How Close Are You to Finishing Your Degree?

Your total number of credits cannot tell you exactly how close you are to graduating. Learn what determines the requirements you still need.

By Monique Wells-Lopez, Ed.D.

The Decision

If you completed college coursework in the past, how much of it still applies to the degree you want, and what requirements would you have left to complete?

Why This Matters

Adults returning to college may assume:

• A high number of credits means they are close to finishing

• Their previous degree plan still applies

• Their major requirements have stayed the same

• All completed courses will still meet requirements

• Returning to the same institution is automatically the fastest path

None of these assumptions are guaranteed.

Your total credits show how much coursework you completed. They do not show whether that coursework satisfies the requirements of the degree you want now.

Credits earned are not the same as requirements completed.

A student with 90 completed credits could still have significant requirements remaining if many of those credits do not apply to the current program. Another student with fewer total credits could be closer to completion because more of those credits satisfy specific degree requirements.

To understand your real starting point, you need an updated evaluation of how your completed coursework applies to the program you are considering.

How Institutions Determine What Remains

Several factors can affect what you would need to complete.

1. The Degree Requirements That Apply

Programs and degree requirements can change over time. The requirements that applied when you originally enrolled may not be the requirements that apply if you return.

2. How Your Completed Coursework Applies

Previously completed courses may:

• Satisfy a specific degree requirement

• Satisfy a different requirement than they did previously

• Apply as elective credit

• No longer fit the structure of the program you want to complete

The important question is not simply how many credits you earned, but where those credits apply within the degree.

3. Your Catalog Year

A catalog year identifies the set of academic requirements used to determine what you need to complete for a degree.

Institutions establish their own policies for determining which catalog applies. Depending on the institution and program, a returning student may remain under an earlier catalog, be assigned a newer catalog, or have other options under institutional policy.

Do not assume that the catalog requirements you followed when you first enrolled will automatically apply when you return.

4. Changes to the Program

While you were away, a program may have changed.

Changes could include:

• New required courses

• Courses that are no longer offered

• Updated prerequisites

• Different general education requirements

• Revised major requirements

• Changes to course sequencing

A current program evaluation can show how your previous coursework fits the program as it exists now.

5. Recency, Prerequisites, and Sequencing

Some programs apply recency requirements to particular courses or prerequisites, especially when current knowledge or sequencing is important.

A program may also have prerequisites or course sequences that affect when you can complete remaining requirements.

This means two students who need the same number of credits may have very different completion timelines.

6. Residency Requirements

Some institutions require students to complete a minimum number of credits at the institution awarding the degree.

Residency requirements can affect how many additional courses you need even when you already have substantial college credit.

Why Time Away Matters

Time away from college does not automatically erase the coursework you completed.

However, while you were away, degree requirements, prerequisites, course sequencing, or program structures may have changed. Your catalog year may also affect which requirements apply when you return.

The length of time you have been away is therefore not enough to determine whether you are starting over or almost finished.

You need a current evaluation to understand how your previous coursework fits the program you want to complete now.

Returning to Your Original Institution vs. Exploring Other Options

If you are considering returning to the institution you previously attended, ask that institution to evaluate your academic record.

But do not assume returning there is automatically the fastest path.

Another institution may evaluate your completed coursework differently. For example, one institution may apply more of your previous coursework toward its degree requirements than another, even though both institutions reviewed the same academic record.

That could leave you with fewer remaining requirements at one institution.

However, fewer remaining credits do not automatically make an institution the better option.

Compare:

• How your previous credits apply

• Total requirements remaining

• Estimated completion time

• Total cost

• Course availability and scheduling

• Program structure

• Residency requirements

• How well the credential supports your goal

The best option is not necessarily the institution that accepts the most credits. It is the option that provides the most practical path to the credential you actually want.

Questions to Ask Before You Reenroll

Ask the institution:

• Which catalog year would apply if I return?

• How does my completed coursework apply to current requirements?

• Has my program changed since I attended?

• Are there recency requirements that affect any of my courses?

• Have prerequisites or course sequences changed?

• Are substitutions or waivers possible under institutional policy?

• How many requirements and credits would I have left to complete?

• How long would completing those requirements likely take?

• Do residency requirements affect what I still need to complete?

These questions can help you understand your actual starting point before you commit to returning.

How to Find Your Real Starting Point

Use this sequence:

1. Identify the program you are considering.You cannot determine what remains without knowing which degree requirements you are trying to satisfy.

2. Obtain your academic record or current degree audit. Identify the coursework and credits you have already completed.

3. Request an evaluation against the applicable requirements. Ask the institution to determine how your previous coursework applies to the program you are considering.

4. Identify the credits that satisfy specific requirements. Determine which courses satisfy general education, major, prerequisite, or other degree requirements.

5. Identify credits that apply as electives. Elective credit may count toward the total credits required for the degree without satisfying a specific program requirement.

6. Identify credits that do not apply to the program. Completed coursework may remain on your academic record even when it does not reduce your remaining degree requirements.

7. Identify what remains. Determine the courses, credits, prerequisites, and other requirements you would still need to complete.

8. Compare your options. If you are considering more than one program or institution, compare the remaining requirements, completion time, cost, and fit with your goal.

This gives you a much more useful measure of your progress than your total number of completed credits.

Before You Decide

Your credit total alone cannot tell you how close you are to finishing your degree.

What matters is how your completed coursework applies to the requirements of the program you want to complete. Some courses may satisfy specific requirements, some may count as electives, and some may not reduce what remains.

Start by requesting an updated evaluation of your academic record.

Once you know what applies and what remains, you can compare the time, cost, and requirements of returning to your original institution, choosing another institution, or pursuing a different program.

Know what you have. Know what you still need. Then decide which path makes sense.

Continue Exploring

• Can Old College Credits Expire?

• What Is a College Catalog Year?

• Should You Finish Your Degree or Choose a Different Program?

Disclaimer

This article provides general educational information for adults returning to college. Academic policies, catalog requirements, residency requirements, course applicability, and evaluation decisions vary by institution and program. Confirm the requirements that would apply to you directly with the institution and program you are considering.