I am an American studying as an international student in the UK. I am finishing the second year of a psychology degree, and due to some family issues I really want to transfer back to the US for my final year, specifically to online programs. I have already been accepted into online universities, and I also have an Associate’s degree from the US, which the online universities accepted. The problem is that my UK university won’t give me a transcript until I withdraw, and I don’t want to withdraw until I know whether the US universities will transfer a fair bit of my credits. Meanwhile, the US universities won’t give me any credit evaluation until I have a transcript.
So, my question is: will I likely have to do 2 years of university if I move back to the US, or just one/one and a half? Since the first two years of a US degree are general studies, and the first two years of a UK degree are specific to psychology, I was hoping that my two years of study (10 classes) in the UK would give me at least 24 credits towards my junior year of university, leaving me with just 12 classes to complete in the US. But I don’t know if US universities would see those classes as lower division, or if they would take them at all. If it matters, I was looking at SNHU, Columbia college, Liberty, LSU, and Bay Path. Can anyone give me an idea of how dumb it is to move back to the US?
I have not done anything like this. However, my best guess is that you would probably be required to complete two years at a university in the US, particularly if you are at a more or less “top 200” university.
One thing that I have a bit more experience with is someone completing a bachelor’s degree outside the US, and then getting a master’s degree, or a PhD, or some other graduate degree in the US. This is definitely possible. This is definitely possible at the very top ranked universities in the US.
Just as one example, when I was getting a master’s degree at Stanford there was someone in the same program who had gotten their bachelor’s degree in the UK. I did not know him all that well. However, I remember him because he had brewed an English-style beer (in his dorm room at Stanford). He liked it. I liked it. Most of our friends did not like it. It was quite good, but did not taste like a normal American beer. Regardless he had definitely gotten his bachelor’s in the UK and was getting a master’s (and brewing beer) at Stanford.
Similarly two immediate family members (one daughter and one sibling) got their bachelor’s in Canada, and then got or are currently getting a PhD in the US.
My expectation is that you are probably better off to complete your bachelor’s where you are, and then come back to the US right after graduation, and consider staying in the US for any graduate degree that you might want to get. My understanding is that psychology is an area where some form of graduate degree is likely.
Something else that might be more of a long shot is to check to see whether your current university would allow you to take a semester abroad in the US, and then complete your degree back in the UK. Alternately you might be able to take a year off, and then return to the UK and complete your degree.
Yeah I definitely am not looking at a top 200 university, and my university I am currently at isn’t anything significant either. I’ve seen one person online who transferred almost all their credits to the US after one year in the UK…but I don’t know where I could find or talk to anyone else.
You don’t have access to a transcript? What would you do if you were applying for internships this summer that required a transcript?
Even with a transcript though, some schools won’t evaluate transfer credit until you pay an enrollment deposit. Transfers often deposit at multiple schools as they work thru this (not generally a good idea, but because transfer decisions don’t often have the same timing/enrollment deadlines and because of the credit transfer issue, people do this.)
You are going to have to go to each school’s website and see what it says. Many (non-online) schools require two years at their school to get a bachelors.
Not always the case.
The issue you may need to make up either general studies classes and/or major required classes. The issue for transfers isn’t always that the transfer school doesn’t accept credits, it’s often how specific credits are applied to the university required core classes and/or major requirements.
Yeah, I think it is quite typical for UK schools to not give transcripts until you drop out or withdraw, at least mine says you cannot be a current student and get a transcript.
For the schools I am looking at, they will evaluate transfer credit without any enrollment deposit, they only require 30 credits to be completed at the institution to get a bachelor’s, and it looks like 60 of my 66 credits from my associate’s degree will transfer. I’ve already been in contact with all of the target schools and all of them say they need a transcript from my UK uni, although two unis say they will glance at my UK courses and guess. I’d be a lot more receptive to this guessing game if I could find someone somewhere who has successfully transferred.
As for financial aid, I probably will apply for it if I get an answer about transferring credits. But if I can transfer to the last year of university, with 12-15 credits to do, then the tuition will be the same as my UK university anyway.