Transfer FAQs

Articulation Agreement Students

Articulation Agreements (also called transfer agreements or transfer pathways) document a pathway between two or more colleges or universities and their academic programs. The Articulation Agreement is an official guarantee that classes completed at one school will be accepted when a student transfers to another school. Cape Breton University has over 300 Articulation Agreements with accredited colleges and universities throughout the world.

Students transferring to CBU under an Articulation Agreement should review CBU’s General Admission Requirements, information about Articulation Agreements and should connect with a CBU Recruiter to discuss their application.

International Students

Any student coming from outside of Canada (who wishes to transfer outside of an Articulation Agreement) should review CBU’s International Admission Requirements. All documents and transcripts must be received in English. Once an International student has been accepted, they should follow the steps outlined in the Transferring to CBU Checklist to see if they are eligible for transfer credits.

International students should connect with a CBU Recruiter with any questions, or to discuss their application.

Mature Students

Mature students are Canadian citizens or residents who are at least 21 years of age and are applying for their first year of an undergraduate program. You can review CBU’s Admission Requirements for Mature Students.

Quicklinks

Transferring to CBU FAQs

In order to apply to CBU, you must identify yourself on the application as a Transfer, Mature, Returning, or International Student.

Unsure which heading you fall into? Have a look at the flow chart below:



Cape Breton University’s Residency Policy requires that at least 50% of any program’s requirements be completed at CBU. Both on-campus and online courses (or a combination of the two) can be used to meet this Residency Requirement.

Applicants applying to CBU are eligible to receive up to a maximum of 50% of their program’s requirements (some exceptions apply) through credit awarded for learning experiences external to the university.

All first-year and second-year credit courses offered at all other Canadian universities will be accepted for credit at CBU, with the following limitations:

  • A minimum of 50% of the courses must be completed at CBU in a degree, diploma or certificate program, unless stated otherwise in the program descriptions.
  • Credit transfer is distinct from admission and decisions with regard to admission to remain the prerogative of CBU.
  • The specific program requirements of CBU must be met. An otherwise acceptable transfer credit may not be usable in a particular program of study.
  • Students must also meet any requirements with regard to grades. External credits will be treated identically with those of CBU students who move from one program to another within the institution. If a grade of 60% is required in a CBU prerequisite course, for example, then a 60% grade will also be required in a transfer course. A dean, in consultation with the registrar and the department, may approve courses beyond the first and second year levels for credit transfer in degree, diploma and certificate programs, bearing in mind that at least 50% of courses must be completed at CBU.

Students transferring under an Articulation Agreement can find more information here. Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.

Any Transfer applicant must be in good academic standing at their current institution if they wish to transfer to CBU. This means that they cannot be on academic dismissal or academic suspension. Individual program admission requirements must be met. Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.

Any Transfer applicant must list all previous post-secondary institutions attended on the application for admission even where no transfer credit is sought.

The Transfer applicant must submit  official post-secondary transcripts (this required to apply to CBU).

The Transfer applicant must supply a secondary school transcript if the equivalent subject requirements were not completed during post-secondary studies.

Students transferring under an Articulation Agreement can find more information here. Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.

Internal transfer credits are used by historical CBU students who previously graduated and have courses on their historical transcripts that are no longer offered or available at CBU. These students can apply to have their previous credits assessed against available courses, potentially adding credits to a new degree. All internal credit arrangements are administered by the academic schools, in consultation with the Enrolment Services Office. Please fill out the Transfer Credit Assessment form to begin the process. You will not be required to pay a fee.

Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.

You can apply for a Prior Learning Assessment. PLAs are an option for students who feel that their experience and/or training earned outside of a post-secondary institution is equivalent to a course needed for their CBU degree. Students requesting a PLA should first submit a Transfer Credit Assessment form, in addition to a PLA form.

If you are studying for a Bachelor of Arts Community Studies Program (BACS) degree, students should review the below information:

COMS1100 – Introduction to Community Studies

COMS2101 – Work Experience Placement I

COMS3101 – Work Experience Placement II

Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.

It will take 4-6 weeks to process an application for transfer credit. Applications received after August 1, cannot be guaranteed for processing for September registration. Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.

Transfer credits are not activated until registration, and applications received after August 1, cannot be guaranteed for processing for September registration. Still have a question? Ask our recruiters.