Transfer Credit

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Acceptability of Undergraduate Transfer Credits

Generally, college-level courses completed at regionally-accredited institutions will be acceptable and awarded transfer credit, provided the course is similar in level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes to courses offered at the University of Maryland and a grade of "C-" or higher is earned. Regional accrediting bodies include:

  • Higher Learning Commission;
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education;
  • New England Commission on Higher Education;
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities;
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges;
  • WASC Senior College and University Commission; and
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

The University of Maryland typically does not award undergraduate transfer credit for courses that are pre-collegiate, remedial, vocational, technical, graduate, professional (e.g., law, medicine, dentistry, nursing), or religious in nature. For a transfer course to receive credit, the course must be similar in level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes of courses offered at the University of Maryland. Other types of transfer courses that usually are not awarded transfer credits are independent study, internship, externship, practicum, or co-op work experiences that are not supervised by University of Maryland faculty. In addition, transfer credit is typically not awarded for these types of experiences completed through other institutions.

The Office of the University Registrar at the University of Maryland posts all undergraduate transfer courses to an undergraduate degree seeking student’s academic record from regionally-accredited institutions of higher education in the United States and international institutions recognized by their country’s Ministry of Education. Only transfer courses that are acceptable and awarded credit by the University of Maryland will be noted on the student’s official transcript. The notation will include the course title and number of credits awarded; the grade for a course is not included. Grades from transfer courses are not included in the University of Maryland grade point average calculation.

Transfer courses from non-regionally accredited institutions in the United States will be reviewed for acceptability on an individual basis at the request of the student. Only transfer courses that have been determined to be acceptable for transfer to the University of Maryland will be posted to the student’s academic record. For a course to be deemed acceptable for transfer, the course must be similar in level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes to courses offered at the University of Maryland. Transfer courses from international institutions that are not recognized by the country’s Ministry of Education are not accepted for transfer and will not be awarded credit by the University of Maryland.

Transfer courses completed at public institutions of higher education in the State of Maryland, in accordance to COMAR (Code of Maryland Regulations) policy 13B.06.01.05 (https://dsd.maryland.gov/Pages/COMARHome.aspx), are acceptable for transfer with a grade of “D-“ (as of Fall 2012) or higher, unless otherwise noted. The transfer course must be similar in level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes to courses offered at the University of Maryland.  It is important to note that, per University of Maryland academic policies, the minimum grade required to satisfy a degree requirement may be higher than the minimum grade required to be awarded transfer credit.

Applicability of Transfer Courses to Degree Requirements

Once a course has been approved as acceptable for transfer to the University of Maryland, the advising college in which the student is enrolled determines which transfer courses are applicable to the student's degree program. In cases when a student has multiple majors/minors in more than one advising college, the primary advising college is responsible for determining the applicability of transfer courses in collaboration with the secondary advising college. A transfer course must first be evaluated as being acceptable for transfer to the University of Maryland before the course can be applied toward satisfying any degree requirements. For additional information, see Transfer Course Evaluation Process.

Each advising college is expected to make note of the required semester hours for the degree the student is pursuing. Students should be aware that changing their major could impact the number of transfer credits that may be applied to their degree requirements. If a student changes the degree they are pursuing, the advising college will need to reevaluate the applicability of the transfer credits and adjust accordingly to ensure the most appropriate transfer courses are being applied toward the degree requirements.

The University of Maryland requires that a minimum of 120 semester hours be earned to award a baccalaureate degree. In general, the maximum number of transfer credits applicable toward degree requirements at the University of Maryland is as follows:

  • Effective Fall 2022, for newly matriculated students, no more than 70 credits of general education, elective, and major courses that a student earns at any 2-year institution toward a degree at the 2-year institution shall be transferable to UMD for credit toward a bachelor’s degree.
  • No more than 90 transfer credits may be applied toward UMD degree requirements from
    • A 4-year institution or any combination of 4-year institutions and/or prior learning credits.
    • A combination of 2-year institutions, 4-year institutions, and prior learning credits.

Regardless of the total number of semester hours required for a degree program, all candidates for undergraduate degrees from the University of Maryland must complete a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UMD.

As per the UMD Latin Honors policy, to be eligible for Latin Honors, at least 60 semester hours must be earned in residence at the university or at a program in which credit earned is counted as UMD resident credit. 

