HD Sandbox 2

On this page:

• Transfer credit limits

• Transferring credits from outside institutions

• Applying transfer credit toward LSA degree requirements

• Cross-campus transfer

• Who to contact

Transfer credit limits 

• Up to 60 credits may be transferred from other colleges and universities to count toward the 120 required for a LSA degree. 

• Students who have completed an associate’s degree that required 62 credits may transfer 62 credits.

Transferring credits from outside institutions

When students transfer credits to LSA, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions reviews each course and assigns it a category on the U-M transcript. 

What transfers 

A course will transfer if it meets all three of these conditions:

• It was completed at an accredited college or university.

• It counted toward a degree or certificate at that institution.

• The students earned a grade of C or better.

This applies to all transfer credit earned outside the University of Michigan. Courses taken at UM-Dearborn or UM-Flint will transfer regardless of grade.

Before enrolling in an outside course

Students should confirm a course will transfer before they enroll. They can use the Transfer Credit Equivalency (TCE) tool to check whether a course has already been approved. If a course isn't listed, they can request a pre-evaluation from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Submitting transcripts 

Official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution where they took the course. Students can submit them by mail or email:

• Mail: Credit Evaluators, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 300 Student Activities Building, 515 East Jefferson, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316

• Email: transcripts@umich.edu

If students took courses at a Chinese university, they'll need a CHESICC "verification report" to be sent through CHESICC China Credentials Verification. See the Undergraduate Admissions website for details.

How credits are categorized on the transcript

Once a course transfers, it will be categorized as one of the following:

• Equivalent to a U-M course or department credit, if a UM department approves it.

• Interdisciplinary credit if the course spans multiple subject areas (such as INTERHUM, INTERID, INTERNS, or INTERSS). 

• General transfer credit if it doesn't fit either category above (coded TRGENCR). This counts toward the 120-credit requirement as elective credit, but won't satisfy any specific degree requirement.

Grades and GPA

• Grades from other institutions do not transfer and won't affect the UM-Ann Arbor GPA.

• Grades from UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint do transfer and are included in the UM-Ann Arbor GPA. 

• Note that UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint courses are still considered out-of-residence credit, even though the grades count.

Credit conversion

If a student took courses at a school on the quarter system, the credits will be converted to semester hours. Each quarter credit typically converts to 0.67 semester hours.

For courses taken outside the United States, credits are converted to UM semester credit using a conversion that varies by country. The number of credits the student receives may differ significantly from what appears on the original transcript.

Other limitations

• A student cannot transfer credit from another institution if those same credits are already counting toward another bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. Special Joint Degree Programs are an exception to this rule.

• AP, A-Level, IB, and other college course credit cannot be removed from a transcript once posted.

Dual enrollment

• Credits earned while in high school:

  • If a student took dual enrollment courses at an accredited college or university while in high school, LSA will accept those credits toward degree requirements, regardless of format or location.

  • Admissions will review them for transferability and post accepted courses to the UM transcript. Talk to an LSA academic advisor about how those credits apply to degree requirements.

• Taking courses at another school while enrolled at UM: This is a separate process. See the Dual Enrollment with Another College or University page for details.

Applying transfer credit toward LSA degree requirements

All transfer credits count as elective credit by default, subject to the Residency Policy and the Non-LSA Course Work Policy. In some cases, transfer credit can also satisfy specific college or department requirements. Here's how that works for each requirement type.

Credit limits 

• Transfer credits will post to the transcript and can count toward degree requirements, but there's a limit on how many count toward the 120 credits required to graduate. 

• For example, if a student transfers in 72 credits, all 72 will appear on the transcript and may satisfy requirements, but only 60 can count toward the 120-credit total. 

• Students should talk to an LSA Academic advisor to understand how this applies to their situation.

Major or minor requirements 

Courses that transfer as equivalent to a specific UM course will typically count toward major or minor requirements the same way the UM version would. Courses that transfer as departmental or interdepartmental credit need approval from an advisor in the student's major department. Most departments also limit how many transfer credits can count toward a major or minor; check the department's website for specifics.

Area distribution 

• Courses that transfer as equivalent to a specific UM course will typically count toward the same distribution area as the UM version. 

• Courses that transfer as departmental credit need approval from an LSA academic advisor. 

• Interdepartmental credit counts toward the corresponding area automatically (for example, INTERSS 101X counts toward Social Science).

For students who transferred from a Michigan community college: courses that are part of the Michigan Transfer Agreement have already been pre-evaluated for distribution credit.

First-Year Writing

The Sweetland Center for Writing maintains lists of approved and not approved transfer courses. If a course isn't on either list, students can submit a Petition for Transfer Course Credit.

Quantitative Reasoning (QR)

Transfer courses do not automatically satisfy the QR requirement, even if they transfer as equivalent to an LSA course that meets QR. There are two exceptions:

• Transferred courses (minimum 3 credits) in Physics 125, 126, 140, or 240, or any Statistics course (except business statistics), automatically receive QR/1 credit.

• If students are in a science, math, or computer science major and transferred in all the prerequisites for that major, QR is considered fulfilled.

For other quantitative coursework, students can petition the Academic Standards Board to satisfy QR with a transferred course.

Race & Ethnicity

Transfer credit cannot satisfy the Race and Ethnicity requirement. Students can petition after completing the course, but there's no guarantee of approval.

Language requirement 

• Incoming transfer students: The language requirement can be satisfied by a transfer course that has been approved by the appropriate UM language department as equivalent to the fourth-semester course at UM.

• Current LSA students cannot take a language course at another institution to satisfy this requirement unless they get advance approval from the appropriate language department.

Cross-campus transfer

• When students are eligible to transfer.

  • Students who entered U-M as first-year students are eligible to make a cross campus transfer into or out of LSA after they have completed two full terms in their original U-M school or college. The application may be submitted during the second term of enrollment.

  • Students who entered U-M as external transfer students may make a cross campus transfer into or out of LSA after at least one full term.

• Discuss plans with an academic advisor. An advisor will students interested in a cross campus transfer choose an academic program and understand their degree requirements. 

• Credit requirements. Cross-campus transfer students may receive credit for a maximum of 90 credits from the previous college or school. LSA requires that a student earn 30 credits in LSA. See Residency Requirements.

• The process. To begin the process, please schedule an appointment with an academic advisor. 

Who to contact

• Office of Undergraduate Admissions - transcripts@umich.edu

• General advisor or major/minor advisor

• Academic Standards Board

Related policies

• Residency Requirements

• Test Credit

• LSA and Non-LSA Credit

• Credits Required Outside of Major Department

• Course Credits and Contact Hours

See the LSA Bulletin for official policy language. If there is a discrepancy between this summary and the LSA Bulletin, the Bulletin takes priority.