The Transfer Authority on each campus will identify those institutions from which credit can be transferred and determine whether course work is college level. If questions arise with regard to transfer of specific courses, the Transfer Authority will confer with the appropriate college or departmental faculty. The following will apply.
Credit for course work taken at other institutions will be transferred subject to the following considerations:
the mission of the institution from which credits would be transferred;
the comparability of the course work with University course work; and
the appropriateness of the course work for meeting baccalaureate degree requirements at the University.
The University will not accept any transfer course with less than a “D” grade. Once a course has been accepted for transfer to a University of Minnesota campus, all colleges and programs on that campus will honor this decision. A transfer course with a grade of less than C- (less than D for Crookston) will not count toward satisfying a major or a minor requirement, but will count toward total credits.
Credits from technical schools may be considered for transfer only when appropriate to a student’s University of Minnesota degree program. Credit is not normally transferred from specialized or proprietary institutions, military training, or industry-based education programs.
Credit granted by another institution for nontraditional experiences, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or military training will be re-evaluated for content and comparability. Evaluation is based upon the standards set by the Transfer Authority on that University of Minnesota campus.
Religious studies courses transfer if they are not doctrinal, confessional, or sectarian in nature. Religious studies courses from public institutions transfer without special review; religious studies courses from all other institutions will be evaluated by the appropriate college or departmental faculty.
Transfer credits become applicable to a University of Minnesota degree program or certificate program only after the student has been admitted as a degree-seeking student or admitted to the certificate program and official transcripts from prior institutions have been received by the University of Minnesota.
Exclusions
This policy is not applicable to the Duluth campus.
Reason for Policy
This policy specifies where authority resides for decisions regarding transferability of credit and outlines the guidelines surrounding the transfer of credits from other institutions, to ensure that courses transferred demonstrate equivalence with University of Minnesota courses and are of equivalent rigor to courses offered on the University campus to which the course is being transferred. Clear information is critical for students planning to transfer credits to the University. This policy implements criteria and requirements for accreditation established by the Higher Learning Commission.
Procedures
There are no procedures associated with this policy.
Forms/Instructions
There are no forms associated with this policy.
Appendices
There are no appendices associated with this policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the grades in transfer credits from another institution included in a student’s cumulative University of Minnesota grade point average (GPA)?
No. Only those credits earned from the University of Minnesota will be used in calculating the cumulative GPA. However, the transfer credits from the other institution may be used to fulfill degree requirements, where allowed by the department, college, or campus.
I am a transfer student who received credit at another institution for my scores on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Does that credit automatically transfer to the University of Minnesota?
No. Each University of Minnesota campus determines its standards for granting credit based upon AP exam scores. Your AP scores will be evaluated according to the University campus standards, and credit will be awarded based upon those standards.
Are courses transferring among University of Minnesota campuses treated differently than transfer courses from outside the University of Minnesota?
The difference is that all University courses are recorded on a student’s transcript and the grades on these courses automatically factor into the student’s University cumulative GPA.
Like transfer courses from other institutions, the applicability of courses from another campus to a particular degree program is determined by the particular program, college, and campus requirements.
Can transfer credits be removed to reduce credit totals and therefore improve calculations such as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?
No, once credit or transfer credit is awarded, it is not removed to improve SAP calculations.
Associate Vice Provost - Academic Support Resources
Definitions
Accreditation
Accreditation is a review of the quality of higher education institutions and programs. In the United States, accreditation is a major way that students, families, government officials, and the press know that an institution or program provides a quality education and it provides credibility with other institutions and employers. There are different types of accreditation–institutional (regional or national) and programmatic (specialized).
Regional Accreditation
Regional accreditation is the most widely used and recognized type of institutional accreditation for colleges and universities in the United States and is typically focused on academic institutions that are state, public, or non-profit colleges or universities. There are six regional accrediting agencies for higher education institutions in the U.S.. The University of Minnesota is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Responsibilities
Transfer Authority
The Transfer Authority at each campus has the following responsibilities:
Identifies institutions from which credit can be transferred and determines whether course work is college level.
Confers with the appropriate college or departmental faculty with regard to transfer of specific courses.
Maintains detailed transfer tables to document transferability of specific courses from other institutions.
The Transfer Authority for each campus is listed below:
January 2023 - Comprehensive review. Updates include:
Clarification on when transfer credit appears on a student’s record
Added FAQ regarding removal of transfer coursework for purposes of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Made minor grammatical edits to improve or clarify language
Amended:
March 2014 - Comprehensive Review. Minor Revision. The policy now clarifies that the decisions made regarding a transfer of undergraduate credit, pertains to that campus. It also specifies that the student must be degree-seeking or admitted into a certificate program to have the credits transferred.
Amended:
December 2009 - Policy now applies to Crookston.
Amended:
April 2009 - Clarified policy, and put into standard format. Added contact information.
Administrative Policy