Fundamental Studies Academic Writing Minimum Grade Requirement of C- or Higher Starting Fall 2017

In accordance with the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR 13B.06.01.03), students who enroll in Fundamental Studies Academic Writing (FSAW) must earn a grade of C- or higher. Students who have completed FSAW with a grade of D- or higher prior to Fall 2017 at a Maryland public institution will have met the Academic Writing General Education requirement.

Permission to Enroll at Another Institution

Obtaining Permission to Enroll at Another Institution (Transfer Credit)

Undergraduate students already enrolled at the University of Maryland must obtain permission prior to taking courses at another institution using the following forms:

  • Permission to Enroll at Another Institution (PTE) form must be submitted to, and approved by, the advising college prior to enrolling at another U.S. institution. The PTE form is available online or through the student’s advising college.
  • Study Abroad Course Approval (SACA) form must be submitted to, and approved by, the advising college prior to enrolling at an international institution. This form is available through the Education Abroad office.

All transfer courses taken away from the University of Maryland must be evaluated for acceptability to the University prior to the PTE or SACA form being submitted for approval. See Transfer Course Evaluation Process for instructions on how to request a transfer course be evaluated for acceptability.

This permission is required for courses taken away from the University of Maryland in all semesters, summer and winter terms. Failure to obtain permission prior to enrolling in course(s) away from the University of Maryland may result in the course not being accepted for transfer by the University and/or applied to the student's degree requirements.

Upon completion of the course(s), the student must request an official transcript be sent from the institution they attended to the University of Maryland. Electronic transcripts can be submitted to registrar-help@umd.edu.

The student and advisor will work together to decide how the transfer course(s) are applicable to the student’s degree program. The title of the course, term in which the course was taken and the number of transfer credits awarded will be noted on the student’s official UMD transcript, but the grade earned will not be displayed. Grades from transferred courses are not included in the University of Maryland grade point average calculation.

Questions regarding the applicability of courses taken at another institution should be directed to the student’s advising college.

Courses Taken at Other University of Maryland Institutions

For students who began their attendance at the University of Maryland in Fall 1989 or later, all course work taken at any University System of Maryland institution will be posted as transfer credit. For all students who attended the University of Maryland prior to Fall 1989, courses taken at another University System of Maryland institution (UMBC, UMB, UMES, UMUC) prior to Fall 1989 will be included in the cumulative GPA. Courses taken at any other institution may not be credited toward a degree without advance approval.

For information about Consortium or Inter-Institutional Programs, please see Registration Policies. 

Prior Learning Credit

Please refer to the Prior Learning Credit section of this catalog for information on credit via A-Levels/AS-Levels, AP exams, Basic Military Training, CLEP, Credit-by-Exam, or IB.

Transfer Course Level

At the University of Maryland, lower-level courses refer to freshman and sophomore level courses (100 or 200) and upper-level courses refer to junior and senior level courses (300 or 400). It is important to note that not all institutions use the same course numbering system as the University of Maryland to identify lower-level and upper-level courses. Additional research may be needed to make an appropriate determination of course level.

Generally, courses are transferred to the University of Maryland at the equivalent level in which the course was taken at the transfer institution.

  • a lower-level course transfers to UMD as a lower-level course
  • an upper-level course transfers to UMD as an upper-level course
  • a lower-level course can equate to an upper-level course at UMD, but the course is still considered lower-level
  • an upper-level course can equate to a lower-level course at UMD, but the course is still considered upper-level
  • all courses from a community college are considered lower-level

Students should work with their major and/or advising college to determine how these courses may apply toward satisfying degree requirements at the University of Maryland.

Transfer Course Preliminary Evaluation

Admitted students can obtain access to their preliminary transfer credit evaluation of domestic transfer courses starting approximately two weeks after the receipt of their admission letter, once official transcripts have been received/posted. The preliminary evaluation can be reviewed via the University of Maryland unofficial transcript (http://testudo.umd.edu). For courses that have not previously been evaluated, or state NS (Needs Syllabus) , NE (Needs Evaluation) or N1 /N2 (approved elective, needs further evaluation) on the student’s unofficial transcript, the student needs to request a course evaluation through the Transfer Course Evaluation Process. The student must provide a detailed syllabus to request a transfer course evaluation. Occasionally, additional information about a course may be required by the departmental evaluator to complete the evaluation. The evaluation of transfer credit is an ongoing process that may continue through the student’s first semester at the University of Maryland or as updated transcripts for the student are received.

