Every school and every state is different. You need to check with the school(s) your son or daughter are interested in transferring to and find out how they treat credit hours your student wishes to transfer. Generally, if a student follows the schools core curriculum for the first year, then transfers to another, in-state school, most schools will accept a quarter to a half of the semester credits. Out-of-state universities have varying core requirements, so parents will need to check with the specific school. In most cases, a student who transfers later in their academic career can expect to add one semester to the time it takes to complete their degree due to varying requirements and credits that do not transfer.  Read more in our article "Transfer Without the Trauma".