Does this sound familiar? You've completed courses at a college or university but stopped before you could finish the program. Now you're ready to consider completing your degree, but you aren't sure if your prior credits will count toward a new program.

Chances are, you can transfer some or all of your existing credits into a different school's program. That can help you save time and money on the degree you end up completing at Strayer University or another accredited online institution.

What do you need to do if you want to transfer your credits? Here's how to get started:

3 STEPS TO APPLYING TRANSFER CREDITS

Step 1: Contact the school.

Talk to the school you're interested in. Typically, an admissions officer can talk about your background, what your goals are, and which program you want to start. You can start this process with Strayer by completing an online submission form.

Step 2: Send your transcripts. 

You'll need to provide official transcripts from your previous school or schools. That will give the new school a chance to review what you've done and see how many credits can be transferred. At Strayer, admissions officers can request your official transcripts on your behalf (if your prior school accepts third party requests), or you can contact your previous schools yourself. Note: This process can take up to 4 weeks, so be sure to request your transcripts as soon as possible.

Step 3: Find out how many transfer credits you'll receive. 

The registrar's office at the new school will review your transcripts and calculate how many credits can transfer into your new program.

If your transcripts are sent to Strayer, you'll be able to check the status of your review through an online portal. Your admissions officer will be able to tell you how many credits have been approved for transfer.*

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY TRANSFER CREDITS WILL BE APPROVED?

It all depends on the school's requirements. Contact an admissions officer for more details about what the school will accept for transfer.

Strayer accepts a wide range of courses for online college transfer credit including most credits with a C grade or higher from accredited institutions.

ARE ALL TRANSFER CREDITS COUNTED THE SAME?

Again, it depends on the way the school operates. You can apply your entire associate's degree toward a related Strayer degree program, provided that you earned it at one of our 460 allied partner schools (see the complete list of transfer credit alliances).*

BEYOND COLLEGE CREDITS, CAN I TRANSFER LIFE EXPERIENCE TOWARD A PROGRAM?

Many schools will accept life experience'including prior education, military experience, work experience, or proven skills'for transfer credits.

Strayer evaluates prior experience using a method developed by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). This method assesses the knowledge you've gained outside the classroom on a course-by-course basis for possible credit toward a degree; if you meet up to 70% of a course's objectives, you may be able to apply life experience toward college credits. Talk to an admissions officer to learn more.

WILL TRANSFERRING CREDITS BE WORTH IT TO ME?

Yes. This is one of the best ways to take all of the work you've done in school'and life experience'and apply it toward advancing your education. By saving you time and money, credit transfers can help you achieve your goals faster and prepare for your next opportunities.

90% of Strayer transfer students said that switching to Strayer was the right decision for them**. Strayer provides students flexibility and support.

Learn more about applying transfer credits and other ways to save at Strayer University. Get in touch with an admissions officer to discuss your specific background and questions.

_{*All courses are subject to Strayer University policies, including a ten-year limitation on courses in accounting and computer-related areas. Terms of individual agreements may vary. Check your school's agreement for details.}

_{**Claim is based on a third-party sample survey of 298 existing Strayer University students in a targeted market. Strayer University enrolls approximately 45,000 students.}

You’re ready to go back to school, but you’re not sure which online bachelor’s degree is the best fit for you. Get a feel for each of Strayer University’s five undergraduate degrees, and take a deeper dive into the programs that grab your attention.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ACCOUNTING

While you master the principles necessary to read and interpret a balance sheet, you will improve your communication and planning skills. You’ll also:

• Become proficient in industry-standard software programs
• Study all aspects of financial accounting
• Understand the ethics of reporting and disclosing financial information
• Explore the auditing process and design an auditing program
• Gain a foundation in government and not-for-profit accounting
• Develop your management and leadership skills

This degree is ideal for: People who love numbers and are detail-oriented.

