Required Credits for Admission to Villanova University

Just northwest of Philadelphia, Villanova University is a popular draw for college students across the United States due to its strong Catholic tradition and thriving campus life. The credits needed for admission to this school, ranked No. 1 for regional universities in the North by “U.S. News & World Report,” depend on your current academic status.

Credits Needed for Freshmen

Students applying to Villanova as first-year students will be more competitive if they have taken a full load of college-prep courses. In addition to the standard four years of English and three years of social science, candidates are required to have taken three years of math, three years of science, and two years of foreign language. However, the university prefers that applicants have at least four years of math, four years of science, and three years of foreign language on their high school transcripts. Four years of math and science are required for the engineering program. Villanova prefers to see a mid-year report from seniors in high school in addition to the school transcripts provided with the application.

Credits Needed to Transfer

The Villanova College of Liberal Arts and Sciences requires transfer students to attend another institution for the equivalent of at least two consecutive semesters prior to transferring. This is equal to a minimum of 24 course credit hours. Students should have at least a 3.0 GPA at their prior institution to be admitted to the liberal arts, nursing or business colleges, and a 2.75 GPA to be admitted to the engineering college. Because the nursing program is highly structured, transfers to nursing may begin classes in August only.

Maximum of Transferable Credits

While Villanova requires a minimum of 24 credit hours for a transfer to be admitted, it will not allow a student to receive credit for more than 60 course credit hours from other colleges. This means transfer students who have taken more than 60 credit hours at their previous colleges will lose some time and money as they are forced to re-take certain classes. Furthermore, in order to receive their degrees from Villanova, at least half of the credits from courses in the transfer student’s major must be taken at Villanova. Additionally, the final 30 credit hours to complete the degree should be taken at Villanova.

Credit Hours and Overseas Study

Villanova encourages its students, especially those in the business school, to complete overseas study in order to better prepare themselves to work in a globalized economy. However, in order to participate in such a program, students must have completed at least three full-time semesters at Villanova, or 36 credit hours, with a minimum GPA of 2.75. This includes transfer students.