Page 66 - FSTE A5 Handbook

Chapter Four
Credit Transfer Practices for
Senior Year Admission

When the universities consider credit transfer on a block basis, that is recognizing credit
points in a pre-determined group, we call this “block transfer,” which is usually approved on
admission. Students can also submit their requests for credit transfer on a course basis which
will be considered as a case-by-case credit transfer. This can be done on admission or any time
during their study period. Therefore, block credit transfer will apply to a group of students
while case-by-case transfer may vary among students.
Comparison of Local GE Transfer Practice

Universities will have their own considerations for the number of courses and credits to
be included in their block transfer for students on their admission. Table 3 summarizes the
information obtained from the local universities’ website and interviews with GE representatives
of 4 universities (U1, U3, U4 and U6). The variation among universities is quite large. In one
university, for example, the block credit transfer can be up to 100%, while on average it is about
50%. In general, the GE credits (courses) required for 4-year undergraduate degree curricula
in Hong Kong vary from 21 credits (U2 and U8) to 38 credits (U6). This variation reflects the
different GE structures and orientations of the eight UGC-funded institutions.

Table 3: A comparison of block credit transfer practice among the eight UGC-funded universities
(N=8)
GE credit/unit
Total GE credits requirement for Total % of
(courses) required for allowable GE
Universities senior year entry transferable
4-year undergraduate students (AD/HD credits/units GE credits
degrees transferred
graduates)
U1 36 (6 courses) 12-18 18-24 50-67%
U2 21 (7-9 courses) 8 13 62%
30 (10 courses + 1 non-
U3 9-18 12-21 40-70%
credit bearing course)
U4 36 (13 courses) 18-27 9-18 25-50%
U5 30 (10 courses) 12 18 60%
38 (13 courses + 1 non-
U6 0-20 18-38 53-100%
credit bearing course)
U7 33 (11 courses) 18 15 45%
U8 21 (6 courses) 15 6 29%

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