Transfer Student FAQs - University of Maryland

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1. How do I apply? What is the process for admission and preparing to begin at UM?

2. Does Maryland have transfer workshops or counselors who can help me with the transfer process?

3. If I am accepted, can I defer admission?

4. What transcripts must be sent?

5. Where do I send my transcripts?

6. What are the criteria for admission? Will high school GPA, SAT, SAT II, ACT scores be reviewed?

7. What to do after I am accepted?

8. Do I need to finish community college courses before applying?

9. When should I transfer?

10. Should I complete my AA/AS degree before I transfer?

11. Who should I contact? How do I contact my advisor, faculty, or administrators? Can I meet with a department advisor before admission?

12. If I am not accepted to UM or was not admitted to a Limited Enrollment Program, how can I appeal the decision?

13. How can I correct my personal information (name, address, email, residency) with UM?

14. How do I find out about Orientation?

15. How do I know if a course I took at another school will count at UM?

16. Can my transfer credits be reviewed before admission?

17. What is ARTSYS (Articulation System of Maryland)?

18. What is articulation?

19. Can I transfer to a specific major?

20. Will general education requirements transfer?

21. Is there a foreign language requirement?

22. How do I find the requirements for a major?

23. Do I need to take a math placement exam (MPE)?

24. How does my intended major affect admission?

25. What if do not qualify for a major? How will this affect admission?

WHAT ABOUT MY COURSES AND CREDITS?

26. Will my grades transfer? Does my grade point average (GPA) transfer?

27. How many transfer credits will I receive for my work? What if the course at my old school is more or fewer credits than the equivalent course at UM?

28. How many credits can I transfer?

29. What kinds of courses do not transfer?

30. How will the credits I’ve earned at my former institution apply to my majors?

31. What if I have extra credits?

32. What about AP, IB, CLEP or credits from a different school?

33. What if I have an Associate’s degree?

34. What if I’m transferring from within the University System of Maryland?

35. Do I have to take the Math Placement Exam (MPE)?

1. How do I apply? What is the process for admission and preparing to begin at UM?
To apply for admission, please submit the following:
• A completed application form (on paper or online at http://www.uga.umd.edu.)
• Official transcripts of academic work completed from all previously attended colleges and universities.
• A non-refundable application fee.
Students are also encouraged to submit an essay describing their past academic experiences and reasons for wishing to transfer.
Application deadlines:
Fall Semester – March 1 (priority date), June 1 (final date)
Spring Semester – November 15

2. Does Maryland have transfer workshops or counselors who can help me with the transfer process?
Many opportunities are available for the transfer applicant to receive information and have questions answered. Students should contact or visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (301-314-8385 or 800-422-5867 or visit http://www.uga.umd.edu or email um-admit@umd.edu.) The Office of Admissions Undergraduate offers: Transfer UpClose (a weekly information session); Adopt-a-Student (a chance to meet one-on-one with a current student); one-day visits hosted by current students; and numerous workshops concerning particular majors.

3. If I am accepted, can I defer admission?
On a case-by-case basis, it is possible to defer admission for one semester. Please contact an admissions counselor to discuss your specific situation.

4. What transcripts must be sent?
Official transcripts of academic work completed from all previously attended colleges and universities are required.

5. Where do I send my transcripts?
Please have official transcripts sent to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Mitchell Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-5235

6. What are the criteria for admission? Will high school GPA, SAT, SAT II, ACT scores be reviewed?
See: Who is a Transfer Student, questions 3 and 4.

7. What to do after I am accepted?
If accepted, you will receive a packet of information detailing your next steps. There is also a website, available from http://www.uga.umd.edu with information for admitted students. Generally, students have 30 days from the point of admission to declare their intention to enroll by submitting a non-refundable confirmation deposit. The deposit secures a place for a particular admission term. After confirmation, all students should promptly contact the Orientation Office to schedule an orientation date. The Orientation Office contact information is: by phone (301) 314-8217 or by email orient@umd.edu or on the web http://www.orientation.umd.edu/index.html

8. Do I need to finish community college courses before applying?
No, please refer to question 10 below.

9. When should I transfer?
Application deadlines:
Fall Semester – March 1 (preferred date), June 1 (final date)
Spring Semester – November 1
To apply for admission, please submit the following:
• A completed application form (on paper or online at http://www.uga.umd.edu).
• Official transcripts of academic work completed from all previously
attended colleges and universities.
• A non-refundable application fee.
• Students are also encouraged to submit an essay describing their past academic experiences and reasons for wishing to transfer.

10. Should I complete my AA/AS degree before I transfer?
Maryland community college students are encouraged to complete the AA/AS degree because, in most cases, community college and UM curricula mesh well. Students are encouraged to seek advising at their community colleges, letting advisors know of their intention to transfer to UM, since advisors are also aware of potential challenges in transfer. In certain cases, where one or more foundation courses are not available at the community college, an advisor may suggest either early transfer or concurrent enrollment at UM in Summer Session or Winterterm.

Out-of-state community college transfers should work with their advisors and the Transfer Credit Center website at http://www.tce.umd.edu/ to determine maximum transferability. UM does not accept AA/AS degrees as a block, but evaluates course-by-course. UM transfer counselors are happy to work with the student and/or the advisor well in advance of transfer.

11. Whom should I contact? How do I contact my advisor, faculty, or administrators? Can I meet with a department advisor before admission?
Before admission, students should use the Office of Undergraduate Admissions counselors as a central point of contact. The email address is um-admit@umd.edu. UM department advisors provide academic advising for their current majors.