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

This degree gives you exposure to strategic theory and provides the hands-on development you need to succeed in business. You’ll fine-tune these important skills:

• Management and leadership preparation
• Analysis and decision-making
• Strategic resource management
• Communication

To customize the degree program to your interests and career goals, you’ll choose one of 13 concentrations. These focus areas include Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and more.

This degree is ideal for: People who want to learn general business principles and develop an area of specialization.

BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT

This degree allows you to transfer your community college technical or applied science associate’s degree into a bachelor’s degree program.

With a great balance of theory and practice, this program will teach you to:

• Use analytical skills to measure goals and performance
• Apply decision-making techniques to critical business challenges
• Effectively communicate strategies, policies, and procedures across an organization
• Foster more productive and ethical organizational cultures
• Develop organizational structures and operational concepts
• Tap into the power of critical thinking skills and information logic

This degree is ideal for: People who already have an associate’s degree and want to deepen their management expertise.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Gain the knowledge and skills to work in fraud detection, juvenile crime, computer forensics, or other specialty areas. The strong liberal arts component of this degree fosters historical, political and social awareness, and helps you develop communication skills, information literacy, abstract thinking and critical analysis. Explore the theoretical, operational, and legal components of law enforcement, rehabilitation of offenders, and the prevention, adjudication, and correction of juvenile and adult crime. Graduates are prepared for careers in the public or private sector of criminal justice or cybercrime and security.

To customize your degree, you’ll choose one of six concentrations:

• Computer Forensics
• Crime and Criminal Behavior
• Criminal Justice Administration
• Homeland Security & Emergency Management
• Probation and Parole
• Tap into the power of critical thinking skills and information logic

This degree is ideal for: People who are interested in working in the criminal justice system.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This online IT degree program delves deep into programming languages and database development, while providing you with the communication skills critical to your success. Many courses are lab-based, giving you hands-on access to the tools you’ll use on the job. You’ll work with a complete range of platforms, devices, and deployment environments.

When you graduate with this degree, you’ll have the skills to:

• Build technology solutions to solve organizational problems
• Apply core IT skills and solutions to improve organizational performance
• Apply IT security best practices when using or managing technology systems
• Effectively communicate technical information to a variety audiences
• Discuss the ethical challenges surrounding IT

To personalize your degree, you’ll choose one of six customizations:

• Cybersecurity
• Data Analytics
• Data Management
• IT Project Management
• Networking
• Software Development

This degree is ideal for: People who want to turn their passion for technology into a profession.

Strayer offers five online bachelor’s degrees and dozens of concentrations customized to fit your educational and career goals. Want help exploring your options? Call an Admissions Officer at 1-877-445-7180. We’d love to chat one-on-one about your interests and goals, and answer any questions you have.

When you’re juggling school, work, and family responsibilities, your time becomes very precious. Students often spend a lot of time on administrative tasks for school—choosing courses, using the IT helpdesk, and looking for library resources. Hunting for answers can be time-consuming. If the school’s support staff is only available from 9 to 5, students often have to cram these admin tasks into their workdays, which can be stressful.

To help our students save time and decrease stress, Strayer University developed Irving, a student service chatbot. He’s named after the university’s founder Dr. Irving Strayer.

This virtual helper, launched in 2017, offers on-demand administrative support 24/7. Strayer students can access Irving from any page on the Strayer student portal. Simply click the chat box at the bottom of the screen, and Irving will pop up. Take care of admin tasks at your convenience, even if it’s late at night or on the weekend.

IRVING CAN:

While you master the principles necessary to read and interpret a balance sheet, you will improve your communication and planning skills. You’ll also:

• Answer frequently asked questions
• Recommend courses
• Make graduation projections
• Help you conduct research
• Help you resolve IT issues
• And More

EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IRVING:

• What’s the status of my financial aid?
• What courses do I need to take to complete my degree?
• How do I register for winter quarter?
• Where can I find a tutor?
• When will I graduate based on my current pace?

IRVING IS ACTUALLY HELPFUL.

