The American Bachelor of Arts is a four year degree. U.S. and international students may be able to transfer credits toward the JCU degree, thus reducing the period of study.
Admitted students are classified according to the four categories in the chart below. Please check it to determine which type of student you are:
| You have… |
You can enter JCU … |
You are considered a … |
| completed 12 years of education and have earned a high school diploma or certificate but have not attended college or |
in the freshman year: fall, spring or summer sessions |
freshman*
|
completed college-level work in secondary school or through independent study
(see details below) |
in the freshman year: fall, spring or summer sessions, with a maximum of 27 credits |
freshman with advanced standing |
| taken previous university-level courses |
during any semester, or summer session, but you must complete at least 60 credits at JCU in order to receive a JCU degree |
transfer student |
| are currently enrolled at another institution and want to take courses at JCU for one or two semesters |
during any semester or summer session |
study abroad student |
*How students are classified in American universities
freshman: first year of study (0-30 credits earned)
sophomore: second year of study (31-60 credits earned)
junior: third year of study (61-90 credits earned)
senior: fourth year of study (91 to 120 credits earned)
Transfer Credits for Advanced Standing
To complete the American Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, students need 120 US credits. This degree is normally earned in four years with students taking 30 credits each year (normally five 3-credit courses per semester). The calendar time may be less than 4 years should students attend summer sessions or take 6 classes per semester. Students who come from secondary educational systems or are transferring from another university may have already earned credits which can be applied towards the 120 US credits required for the BA degree.
The standard credit transfer used at JCU is 3 US credits = 6 ECTS credits
Find below some of the more common transfer credit rules applied at JCU. For additional information not listed below, please contact your Admissions Counselor or write
admissions@johncabot.edu. Documents supporting the granting of advanced standing credit must be presented before enrollment at the University.
International Baccalaureate (IB) or Italian Maturità
Advanced standing may be awarded for the Italian
Maturità, International Baccalaureate diploma (partial credit is awarded for individual IB certificates with a grade of 4 or better), or other 13-year national university entrance certificates. Students who have an Italian
Maturità conferred by an
equipollenza may not receive advance standing if the original diploma was received after only 12 years of education.
Students who complete the IB receive 6 US semester credits for each IB Higher Level (HL) certificate with a score of 4 and above and 3 US semester credits for each standard level (SL) certificate with a score of 4 and above. To receive credit for English Composition and Mathematics, students must successfully pass JCU’s English Composition and Mathematics Placement tests. Placement tests are giving at the beginning of each semester and admitted students will receive an appointment to take these tests.
UK A-levels and AS-levels
Students will receive 6 US credits per subject for each A-level examination in which an A-E is achieved and 3 US credits for each AS-level in which an A-E is achieved. Students who have taken an A or AS level in a foreign language (e.g., Italian), will receive 8 US credits for the A-level and 4 US credits for the AS-level. As an example, if a student has 3 A-level exams and 1 AS-level, they would receive 21 US credits upon entering JCU.
US AP or CLEP Exams
For AP or CLEP exams students receive 3 semester credits for each AP exam with a score of 4 or higher and 3 semester credits for CLEP exams with scores of 50 or higher.
US university transfer students
For US university courses credit is transferred in with a grade of C or higher in academic subject areas. Students are still required to satisfy JCU’s 60-credit residency requirement. Please see our webpage for
Transfer Students for more information.
Request a preliminary assessment of your transfer credits!
Italian university transfer students
Students from Italian universities receive transfer credits for courses in which a 23 or above was achieved. See our
"Studenti italiani" section for more information.
We are here to help you plan your university studies so students from other national universities or secondary educational systems not listed here should contact admissions@johncabot.edu for information specific to their educational background.
An applicant not seeking a John Cabot University degree who wishes to take one or more courses for academic credit will be admitted as a non-degree seeking student if he or she meets the normal requirements for admission and if space is available.
While reasonable efforts are made to ensure that non-degree seeking students choose courses that will help them reach their academic goals, the ultimate responsibility for these choices rests with the student alone. Study abroad students returning to their home institutions to complete their degree program should, therefore, choose JCU courses with an academic advisor from their home university prior to arrival at John Cabot. Please note that the application form for visiting or study abroad students has a course selection page to be approved by an advisor from the student's home institution.
Non-degree seeking status will be awarded for a limited period of time not to exceed one year in duration. Upon request, the University may approve a change of status from non degree-seeking to degree-seeking student.
Non-degree students or study abroad students should fill out an application form and provide documentation as do all other applicants. They are free to select those courses that best suit their interests and which have been approved (if visiting from another University) by their home institution's dean or academic advisor. Non-degree students must have satisfied prerequisites for courses selected.
Auditor
It is possible to audit courses at John Cabot University if space is available. Please contact the Admissions Office for further information at
admissions@johncabot.edu.
Deferred Admission
A student who has been accepted to the University, but who cannot enroll immediately, may request a deferral. Once granted, a deferral can be extended up to one academic year, after which the student must re-apply for admission to the University.
For more information, contact the Admissions Office in Rome at: +39-06-681 9121. Any other questions regarding admissions can be emailed to:
admissions@johncabot.edu.