Transfer Applicants to Biola

A transfer student is one who will be attending a college or university after having taken at least one semester of classes at another college or university. To apply to Biola as a transfer student, follow the steps below.

Scroll down for more information on transferring from a community college or a non-accredited college, the Bible residency requirement, or how classes transfer.

Transfer Steps to Apply

1. Complete and submit your official application for admission. Every advantage goes to the early applicant, and late applications are charged a non-refundable $55 application fee.

2. Submit a non-refundable $45 application fee to Biola University.* If applying online, you may submit the fee by credit card. Otherwise, please send a check or money order with the student's name on the check to the address below.

3. Submit an official transcript from each high school and each college attended. Transcripts will be considered official only when sent directly from the institution to Biola via the address below.

4. If you are transferring 26 or fewer transferable units, or if you are a Nursing student, submit your scores from the SAT (Code 4017) or ACT (Code 0172).

   Note: If you are transferring 27 or more transferable units, unless you are a Nursing student, you are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5. Submit two reference forms. One reference must come from a member of the pastoral staff of your church and attest to your Christian testimony. The other reference should come from a high school teacher, counselor, or a college instructor and attest to your academic ability. Both references should be provided by persons outside of your own family and be sent to the address below.

* Biola will accept the College Board fee waiver or appropriate letter verifying family financial hardship.

Community College Transfers

Students are permitted to transfer a maximum of 70 units from a community college. All of the following are not transferable from a community college:

• Any courses below a "C" (2.0) grade
• Upper-division credit courses
• Credit / No Credit and Pass / Fail courses
• Vocational or technical courses

Admissions counselors are prepared to advise those attending, or planning to attend, community colleges with the intention of transferring into Biola. Final authority for the acceptance of transfer credits rests with the Office of the Registrar.

Non-accredited College Transfers

Students transferring from non-accredited institutions may be given the opportunity to validate credits through the College Level Examination Program or through consultation. Information on this procedure is available in the Office of the Registrar.

Provisional credit for liberal arts courses from non-accredited institutions will be granted in accordance with the policies of state colleges or universities of the state in which the institution is located. Provisional credit is considered validated only when the student performs at the "C" level or better following enrollment.

Bible Residency Requirement

Students must take at least 15 of the 30 required units of biblical studies at Biola.

How Classes Transfer

Many units transfer from one university to another, but some do not. To transfer into Biola, all courses must have at least a "C" (2.0) grade. There are three ways to see determine if units will transfer into Biola:

1. Follow Biola's GE Pattern and curriculum charts.
2. If you are a California community college student, Biola accepts UC and Cal State IGETC.
3. Contact your admissions counselor or the Office of the Registrar.

Admission Requirements

Students with less than 27 transferable units qualify for admission to Biola on the basis of both their high school and college records, including SAT or ACT scores. Students with 27 or more transferable units qualify primarily on the basis of their college grades.

Transferring 26 or Fewer Transferable Units

• The student must be an evangelical believer in the Christian faith.
• The student must have at least a 3.0 unweighted high school GPA.

Note: The average unweighted high school GPA for incoming freshmen at Biola is 3.52.

• The student must have at least a 920 Critical Reading / Math score on the SAT, or a Composite 19 score on the ACT.

Note: The average Critical Reading / Math SAT score for incoming freshman at Biola is 1,123. The average Composite ACT score is 23.

• The student must have graduated from high school or earned an equivalent degree (GED). The following is a recommended high school curriculum:
• 4 years of English
• 3 years of Mathematics
• 2-4 years of Foreign Language
• 2 years of Science
• 2 years of Social Science

Note: Elective courses in fine arts and PE are encouraged. Prospective nursing candidates must have one year each of chemistry and algebra. Biology majors must have one year each of chemistry and physics.

Deficiencies in the student's high school curriculum may be made up while at Biola. Homeschool students and international students have an adjusted standard in this area.

Transferring 27 or More Transferable Units

• The student must be an evangelical believer in the Christian faith.
• The student must have at least a 2.5 collegiate GPA.
• The student must have graduated from high school or earned an equivalent degree (GED). The following is a recommended high school curriculum:
• 4 years of English
• 3 years of Mathematics
• 2-4 years of Foreign Language
• 2 years of Science
• 2 years of Social Science

Note: Elective courses in fine arts and PE are encouraged. Prospective nursing candidates must have one year each of chemistry and algebra. Biology majors must have one year each of chemistry and physics.

Deficiencies in the student's high school curriculum may be made up while at Biola. Homeschool students and international students have an adjusted standard in this area.

Application Deadlines

To qualify for an application deadline, all materials must be received in the Admissions Office by the appropriate deadline date. If a student qualifies for a specific application deadline, they will be notified of admission by the corresponding notification date.