Capella Student › Articles › Transferring from Walden
Can you transfer from Walden to Capella?
Yes. Both are regionally accredited, so credit is portable in principle and Capella assesses it case by case.
The expensive mistake is not the transfer itself — it is enrolling before having the transcript properly assessed, and against both Capella formats, because they count prior learning by different systems.
Why nurses move in this direction
Usually one of three reasons, and they are worth naming because two of them are good and one is not.
- Pace and cost. Walden bills per credit against a fixed calendar; Capella's FlexPath bills per session, so a fast self-starter can finish sooner and cheaper. A good reason.
- Format fit. Some nurses find term deadlines and discussion posts are not how they work. Also a good reason.
- A difficult term. Moving schools because a term went badly is the one worth pausing on — the format that removes structure is rarely the fix for a term that went badly through lack of structure.
What you would be giving up
Chiefly Walden's Practicum Pledge, which commits the school to matching you with a preceptor and site. It comes with real conditions — five documented refusals first, up to 100 miles, possibly not your requested term — but Capella makes no equivalent commitment at all.
If you have no route to a placement and your track needs one, that is a significant thing to hand back. The full comparison is here.
The order that protects your credit
- Request your Walden transcript before anything else — it is the slowest step.
- Have it assessed against both Capella formats. GuidedPath counts up to 135 quarter credits; FlexPath up to 68 of 90 points. The same transcript is worth different amounts in each.
- Choose the format based on that assessment plus how you actually work.
- Then enrol.
Nurses who transfer routinely leave a term's worth of accepted work on the table by doing steps three and four before step two.
Will my Walden nursing courses transfer?
Foundational and general-education coursework generally travels well between regionally accredited institutions. Specialization and practicum requirements usually do not — those belong to the program you are joining, and they are the part you are enrolling for.
Do I lose my practicum hours?
Practicum hours are the least portable element, since they are tied to a specific program's requirements and approvals. If you have already completed substantial practicum hours, that is a strong argument for finishing where you are, and worth weighing carefully before moving.
Is transferring worth it if I am halfway through?
Often not, and it is worth being sceptical of your own reasoning at that point. Halfway through, the credit you would surrender and the practicum progress at stake usually outweigh a format preference. Get the assessment before deciding — it converts an emotional question into an arithmetic one.