Using Transferology

Students with completed undergraduate college courses, standardized exam credits (AP, CLEP, IB, etc.), and/or military credits may be able to transfer these credits to the University of Minnesota Duluth, (UMD). To see how, please use Transferology and follow these steps:

1. Create a free account at Transferology.
2. Choose Will My Courses Transfer to see how your completed or in-progress credits could transfer to UMD.
3. Use the Courses tab to enter coursework from a different college. Enter the school name, term/year information, and department to search for each course. Click the “+” sign by the relevant course to add it to your My Courses list.
4. Use the Standardized Exams and Military Credits tabs to enter these credits as needed.
5. Once you have added all relevant credits, click the Search for Matches button.
6. Type University of Minnesota Duluth into the search field and select.
7. Look at the Matches, Miss, and Maybe tabs. All Matches are credits that have been approved for transfer into UMD. All Misses are credits that have not been approved for transfer into UMD.
8. If any credits come back as Maybe, click the Request Information button and send your results to Admissions. A UMD admissions counselor will respond to your inquiry and initiate a review of the Maybe courses. These are courses that have not previously been reviewed at UMD; you will receive a direct email when a transfer decision is made on each Maybe course.

Transferology allows you to see how your credits may transfer and provides a process to have courses evaluated for transfer decisions. A student must be admitted to an undergraduate program and must have requested that their final and official transcript be sent to the Office of Admissions ([email protected]) before transfer credit will be officially recorded (excludes credit from other University of Minnesota campuses). For more information, please review UMD’s transfer credit policy.

Transfer of a Prior Degree

Associate of Arts Degree or Associate of Science Degree

If you have previously completed an Associate of Arts (AA) degree or Associate of Science (AS) degree from a regionally accredited institution, you have already fulfilled UMD’s Liberal Education requirements. Note that individual courses from your transfer institution that have been used to complete the AA or AS are not always transferred as equivalent UMD courses. The courses completed for your AA or AS may also be evaluated for applicability toward your program of interest at UMD.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

If you transfer to UMD from a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Institution and have completed the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MNTC), you have already fulfilled UMD’s Liberal Education requirements. Note that individual courses from your transfer institution that have been used to complete the AA or AS are not always transferred as equivalent UMD courses. The courses completed for your MNTC may also be evaluated for applicability toward your program of interest at UMD.

Bachelor’s Degree

If you are transferring to UMD with a completed bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, you have already fulfilled UMD’s Liberal Education requirements. Note: individual courses from your transfer institution that have been used to complete the bachelor’s are not always transferred as equivalent UMD courses. Your Bachelor’s degree may also be evaluated for courses with applicability toward your program of interest at UMD.

Credit By Examination

UMD awards credit for specific scores on nationally recognized standardized exams, based on the test curriculum and the examination date. Refer to these decision archives for credit awards:

• Advanced Placement (AP) Academic Credit Awards
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) 
• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES/DSST)
• International Baccalaureate (IB)

• Minnesota Bilingual Seal
  
  

  UMD policies about using tests for credit:

• Credit for Nationally Recognized Exams: Undergraduate Students
• Departmental Exams for Proficiency or Credit: Undergraduate Students

Official Transfer of Credits

In order to transfer credits to the University of Minnesota Duluth, official college transcripts and test scores must be received by UMD directly from the institution of origin. In order to successfully transfer all credits, official transcripts must include all final grades and scores on courses/exams attempted. Upon admittance to an undergraduate program, the Office of the Registrar will record transfer decisions on all credits from received official transcripts; these will be viewable on a student’s APAS (Academic Progress Audit System) report.

Important Note for Incoming Students

You are encouraged to request your official college transcripts and test scores at least 2-weeks prior to your OAR (Orientation, Advisement, & Registration) experience. This will ensure that transfer credits are viewable in APAS (Academic Progress Audit System) prior to OAR. For incoming Fall students, the deadline for official college transcripts and test scores to be received is August 1. For incoming Spring students, the deadline for official college transcripts and test scores to be received is January 4.

