Applying for credit transfer

• Compare your knowledge and skills with the Malmö University course requirements.

Find the course syllabus in the Education Directory

• Base your assessment on the course's learning outcomes. Focus also on the course content, course literature, and ways student performance are assessed, all of which can be found in the course syllabus.
• If you believe that your knowledge and skills align with the course syllabus and you have prepared the necessary documents (see point 2), start your application in Ladok.
• Remember: you can only apply to have credits transferred for one Malmö University course at a time. If you wish to apply for credit transfer for multiple courses, you must submit separate applications for each course.
• Apply well before the course starts. Processing times vary but expect 4-6 weeks (from the time your application is complete). It could take longer. Applications based on experience-based prior learning (such as professional experience) require a more extensive assessment process and may therefore take significantly longer – up to 12 weeks.
• Continue attending the course even if you have applied for a credit transfer. You will only know if you have been approved for the credit transfer upon receiving a decision.
• Be aware that a decision on credit transfer does not guarantee a place on a course or programme.
• You cannot apply for credit transfer for an elective semester based on education other than higher education or experience-based prior learning (such as professional experience), as there must be defined learning outcomes against which to make the assessment.

When not to apply for credit transfer?

There are occasions when you do not need to submit an application for credit transfer. Two common examples of this are:

• You are enrolled in a programme and want previous studies at a Swedish higher education institution to count as an elective semester within your programme.
• You are taking freestanding courses towards a general degree and wish to include previous studies at a Swedish higher education institution in your degree.

When you apply for your degree via Ladok, you can instead choose which courses should be included in the degree. Please note that you should always apply for credit transfer if you want to include studies from a foreign higher education institution in your programme/degree, or if you have been on exchange studies.

Possible consequences of credit transfer

An approved/partially approved credit transfer may affect your student financing. If relevant, contact the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) to find out what applies in your case. If credit transfer results in you studying fewer credits in a semester than you have given in your application for student finance, you must inform CSN of these changes yourself.

When a course has been completed through credit transfer, you cannot register for the course and take it at a later date.

You must attach documents to your application that verify your previous studies or experience-based prior learning (such as professional experience).

Previous higher education

Higher education at Swedish institutions:

• Previous higher education must be verified with documents such as a study certificate or course/diploma certificate. The course code and course title must be included.
• Documents stating the learning outcomes and describing the course content must be attached, preferably in the form of a course syllabus with a reading list. The syllabus must be valid for when you took the course.

Higher education at foreign institutions:

• Official Transcript of Records. The transcript should be certified*, preferably by the issuing institution. Information about the institution, course names, dates of completed studies, level, credits, and grades must be included.
• Information about the institution’s education and grading system, if not evident from the certificate.
• Formal course syllabus that was current when you took the course.
• Reading list that was current when you took the course.

* Certification is a process by which someone certifies that the copy is the same as the original document. A person (who is not a member of your family) should sign and write their name and telephone number clearly on each copy. The person who certifies the document may be a private individual or an official. You may also ask staff at Malmö University to make a certified copy of your original document.

Documents in languages other than Swedish

Please note that documents from university studies issued in languages other than Swedish, English, Danish, or Norwegian must be translated by an authorised translator into Swedish or English. You are responsible for arranging and covering any costs for translation.

Courses at another educational level (not higher education)

For courses not taken at a higher education institution, you need to provide documents such as grade or course certificates. You should also include descriptive information about the course, such as its content, learning outcomes, scope, and educational level. This could be a course or programme syllabus with a reading list. Additionally, describe in a separate document how the course overlaps with the one at Malmö University, based on the learning outcomes.

Experience-based prior learning (professional experience)

To show knowledge acquired through learning in other contexts, such as professional experience, write a detailed description of the knowledge and skills you have gained and how you gained them in a standard Word document. Include:

• Knowledge and skills – relate them to the learning outcomes of the Malmö University course.
• Experiences – describe tasks you have performed in which roles that helped you gain these skills.
• Timeline – when you gained these skills
• Scope – percentage of full-time employment.
• Responsibilities – your position/role.

Describe situations and challenges you faced and,

• How you resolved them.
• Your choice of methods/tools and/or resources and the outcome.
• Examples of alternative solutions/perspectives.
• Relevant theory, if possible.

Attach documents such as:

• Employment certificates – include scope (% of full-time employment) and dates.
• Description of duties and responsibilities.
• Contact details for your immediate supervisor.
• Other documents that may be relevant.

The instructions above also apply to prior learning other than professional experience.

Providing various types of proof will make the assessment process smoother.

If you have any questions regarding your application, contact the relevant faculty. Contact details can be found on this page.

When you apply for credit transfer, Malmö University compares the content, scope, level, and learning outcomes of your previous studies or professional experience with the learning outcomes of the Malmö University course you want credit for.

You will not get a grade for the credited course, or part of a course, because no new assessment is done.

Processing times vary but expect 4-6 weeks (from a complete application). It could take longer. Assessing applications based on experience-based prior learning (such as professional experience) is a more extensive process and may, therefore, take significantly longer – up to 12 weeks.

After your application has been reviewed, you will receive a decision in Ladok and an email confirming this. There are three possible outcomes:

• Approval: Your application has been granted. The decision will state which previous studies or professional experiences were the basis for the credits.
• Partial approval: Some parts of your application have been approved, some have not. The decision will explain which part of the Malmö University course has been credited and why the rest was not. The decision will include information on how to appeal.
• Rejection: Your application has not been granted. The decision will include information on how to appeal.

Please note, sometimes credits for part of a course will not be entered into Ladok immediately, for example if the course is scheduled for a later semester.

How to appeal

If you application is partially or fully rejected, you have the right to appeal. Address your appeal to the Higher Education Appeals Board but submit it to Malmö University within three weeks of the day you received the decision.

More information on how to appeal will be provided with the decision.