Maybe you’ve used chatbots before and haven’t been impressed. We’ve had that experience, too! We knew that Irving had to be genuinely helpful, or nobody would use him. Irving combines artificial intelligence (AI) technology and natural language processing (NLP), so he can handle your requests in a conversational style. A random survey of student users revealed that Irving is good at his job:

• 81% strongly agreed that the Irving chatbot helped resolve their issue easily.
• 93% said it was “extremely likely” or “very likely” that they would use Irving again.

To customize the degree program to your interests and career goals, you’ll choose one of 13 concentrations. These focus areas include Finance, Human Resource Management, Marketing, and more.

This degree is ideal for: People who want to learn general business principles and develop an area of specialization.

IRVING GETS SMARTER OVER TIME.

New questions from students help the development team update Irving’s knowledge base. They recalibrate Irving to respond even more accurately and efficiently.

WHEN YOU NEED HUMAN HELP, IT’S AVAILABLE.

Irving can’t resolve everything—he’s a virtual assistant, after all. When a student needs help from an actual person, Irving can connect them to a staff member. You can also reach out to your Student Services Coach. Because Irving now handles most of the basic admin tasks and questions, our staff has more time to help students with the complex issues that require a human touch.

You can always talk to a real person if you like, but you might not need to. As of September 2019, only 7.42% of all conversations with Irving resulted in a transfer to a live support agent.

Irving helps students efficiently complete administrative tasks whenever it’s most convenient. He saves students valuable time and helps students quickly get back to the important stuff—studying for a degree, working, and spending time with family.

Thinking about going back to school? Strayer University offers convenient online learning, or you can take courses at one of our 70+ in-person campuses. Explore degree programs »

If you’re considering starting an online degree program, you may think that flexibility is the major benefit of getting an education online. Flexibility is indeed a huge factor for many people—but it’s not the only one. Strayer University Campus Dean, Kimberly Williams (South Raleigh Campus), recently listed several other benefits for online students.

1. Potential increase in student/teacher time. “When you have one instructor in a classroom with 30 people, that instructor’s attention is going to be divided,” says Williams. “Online, a student is more likely to have one-on-one interactions, whether it’s via email, phone calls, or Skype.”
   
   
2. Much larger networking field. Williams notes that online classes have the potential to have a wider array of networking opportunities. “Online you have the potential to interact with hundreds of people,” she points out. “You’ll meet students from all walks of life, residing all over the country, and maybe living internationally. They can provide you with insights into how things work in different areas and the ability to make connections thousands of miles away.”
   
   
3. More comfortable for introverts. If the thought of being in a classroom of 30 strangers and being expected to participate with them sounds difficult, the online experience offers a much more introvert-friendly experience. “Some people are just shy and will not talk or ask questions in a physical classroom, but give them the digital distance, and they feel more comfortable participating,” Williams says. “Part of that may be that they just feel more comfortable in their own environment, whether that’s at a coffee shop, at the office, or in their kitchen in their pajamas.”
   
   
4. Less time commuting. Another benefit of online classes is that you can participate in your courses from wherever you are. Time usually spent commuting to a campus can be better spent actually working on your degree. Not to mention, this can mean less money spent on gas, bus, or rail fare.
   
   
5. Decreased conflict with work. Balancing school and work is always a trying experience, but it’s exacerbated when you have to be vigilant about your competing schedules. By having to be at class at a certain time, you may need to limit your work schedule, which could cause you to lose income. With the flexibility of online courses, you can adjust your school schedule around your work schedule, maximizing the benefit of both.
   
   

If flexibility was the concept that drew your attention to online degree programs, it could come as a surprise—a pleasant one—that there are numerous other benefits. Recognizing these can help you make an informed decision before committing to a degree program. Learn more about financial aid and assistance at Strayer University.

You’ve heard of student loans and scholarships. But have you heard about employer tuition assistance?

More and more employers are offering tuition assistance programs to help employees earn higher ed degrees. Learn how these aid programs work, what kind of benefits they offer, and why they’re great for both employees and organizations alike.

How does tuition assistance work?