PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to outline CSU’s processes regarding transferring credits from other institutions.

APPLICATION OF THIS POLICY

This policy applies to all transfer students to CSU.

POLICY STATEMENT

The Registrar’s Office is responsible for determining transfer course equivalencies.

POLICY PROVISIONS

Credit from Two-Year Institutions/Community Colleges

1. There is no limit for the amount of credit that can be transferred from Regionally Accredited institutions.

2. Courses taken at the 300- or 400-level from a two-year institution may be provided 300- and 400- level equivalencies.

3. Completion of an Associate of Arts (AA) or an Associate of Science (AS) from a Colorado community college, and/or completion of the gtPathways curriculum, waives any unfulfilled requirement of the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC), with the exception of Category 4 Capstone Requirements.

Evaluation of Transfer Credit

1. Students should be aware that credits may transfer to the University, but not count toward department graduation requirements. Evaluation of credits is made only from official transcripts after a student has been granted admission. Regular academic courses completed with a grade of C- or better are generally accepted in transfer, but may not be acceptable within some programs of study that require a C or better for required coursework. Transfer grades and credits are not computed within the cumulative GPA earned at Colorado State.

2. Quarter credits are converted to semester credits upon transfer to Colorado State. This is done by multiplying the quarter credits by .67 and rounding (i.e. 4 quarter credits x .67=2.6 semester credits).

3. After evaluation, students are notified by email that their Transfer Credit Report is available through the “View My Transfer Credits” link in RAMweb. The credit report lists transfer courses and how they were transferred to Colorado State University.

4. Students may request a re-evaluation of their transfer courses, if they believe the content warrants a different CSU course equivalency than the one provided through the initial course evaluation. In order to receive a re-evaluation of credit, students will need to fill out and submit a “Request for Course Equivalency Re-Evaluation Form” accompanied by either a course description or syllabus to the appropriate department.

   (e) Not all courses accepted in transfer to Colorado State are accepted with the assurance that they will count toward a specific degree. The departmental requirements for the various bachelors’ degrees vary considerably and, therefore, the department for a particular degree program determines which courses must be completed to satisfy departmental curriculum requirements.

   (f)   Courses that are not equivalent in content to any course at Colorado State, but meet the criteria to be transferable, will be accepted as elective credit.

International Transfer Coursework

Students who have completed course work at recognized international universities may receive transfer credit at Colorado State. The courses completed must be consistent in level, duration, hours of lecture, discussion, and course content with courses offered at accredited American universities, and must be consistent with the specific courses, majors, and programs at an international university for transfer credit to be awarded. Students must be aware that for a majority of international institutions there is a conversion factor related to credit amount. A student will earn the approximate equivalent of 1 year equal to 1 year of academic study, which may result in the application of a conversion ratio applied to credit transferred in. Students wishing to inquire about international transfer coursework should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Regular academic courses completed with a “C-“or better grade are generally accepted in transfer to Colorado State. Credit can be awarded for academic pass/fail courses in which a passing grade that is equivalent to a “C-“or better has been awarded. This coursework may not be acceptable within some programs of study that require a C or better for required coursework.

Non-Collegiate Transfer Coursework

Students have the possibility to earn transfer credit for academic work done under the sponsorship of non-collegiate institutions, if the courses proposed for transfer:

1. Have been approved by the American Council on Education;
2. Are listed in The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs; and
3. Are approved by the department and college in which the subject matter is taught at Colorado State.

Students who wish to request such transfers should contact the Office of the Registrar.

Types of Credit Not Accepted in Transfer

Regular academic courses from institutions accredited by one of the seven regional associations of schools and colleges completed with a grade of C- or better are generally accepted in transfer. There are some courses which either are not transferable or do not count as degree credit at CSU, as follows:

1. Courses that by name or description are developmental, remedial, or preparatory, such as remedial English, developmental reading, preparatory mathematics, and pre-college math.
2. Courses of a vocational/technical nature, including nursing courses, are generally not transferable. However, if such work is judged to be pertinent to the needs of a particular curriculum, credit will be granted upon the recommendation of the responsible department. Likewise, vocational/technical courses similar in content and level with courses taught at CSU may be accepted for credit upon the recommendation of the department offering the course.
3. Courses in which a grade of “C-“or better was not achieved.
4. Courses in religion taught at any accredited institution will be evaluated on the basis of the particular orientation of the course, as determined by the department offering similar courses at CSU. Extension courses in religion are not eligible for credit evaluation unless they appear on the transcript of an accredited institution.

REFERENCES

Transfer Credit Information

Request for Course Equivalency Re-Evaluation Form

APPROVALS

Approved August 1995

Revision approved August 1999

Revision approved August 25, 2019 by Lynn Johnson, Vice President for University Operations