Use the following resources to request your official college transcripts and test scores for delivery to UMD:

Official College Transcripts

Instructions for requesting official college transcripts can generally be found on the website of your prior institution. Many institutions use Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse to easily request your official transcripts be sent to UMD. Our prior institution may also email an electronic transcript to [email protected] or mail a physical transcript (in a sealed envelope) to:

UMD Admissions Processing
184 Darland Admin Bldg.
1049 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812 

UMD must receive official college transcripts from all institutions previously attended in order to award transfer credits, even if one transcript lists credit from another institution (i.e. PSEO credits on a high school transcript, college credits on a different college transcript, etc.).

Please note that the University of Minnesota Duluth is not a part of the Minnesota State system; transcripts from Minnesota State colleges and universities must be requested for delivery to UMD. Transcripts from other University of Minnesota campuses may be accessed by the Office of the Registrar (([email protected]) and do not need to be requested.

• Advanced Placement (AP) scores should be sent to UMD directly from the AP College Board.
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) scores should be sent to UMD directly from the CLEP College Board.
• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES/DSST) scores should be sent to UMD directly from DANTES/DSST.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) scores should be sent to UMD directly from the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Military Credits

Students who have served in the military, may submit official transcripts detailing military coursework and occupations for potential transfer toward the award of University of Minnesota Duluth academic credit. Experiential-based knowledge may need additional portfolio documentation. Students may receive credit through the Credit for Nationally Recognized Exams process, Departmental Exams for Proficiency or Credit process, or the Credit for Prior Learning process.

View resources for providing official documentation of credits:

• Air Force - Community College of the Air Force / Air University
• Army, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard - Joint Services Transcript (formerly known as the SMART transcript)
• Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) - DLIFLC Transcript

Transfer Guides

Transfer Guides have been created for some of the most common UMD programs and the institutions that most commonly have students transferring to UMD. You can use these guides as a tool if you are interested in transferring to UMD for a specific program; each guide provides information on degree-specific classes that have already been approved for transfer.

• College of Education & Human Service Professions (CEHSP) - Degrees in education/teaching, psychology, and social work.
• Labovitz School of Business & Economics (LSBE) - Degrees in accounting, economics, and business-related programs.
• Swenson College or Science & Engineering (SCSE) - Degrees in science and engineering.

Students who are undecided about their area of study may use Transferology (see instructions above) to explore the transferability of courses into UMD's  Liberal Education requirements or how Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MNTC) requirements will transfer to fulfill UMD’s Liberal Education requirements online here. 

International Coursework

The Office of the Registrar ([email protected]) works directly with each international student (or student with international credits) on transferring credits. Upon admittance to an undergraduate program, UMD we will need to receive the following:

1. An official transcript from the prior institution. See “Official Transfer of Credits” above.
2. An official credential evaluation. A course-by-course credential evaluation is required for students who have studied at a college or university outside of the United States. UMD must receive the official evaluation directly from an external evaluation service provider. Preferred external credential evaluation services include:
   1. ECE (Education Credential Evaluators)
   2. WES (World Education Services)
   3. TEC (The Evaluation Company, formerly known as SpanTran)
   4. UMD has a partnership with TEC, which has created a custom application (TEC Application - University of Minnesota Duluth) for UMD students that provides a course-by-course evaluation at a discounted rate.
   5. It is recommended that students submit the external credential evaluation request only after final grades have been posted to the transcript. This ensures that a single, completed credential evaluation can be sent to UMD.
3. English-language course descriptions and/or syllabi from all completed courses. These can be requested from the former institution. 

Once all documents listed above are received by the UMD Office of the Registrar, a course-by-course evaluation process will begin. Please visit the International Students Admissions page for additional information.

Transfer Articulation Agreements

UMD has relationships with community colleges and post-secondary institutions worldwide and maintains formal transfer articulation agreements with a few institutions. These agreements outline which courses from that institution will transfer to UMD and which specific degree requirements they will fulfill.

For students following a formal transfer articulation agreement, an official evaluation of transfer credit will be conducted upon admission to the university. Transfer credits listed on the agreement will be evaluated and applied according to the current catalog during the first semester of enrollment at UMD. Transfer credit for courses other than those listed on the agreement will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis.

