Transfer Students

Thinking of transferring to UMD?

Yeah! Reach out to a UMD Admissions counselor to ask questions and begin the process at [email protected].

Want to get a jumpstart? One of the most effective ways to make your transfer to UMD easier is by using Transferology to verify how courses will transfer from your previous school(s).

Along with Transferology, you will need to access our Catalog (majors, minors, etc) and Liberal Education Program (LEP) (generals). Some courses within majors and minors may also satisfy LEP requirements. What area within LEP a course may satisfy is stated within a course.

You are also welcome to call or schedule an appointment with a CAHSS academic advisor.

How may courses transfer to UMD?

Transfer Resources

UMD Transfer Course Evaluation form (for re-review of a course, a new course, or for Lib Ed)
If there are questions on how a course transfers, contact the associate department head within the college.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC)

This program is designed to transfer a complete package of credits to meet the first two years of general education requirements to any public Minnesota college or university. A student who completes the MnTC at another institution is not required to complete the Liberal Education Program. 

  • Run a What-if APAS report to show how your courses fulfill this U of MN program.
  • Trail:  Run a What-if APAS > College (CAHSS) > Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

Academic Credit Report

  • Run a What-if APAS report to show the status of your transfer work (accepted, pending, not accepted, and more information needed).
  • Trail:  Run a What-if APAS > College (CAHSS) > Academic Credit Report

Transferring from UMD?

Students leave UMD for various reasons and we understand. If you want to discuss your decision for leaving you are welcome to schedule a meeting with one of our academic advisors. You are encouraged to connect with an advisor at your new school to begin the transition to your new community.

If needed, the Dean of Student form from other universities/schools should be sent to the Office of Vice Chancellor for Student Life for completion.

How may courses transfer to UMD?

This is frequently the first and most urgent question students have regarding transfer courses. 

The most direct answer is: Courses from other institutions need to be reviewed by UMD faculty to determine how/if they transfer for credit.

Course Review Process

If a course has never been reviewed by UMD, sending your official transcript starts that review process.

Step 1 Course Description review: Faculty initially review courses based on a "course description." This is typically a 2-3 sentence amount of information.

Step 2 Syllabus review: If a course description decision is not what a student is hoping for AND no other student has had it reviewed based on a full syllabus, you can submit one. This additional information in the syllabus CAN change how the course transfers in.

3 Types of Course Review Decisions

  1.   Direct Equivalent - faculty have determined the course is substantially similar to an existing UMD course.
    e.g. SOC 1111 “Intro to Sociology” (at Lake Superior College), 3 cr = SOC 1101 “Intro to Sociology” (at UMD), 4 cr NOTE: A course taken for 3 credits at a previous college/university that is equivalent to a 4 credit course at UMD will only transfer for 3 credits. Students receive the number of credits they earned at their previous institution.
  2. Liberal Education Requirement WITHOUT direct equivalent - UMD does not have a substantially similar course, but it has been determined that the transferring course meets a Liberal Education requirement.
    e.g. BIO 100 "The Living World" (at Arizona State University) = Natural Science liberal education requirement at UMD
  3. General Elective - the course is not substantially similar to any UMD existing courses and does not meet a Liberal Education requirement, but the course does transfer to UMD as elective credit and counts toward degree completion.
    e.g. ENG 3390 “Irish Literature" (at College of St. Scholastica) = ENGL 3999 at UMD

UMD Transfer Codes for Liberal Education Program and Electives (advisor resource).