2020-2021 Undergraduate Bulletin > Policies and General Information > Academic Policies and Information > Options for Earning Credit > Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

1. Transfers from Accredited Schools and Foreign Institutions. Undergraduate courses from another college or university that is accredited by one of the regional institutional accrediting associations or from a foreign university or college approved by the government or the official regulating agency of the country in which the university or college is located will be considered for transfer credit at Central Michigan University, subject to the following conditions: a.) Courses must be germane to a program at Central Michigan University, b.) Transferable courses completed with a grade of C- or better or the equivalent will be accepted. For credit from institutions that have numeric grading only, you may contact the Registrar’s Office (989-774-3261) to verify the minimum grade required for transfer, c.) Credits from foreign institutions must first be evaluated by an approved international credential evaluation organization. d.) Grades and honor or quality points are not transferable to or recorded on the CMU permanent record, e.) Acceptability of transfer coursework to fulfill CMU major or minor requirements is at the discretion of the individual department.
2. Transfers from Non-Accredited Schools. A student who has earned credit or a baccalaureate degree from an institution that is not accredited by one of the regional accrediting associations may appeal through the Board of Appeals who may consult with the individual departments for an exception to the above policy for up to a maximum of 62 credits. Before accepting such credit for transfer credit consideration, the Board of Appeals will consult with the individual departments. If a positive decision results, transfer credit may then be granted subject to the same conditions that apply to transfers from accredited schools.
3. Exceptions. Academic units may request an exception to the Regional Accreditation portion of this policy from the Degrees, Admissions, Standards and Honors Committee.
4. MACRAO/MTA Transfer Agreements, Out-of-State Statewide Equivalency Agreements, and Associate Degrees. A person who transfers from another accredited institution within the United States with a transcript which documents as having satisfied the MACRAO or MTA Agreement, or a statewide transfer agreement, or completed an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science, or completed an Associate Degree in an applied or professional discipline (disciplines must be germane to a program at CMU), will also have satisfied the University Program portion of the General Education Requirements section at CMU. All other students may refer to the General Education Requirements in this Bulletin for guidelines on the applicability of their transfer credit toward University Program requirements. (Academic Senate, 4/7/20)
5. International Baccalaureate Credit. Courses within the International Baccalaureate Diploma and the International Baccalaureate Certificate for individual courses may be accepted as transfer credit on a course by course basis if the higher level examinations have been passed with a score of four or better.
6. Military Training and Experience.
   1. Military Service School Experiences. Granting of academic credit for military service school experiences will be guided by the evaluations prepared by the American Council of Education and published in the “Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.” All Military Service School experiences that are recommended for undergraduate level credit will transfer to Central Michigan University. Acceptability of credit for military service school experiences to fulfill CMU major or minor requirements is at the discretion of the individual department.
   2. Military Occupational Specialties. Granting of academic credit for military occupational specialties will be guided by the evaluations prepared by the American Council of Education and published in the “Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.” All Military Occupational Specialties that are recommended for undergraduate level credit will transfer to Central Michigan University. Acceptability of credit for military occupational specialties to fulfill CMU major or minor requirements is at the discretion of the individual department.
   3. Service Member Opportunity College (SOC) courses. Undergraduate courses from another college or university that is recognized as a Service Member opportunity College institution for either the army (SOCAD), navy (SOCNAV), or marine corps (SOCMAR) will transfer to Central Michigan University subject to the following conditions: 1) the student seeking the transfer of credit is an active or reserve military service member or the immediate family member of a service member; 2) transferable courses completed with a grade of C- or better or the equivalent will be accepted; 3) grades and honor points or quality points are not transferable to or recorded on the CMU permanent record; 4) coursework is taken after the issuance of a Student Agreement by Central Michigan University. The Student Agreement is a record of all of the student’s prior learning (including military experience) and where that learning fits into his or her degree plan.
   4. DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST). Central Michigan University accepts a number of the DSST exams for transfer credit based on the recommendations provided by the American Council of Education(ACE). Acceptability of credit for military service school experiences to fulfill CMU major or minor requirements is at the discretion of the individual department. Please contact registrar@cmich.edu with any questions.
7. Non-military Training Experiences. Granting of academic credit for selected training experiences offered outside the sponsorship of colleges and universities will be guided by the evaluations prepared by the American Council on Education’s PONSI program (ACE/PONSI). ACE/PONSI credit recommendations appear in the publication entitled The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs.
8. 13th Year Credit. CMU will allow a student’s 13th year (e.g., the German Abitur) or A-level credit from non-U.S. academic systems to count as undergraduate credit if it is approved by the department responsible for that area (e.g., Biology would have to approve credit for courses taken that relate to biology). Such approval must be done on a case-by-case basis. The student must submit course syllabi, including information as to textbooks used in the course, so that the department can determine whether to approve such credit. Progress of students who receive this credit will be monitored in order to determine the efficacy of this policy.