Transfer Credit Policy

The initial transfer credit evaluation is performed by the Office of Admissions upon receiving an official transcript directly from the institution in which the credit was earned. Once the Office of Admissions has completed their evaluation, the student’s major department/program can indicate the specific courses that apply to the student’s major. Just because the Office of Admissions accepts the credit doesn’t mean your major department/program will utilize that credit toward degree requirements.The Office of Admissions will not accept course work in which the student received a grade lower than a “C-.” Credits from an Engineering Technology program normally will not transfer.

After confirming with the Office of Admissions that the student will be matriculating in the college, all transfer students are advised tocontact their academic advisor about applicability of their transfer credits towards degree requirements before registering for courses. Students should run a “degree audit” from to review how their courses transfer in and to guide their conversation with their academic advisor.

Important notes:

  • Students within 45 credit hours of graduationmustpetitionto waive theIn-Residence Credit Requirementforanytransfer course.
  • Courses will only transfer to CU Boulder with a grade of C- or higher.
  • You are responsible for making up any difference in credit hoursbetween the transfer credit you receive and the CU Boulder course. This can happen when you transfer in coursework from an institution on a quarter-system, for example. Furthermore, you must have your academic advisor approve how the credit shortfall is made up (based on ABET and other departmental requirements). Students need to have a minimum of 128 unique non-duplicative, degree applicable credit hours, along with meeting the specified course and other requirements for a specific bachelor’s degree program.
  • If your summer transfer course is a prerequisite or co-requisite for a fall course, talk to your academic advisor about how you can get enrolled for fall. We will need an official transcript showing the prerequisite being taken to enroll you in a subsequent course. We will also need a final transcript to be sent to the Office of Admissions immediately following completion of that course.
  • Credit hours required for graduation that were earned more than ten years prior to transferring into an undergraduate degree program at CU Boulder may not apply to the completion of the student’s graduation requirements; students should consult with their academic advisor about such courses.

Continuing studentsplanning to take classes at another institution are encouraged to get pre-approval, to ensure that the transfer credits will apply to degree requirements. Please see the directions below for checking transfer coursework:


Use Transferology to see if the course you've chosen is pre-approved, or to search for a list of pre-approved courses.

If you're having trouble, contact your academic advisor for help. Include the name of the institution and the course number in your e-mail.

Theis a quick way to find some common transfer courses offered by Colorado community colleges.

Even pre-approved courses may transfer as a different number of credits than the CU-Boulder course. You will be responsible for making up any credit shortage.

If the course you want to take is not pre-approved for transfer, you should seek pre-approval to make sure it will be accepted.

Arts & Sciences courses (including math, chemistry, physics, etc.)are reviewedvia the.

Engineering and computer science coursesare reviewed via theCEAS Transfer Credit Review Form.

For other courses,contact your academic advisor for guidance.

After you have successfully completed your transfer course(s), request that an official transcript be sent directly to the CU-Boulder Admissions Office (transcripts@colorado.edu). Your transcript must be processed, and the credit posted to your student record, before it can be counted toward your degree requirements.

Graduating seniors:if your transfer credit is not posted on time, you will need to re-apply for graduation the following semester. Ask your academic advisorabout these deadlines.

Advanced Placement(AP). For students who have taken an Advanced Placement (AP) course in high school and who make the required score in the College Board's AP examination, college credit is granted by CU Boulder. If a student elects to take the equivalent college course, the credit for that course will replace the AP credit. See the Undergraduate Catalogfor a .

International Baccalaureate(IB). For students who make the required score in the IB examination, college credit is granted by CU Boulder. If a student elects to take the equivalent college course, the credit for that course will replace the IB credit. See the Undergraduate Catalogfor a .

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). College credit may be earned forappropriate scores on CLEP examinations. A list of subjects in which CLEP examinations are accepted for CU Boulder can be found in the . Individual degree programs advise students on if and how earned CLEP credit may apply toward specific degree requirements.

Students pursuing adouble degreemust have transfer credit evaluations performed by each major department/program involved. Additionally,Intra-University Transferstudents must have a transfer credit evaluation done by their new major department/program.