What UPI Study's credits are
Semester hours
Semester-calendar colleges award semester credit. Oregon State puts a bachelor's at a semester school at usually 120 semester hours.
NCCRS lists every UPI Study course in semester hours
Home › Courses › Semester vs quarter hours
Semester hoursQuarter hours1 semester hour = 1.5 quarter hours
Semester hours vs quarter hours: converting our credits
Multiply by 1.5: one semester hour equals 1.5 quarter hours at the University of Washington, Oregon State and the University of Denver, and UW Bothell converts the other way by multiplying quarter credits by two-thirds. UPI Study's credit recommendations are all in semester hours, so at that rate a 3-credit course comes to 4.5 quarter hours and a 4-credit course, such as Calculus 1, to 6. Your college applies its own rule, so check its registrar's page.
Quarter-system colleges
Quarter hours
The University of Washington and Oregon State award quarter credits; Oregon State puts the same bachelor's at 180 quarter credits.
1 semester hour = 1.5 quarter hours
- 1 semester hour
- 1.5 quarter hours
- 1 quarter hour
- Two-thirds of a semester hour
- UPI Study's credits
- Semester hours (NCCRS)
1, 2, 3 and 4 credits: one course each
Side by side
| Semester hours | Quarter hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry Lab, Physics Lab | 1 | 1.5 |
| Anatomy and Physiology I and 2 Labs | 2 | 3 |
| Most courses, such as Intro to Psychology | 3 | 4.5 |
| Calculus 1, 2 and 3, Discrete Mathematics | 4 | 6 |
| A bachelor's degree (Oregon State) | 120 | 180 |
| Junior standing at UCLA | 60 | 90 |
The University of Washington's own words: "To convert semester to quarter credits, multiply by 1.5." The University of Denver adds that other formulas apply when a college follows neither a standard quarter nor a semester calendar. Every UPI Study course is self-paced and online.
What it means for you
Heading to a quarter-system college
- Multiply our semester hours by 1.5
- Calculus 1, at 4 semester hours, comes to 6 quarter hours
- Ask how it fits your degree's quarter-credit total
Heading to a semester college
- No conversion: our credits are already semester hours
- A 3-credit course stays 3
- Ask which requirement each course meets
Questions, answered
How many quarter hours is a 3-credit course?
4.5, at the 1.5 rate the University of Washington, Oregon State and the University of Denver publish. Oregon State says it plainly: “A 3 semester credit class is equivalent to 4.5 quarter credits.” Most UPI Study courses carry an NCCRS recommendation for 3 semester hours.
How do I convert quarter credits to semester credits?
Multiply by two-thirds. UW Bothell, a quarter-system campus: “To convert quarter credits to semester credits, multiply by two-thirds.” So 45 quarter credits make 30 semester credits. The University of Denver notes that other formulas apply when a college follows neither a standard quarter nor a semester calendar.
Are UPI Study credits semester hours or quarter hours?
Semester hours. NCCRS lists every UPI Study recommendation in semester hours: 1 for Chemistry Lab and Physics Lab, 2 for each Anatomy and Physiology Lab, 3 for most courses and 4 for Calculus 1, 2 and 3 and Discrete Mathematics. A quarter-system college turns them into its own quarter credits.
Is a quarter-system degree more work than a semester one?
No. Oregon State puts a bachelor's at a semester school at usually 120 semester hours against 180 quarter credits on the quarter system: “So you are doing the same amount of work – it is just divided up in a different way.”
How many quarter credits is Calculus 1?
Calculus 1 (Math 165) carries an NCCRS recommendation for 4 semester hours, which is 6 quarter hours at the 1.5 rate. Calculus 2, Calculus 3 and Discrete Mathematics carry 4 semester hours too.
Do lab credits convert the same way?
Yes, at the same rate. Chemistry Lab and Physics Lab carry 1 semester hour each (1.5 quarter hours), and each Anatomy and Physiology Lab carries 2 (3 quarter hours). Each is a set of virtual labs done online; see lab vs non-lab science credit for what counts as a lab.
How many quarter credits make me a junior?
It depends on the college. UCLA lists junior-level standing for transfer applicants as 60 semester or 90 quarter units completed, and UW Bothell counts a junior from 90 to 134 quarter credits.
Will a quarter-system college take my UPI Study credits?
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Search your school in Find My College and ask the registrar how many quarter credits each course would post as.
Where these credits can go
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Plus many more partner colleges and ACE and NCCRS cooperating colleges.
Find My College →Keep exploring
- Calculus 1 course page4 semester hours
- Lab vs non-lab science creditWhat counts as a lab
- Transfer limits vs residencyHow many credits you can bring
ACE vs NCCRSThe two credit recommendations
Check your college first
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Sources (6)
- University of Washington, Office of the Registrar: Academic credit https://www.washington.edu/students/reg/credit.html
- University of Washington Bothell, Admissions: Transfer credit policies https://www.uwb.edu/admissions/apply/transfer/transfer-credit-policies
- Oregon State University, Admissions: Transfer credit (Quarters vs Semesters) https://admissions.oregonstate.edu/transfer-credit
- University of Denver, Office of the Registrar: Course equivalencies https://du.edu/registrar/content/course-equivalencies-approvals
- UCLA Undergraduate Admission: Transfer requirements https://admission.ucla.edu/apply/transfer/transfer-requirements
- NCCRS: UPI Study, Inc. (every course and its credit recommendation) https://www.nationalccrs.org/organizations/upi-study-inc
- NCCRS: UPI Study's credit recommendations https://www.nationalccrs.org/organizations/upi-study-inc
UPI Study facts are from our course catalog, syllabi and course rules.