Credit Transfer/Exemption policy for CDE Graduate Programmes

Applicants who intends to transfer credits for their previous study (including NUS pre-taken & double counted courses) to their new graduate programmes in CDE, do submit your application within the first two instructional weeks of your 1st semester of study upon enrolment into your new candidature:

Applicants who have taken NUS courses may apply for transfer of credits to their new Masters candidature if these:

  • courses have not been used to count towards a degree (exception applies*); &
  • courses are of relevance and with comparable content and level of sophistication; &
  • courses should be taken less than 5 years prior to admission of their Masters degree; &
  • maximum number of courses transferred does not exceed 50% of the total coursework requirement and at least 30 Units earned must be courses taken at level 5000 or 6000 within the subject or related disciplines; &
  • courses meet the average GPA of at least 3.00 and a minimum grade of B- (courses with S grade are not transferrable to their new Masters candidature).

The courses, which may be considered for transfer of credits with grades, include:

  • courses taken under the NUS Lifelong Learners (L3)/ CET500 prior to admission ; or
  • courses taken under a former NUS graduate programme, for which the student withdrew his candidature or have been dismissed; or
  • courses taken under a NUS Graduate Certificate programme (which can be stacked towards an Masters programme); or
  • pre-taken courses read during the student’s NUS undergraduate degree programme of either the BEng programme and have declared prior to Semester 1, AY2022/2023 not to include these courses in the GPA computation of their Bachelor’s 

*In addition, the following applies to Masters candidates admitted from August 2020 intake onwards (Double Counting):

  • NUS Bachelor of Engineering degree holders, former students who completed the NUS 3+1+1  programme where the first+1 component is completed at NUS or former students of NUS NGNE programme may apply for Unit and grade transfers of up to 10 Units to their new Masters programmes, provided these courses meet the requirements of their new Masters degree which they are pursuing.  In addition, a minimum grade point of 3.00 must be attained for each specific module to be transferred, the courses taken are at level 5000 or 6000 within the subject or related disciplines at NUS and are taken less than 5 years prior to admission of their Masters degree. 

Upon approval, the courses and grades will be transferred and included in the GPA computation of their new Masters programme. 

Courses approved for credit transfer may be reverted (removed in print from the academic transcript) for GPA computation of best courses equivalent of 40 Units during their last semester of study (where applicable). Courses with S grade are non-transferable to Masters.

Do consult the course host before reading courses beyond your degree requirements as additional fees may apply. 

Applicants who have taken Non-NUS courses at another institution may apply for exemption of coursework requirements for their new NUS Masters candidature if these:

  • courses have not been used to count towards a degree;
  • courses are of relevance and with comparable content and level of sophistication;
  • courses are taken less than 5 years prior to admission of their Masters degree;
  • maximum number of courses exempted does not exceed 50% of the total coursework requirement.

Courses with S grade are non-transferable to Masters

To be considered for transfer of credits (with grades or without grades), the candidate should firstly complete Registration (Part 2) for their Masters degree with NUS.  He/she can then apply by submitting the Application Form for Transfer of Credits to MSc Programme, through their home department to the CDE Office of Graduate Programmes (OGP) within the first two instructional week of his/her Masters candidature in their 1st semester of study.  Requests for transfers of credit after the 1st semester of study will not be allowed unless there are extenuating reasons. The form should be accompanied with a copy of his/her academic transcript indicating the courses, which he/she would like to apply for transfer of credits.  All requests are considered on a case-by-case basis*.  Courses approved for exemption/transfer will count towards the requirements for his/her new Masters degree.

MSc (IP Management) students who have met the minimum requirement of an average score of 55% in the Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Property Law (GCIP), offered by the IP Academy, will automatically be granted exemption for the GCIP courses of the MSc (IP Management) programme upon their admission to the Masters programme. (subjected to further changes)

For more information and procedures on pre-taken courses, Please refer to our website here

*Please take note that some Departments impose a higher minimum grade for transfers of courses.

For students on MOE subsidised programmes, if the courses to be transferred were taken with SSG fee subsidy and if you are also eligible for Masters fees subsidy, then your fees subsidy period (i.e. normal course duration) will be reduced accordingly.

For students on self funded programmes, please check with the department administrators on fee issues.Â