After official transcripts are sent to UMD, students following an articulation agreement should contact the Office of the Registrar ([email protected]) to request this evaluation process.

Current transfer articulation agreements include:

Minnesota

• Lake Superior College, Reverse Transfer Agreement

  • Reverse Transfer facilitates the completion of Associate of Arts (AA) degrees for students who have left Lake Superior College to attend UMD prior to completing their AA.
  • Students who transfer UMD credits back to LSC to complete remaining AA degree requirements will have an AA degree awarded by LSC. The completion of the AA degree fulfills all Liberal Education requirements at UMD (with the exception of specific courses required by the major).

Wisconsin

• University of Wisconsin La Crosse

  • Chemistry to Chemical Engineering
  • Physics to Civil Engineering
  • Physics to Electrical Engineering
  • Physics to Industrial Engineering
  • Physics to Mechanical Engineering

• University of Wisconsin Superior

  • Chemistry to Chemical Engineering

China

• Tianjin Polytechnic University

  • Mathematics
  • Statistics & Actuarial Science

Current Students

Transfer credits and courses are visible on an Academic Credit Report, available through Academic Program Audit System (APAS). As a reminder, transfer courses will only be visible in APAS once an official transcript is received from the prior institution (see “Official Transfer of Credits” above).

To view an Academic Credit Report in APAS:

1. Log into APAS.
2. Click the “Run a What-if APAS” link
3. College: Allow the Duluth college to remain the default College
4. Program: select "Academic Credit Report"
5. Catalog year: use the current term
6. Click the “Run a What-if APAS” button

The Academic Credit Report will summarize which credits and courses have already been transferred, which courses are currently out for review by UMD faculty, which (if any) courses may not be eligible for transfer, and which official and final transcripts must still be received by UMD.

Course review decisions come in 3 varieties:

• Direct Equivalent - Faculty have determined that the transferred course is substantially similar to an existing UMD course (which may or may not satisfy a Liberal Education requirement).
  Example: SOC 1111 “Intro to Sociology” from Lake Superior College = SOC 1101 “Intro to Sociology” at UMD
• General Elective without Liberal Education credit - The course is not substantially similar to any UMD existing course and does not fulfill a Liberal Education requirement, but the course does transfer to UMD as elective credit (and counts toward overall degree completion requirements).
  Example: ENG 3390 “Irish Literature" from College of St. Scholastica = ENGL 3999 (a general 3000-level elective) at UMD
• General Elective with Liberal Education credit - UMD does not have a substantially similar course, but it has been determined that the transferring course will fulfill a Liberal Education requirement.
  Example: BIO 100 "The Living World" from Arizona State University = BIOL 100N (a Natural Science liberal education requirement) at UMD

NOTE: Students receive the number of credits earned at their previous institution, even if the direct equivalent course at UMD is worth a different number of credits.

For help reading or understanding your Academic Credit Report, contact the academic advising office for your college.

Requesting a Re-Review of a Transfer Decision

Course reviews and transfer decisions are initially based on short course descriptions. Current UMD students who disagree with the way a course has been transferred may request a more detailed review by submitting a course syllabus (from the term the course was completed) through the UMD Transfer Course Evaluation form. Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor in a collegiate academic advising office for assistance with submitting this form.

Study Abroad

Students who participate in a faculty-led study abroad program during their time at UMD will be enrolled in a UMD course and do not need those courses to be reviewed for transfer.

Students who study abroad with a UMD-affiliated program should plan ahead by having their study abroad courses reviewed through the UMD Study Abroad course review process. Courses from these programs will be listed on the student's UMD transcript and, in most cases, the credits count toward UMD residency requirements.

Students who study abroad through a non-affiliated program (either while enrolled at UMD or a prior institution) will follow the Transfer Credit Evaluation process. Credits from these programs are treated as transfer credits and do not count toward UMD residency requirements.

For more details about study abroad programs and credits, please reach out to the UMD Study Abroad office ([email protected]).

Experiential Credit

To request a credit award for life experiences, work experiences, or portfolio work, please complete the Credit for Prior Learning request. This option is only available to current UMD students and must be completed in collaboration with an academic advisor.