Students are responsible for submitting all official final transcripts detailing their entire academic record prior to matriculation to the University of Maryland. Credit will post to a student’s University of Maryland record only from official transcripts received from the institution at which the credits were earned.

An academic advisor in the student’s advising college will review and determine the applicability of the already evaluated courses during orientation. It is important for admitted students to continually monitor their unofficial transcript for updates and to consult with their advisor when updates occur. Note: a transfer course CANNOT be applied toward satisfying a degree requirement until the course has been deemed acceptable for transfer by the University of Maryland.

Transfer Credit Conversion to Semester System

The University of Maryland operates on a semester calendar system. Transfer courses taken at institutions on quarter, unit or other types of calendar systems will be converted to semester credit hours. For transfer courses taken on a quarter calendar system, the University awards .67 semester credits per quarter credit hour of study. For transfer courses taken on a unit or other type of credit system, the University bases the number of semester credit hours on the number of units required to earn a degree from the institution. It is important to note the University of Maryland does not round transfer credits up or down to the nearest whole number.

Transfer Credit Services

Transfer Credit Services (TCS) is a division of the Office of the University Registrar at the University of Maryland. TCS oversees course subject matter to determine the acceptability and awarding of transfer credit for the University, and consults with the academic departments for course clarifications and guidance. This review is based on a comparison of the transfer course to courses offered for undergraduate degree programs at the University of Maryland.

A course that is accepted for transfer to the University of Maryland will receive one of the following types of evaluations:

  • direct equivalency to a University of Maryland course,
  • no direct equivalency, but satisfies a general education requirement, or
  • no direct equivalency, but is accepted as a general elective.

TCS provides information and assistance to academic advisors as they work with undergraduate student transfer issues. Students and advisors work together to decide how courses satisfy a student’s degree requirements, while TCS provides information to the campus community on transfer credit and prior learning credit policies, course evaluations, credit reports and articulation through an online course equivalency database.

For additional information, visit Transfer Credit Services.

Transfer of General Education Requirements from Maryland Public Institutions

As directed by the MHEC Policy (13B.06.01.04), transferable courses taken in fulfillment of general education requirements at a Maryland public institution will be applied toward the University of Maryland's general education requirements. Careful planning with an academic advisor will ensure that students take appropriate courses and maximize their credit transfer. The total number of general education credits for a Maryland public institution transfer or post baccalaureate credits will not exceed that required of native students.

  • A student transferring from a Maryland public community college with an earned associate’s degree has completed general education at the University of Maryland, except for any upper-level requirements and the number of credits required to complete general education (40 credits for GenEd). An official transcript from the transfer institution must be received by the University of Maryland with a notation that the associate’s degree was awarded.
  • A student who has completed the general education program at a Maryland public community college has completed general education at the University of Maryland, except for any upper-level requirements and the number of credits required to complete general education (40 credits for GenEd). The transfer institution must provide documentation on or with the student’s official transcript stating the student has completed the general education program.
  • A student who earned a baccalaureate degree from the University of Maryland and is pursuing a second degree has completed all general education for the University of Maryland.
  • A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree at a Maryland public four-year institution has completed all general education at the University of Maryland. An official transcript from the transfer institution must be received by the University of Maryland with a notation the baccalaureate degree was awarded.
  • A student who has completed the general education program at a Maryland public four-year institution has completed all general education at the University of Maryland. The transfer institution must provide documentation on or with the student’s official transcript stating that the student has completed the general education program.

Transfer of General Education Requirements from Non-Maryland Public Institutions

Students transferring from non-Maryland public institutions are required to complete all general education requirements at the University of Maryland with the following exceptions:

  • A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States has completed all general education at the University of Maryland. An official transcript from the transfer institution must be received by the University of Maryland with a notation that the baccalaureate degree was awarded.
  • A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree from an international institution that is recognized by that country’s ministry of education and the degree has been determined, by an approved third party evaluator, to be equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in the United States has completed all general education at the University of Maryland. An official transcript from the transfer institution must be received by the University of Maryland with a notation the baccalaureate degree was awarded.