusive International Exam policy. This policy specifies four common international exams which students may apply toward their undergraduate degrees as transfer credit. The policy was approved by the UGC on October 8th, and by the Faculty Senate on December 2nd. The new policy is effective for students completing the exams in the 2019-2020 academic year and beyond. Students will not receive credit until exams are evaluated for potential equivalencies and minimum credit scores.

Approved International Exam Policy (replacing the previous German Abitur Exam Policy):

International Examinations

The international examinations listed below are eligible for review as a basis for awarding credit towards a degree. Credit is given based on the catalog year when exam(s) are completed. Scores necessary to achieve credit have been established and are listed under each exam. Credit earned through one exam may not be duplicated by another exam or course. In no case may the sum of credits earned through the below international examinations exceed 30 units toward an undergraduate degree. Credits earned based on the student's exam performance may be counted toward the major or minor fields of study or General Education requirements. Contact your college or program academic advisor to determine how the course credit will apply toward your specific academic program.

An official record of all international exam results along with an English translation is required. Exam content is required for credit evaluations. Exams are reviewed for the following criteria: studies validated by a national or state examination, evidence of in-depth study in a specific number of subjects, and 13 years of education represented in total. Students may be required to work with a foreign/international credential evaluation service provider to receive credit. Scores listed below indicate the minimum scores eligible for consideration; higher scores may be required to earn credit for specific courses based on departmental approval.

German Abitur

Credit may be awarded for scores of 7 or above (grades 1, 2, or 3) on each of the Abitur (Leistungskurse Profungsfacher) exams and Abiturprufungen (final examination) portion of the Abitur exam in transferable subjects. Credits will not be awarded for oral exams.

French Baccalauréat (Baccalaureate)

Credit may be awarded for appropriate academic subjects with acceptable exam scores of 10 or above on the baccalaureate when the coefficient is at least 4. The French Bac "total score" is not used to determine credit eligibility. Credit is solely based on examination subject scores.

European Baccalaureate

The officially certified transcript European Baccalaureate exam results must show scores for each exam subject. Credit may be awarded for individual subject exam scores of 7 or better.

Italian Maturita

For the Maturita Tecnica, Classica, Scientifica, and/or Linguistica, credits may be awarded for scores of 6 or above in transferable subjects.

Students looking for A Level Exams: see Cambridge International Examination (CIE) Program

Students looking for International Baccalaureate exams: see International Baccalaureate (IB) Program

Justification/Rationale 

• The international exam credit policy is inclusive of other international exams and not only the German Abitur.
• The proposed replacement policy outlines minimum scores, parameters, instructions for students, and criteria for evaluation. A maximum unit amount has been established.
• An important part of the replacement policy includes students potentially having to work with a foreign credential service in order to receive credit. This is due to the difficulty that has emerged in trying to obtain enough content for faculty evaluation for the German Abitur exams.
• The policy is based on peer institutions who have adopted similar policies inclusive of other international exams.

Management of Policy

The management of this policy will be similar to domestic exam processes:

1. The Transfer Credit and Articulation office will work with students and route exam materials to appropriate faculty for evaluation using the online workflow tool.
2. Transfer Credit and Articulation will send results to Curricular Affairs for entry into the catalog each year (along with domestic exam results) and build equivalency rules for approved exams in UAccess with determined cutoff scores. 
3. International Admissions will process transcripts with international exam credit based on faculty decisions that will be displayed in the catalog.
4. Transfer Credit and Articulation will send updated exam content for re-evaluation at a frequency determined by the faculty evaluator.

Questions about International Exams should be addressed to Christy Ball, Director, Transfer Credit & Articulation, at 626-3212, or christyw@email.arizona.edu.