12. If I am not accepted to UM or was not admitted to a Limited Enrollment Program, how can I appeal the decision?
You must first speak with a transfer admission counselor. Appeals are arranged on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by phone 301-314-8385 or 800-422-5867 or by email um-admit@umd.edu.

13. How can I correct my personal information (name, address, email, residency) with UM?
To update your personal information please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by phone 301-314-8385 or 800-422-5867 or by email um-admit@umd.edu.

14. How do I find out about the Transfer Student Orientation Program?
Students should visit the Orientation Program Office on the web at http://www.orientation.umd.edu or contact the Office by phone (301) 314-8217 or by email orient@umd.edu. All students must schedule an Orientation date. Promptly scheduling an orientation program is best.

15. How do I know if a course I took at another school will count at UM?
Generally, baccalaureate (undergraduate)-level courses completed at regionally accredited institutions will transfer, provided that grades of at least "C" (2.0) are earned and the course is similar in content and scope to coursework offered at UM. Grades of "D" or better will be accepted from appropriate coursework completed at regionally accredited Maryland public institutions, including other institutions in the University of Maryland System.

16. Can my transfer credits be reviewed before admission?
Students considering transferring to the UM may wish to consult the online Transfer Credit Center at http://www.tce.umd.edu and use the Transfer Course Look-Up to see whether their courses have already been evaluated and listed in the transfer database. The database contains the evaluations of over 200,000 courses from institutions across the United States.

Students who have attended colleges in Maryland should find all but the newest offerings from their institutions evaluated in the database. Requests for evaluation of courses not listed in the Transfer Course Look-Up should be emailed to tccinfo@deans.umd.edu. Be sure to include institution name, course title, course ID and semester in which the course was taken. Every effort will be made to add the course to the database promptly. Students will be contacted if additional information is needed. Engineering courses will ONLY be evaluated if the request is accompanied by a syllabus.

Students from Maryland community colleges and Maryland public 4-year schools can also use ARTSYS (Articulation System of Maryland) at http://www.acaff.usmh.usmd.edu/artweb/ to find Recommended Transfer Programs (RTPs) for most degree programs at UM. Both the Transfer Credit Center and ARTSYS websites have a great deal of additional information for transfer students.

17. What is ARTSYS (Articulation System of Maryland)?
ARTSYS is the University System of Maryland Articulation System that facilitates the transfer of Maryland community college students to baccalaureate programs in Maryland 4-year public institutions. One component in ARTSYS allows students to input transcript information from any Maryland community college, select a receiving institution (UMCP) and program of study, and receive an evaluation of how their Maryland community college credit applies to the selected degree program. ARTSYS also allows a student to choose a major at UM and discover which community college courses are recommended for seamless transfer. ARTSYS is online at http://artweb.usmd.edu; a tutorial is included.

ARTSYS includes ONLY courses taken at Maryland community colleges; not courses which a student may transfer into a Maryland community college. For information on these courses, check http://www.tce.umd.edu.

18. What is articulation?
Articulation is the fitting of coursework taken at one (sending) institution into the program of another (receiving) institution. Some institutions may articulate entire programs with other institutions. UM evaluates courses individually and articulates the Associate Arts of Teaching from Maryland community colleges.

19. Can I transfer to a specific major?
Entering a major depends on the requirements for the major. Some majors are Limited Enrollment Programs and have specific gateway requirements; for further information see http://www.lep.umd.edu. Most majors are direct-admission. Other majors require portfolio review or an audition.

20. Will general education requirements transfer?
General education courses taken at public institutions within the state of Maryland transfer toward parallel general education requirements at UM. General education courses taken elsewhere are reviewed individually.

21. Is there a foreign language requirement?
Certain majors at UM, including all of those in the College of Arts and Humanities, have a foreign language proficiency requirement. Language proficiency may be demonstrated in several ways:
• Successful completion of a 12-credit sequence or intermediate level in college language courses;
• Successful completion of level 4 in one language in high school;
• Successful completion of a language placement exam given by one of the UM departments offering such examinations.
Students whose native language is not English will fulfill the requirement via completion of UM’s ENGL101 or an equivalent course. Some honor societies, notably Phi Kappa Phi, do require foreign language proficiency for eligibility.

22. How do I find the requirements for a major?
Degree requirements and department contact information, including email addresses are listed in Chapter 7 Departments and Majors of the Undergraduate Catalog, available at http://www.umd.edu/catalog. Check the catalog and the web for requirements. For information on Limited Enrollment Programs see http://www.lep.umd.edu.

23. Do I need to take a math placement exam (MPE)?
Yes. Find out about the exam at http://www.math.umd.edu/undergraduate/credit/placement.shtml
Transfer Students:
All transfer students who have taken college Calculus (which transfers to UM as Math 140 or above) and received a grade of “C” or better are not required to take the MPE. Transfer students requesting exemption from the MPE must provide an official or unofficial transcript as documentation of course completion on the morning of their Orientation program. All other transfer students should come to Orientation prepared to take the MPE.

24. How does my intended major affect admission?
Students are evaluated for admission to UM first, independent of major choice. Declaring one major over another will not affect admission to UM. See the next question for further information about qualifying for a major.

25. What if do not qualify for a major? How will this affect admission?
Students who do not meet gateway requirements for Limited Enrollment Programs for any reason (GPA, required courses, need for portfolio review), but who otherwise meet general admission requirements for UM, may be admitted to the Division of Letters and Sciences. At Orientation and during subsequent semesters, students will be advised regarding the feasibility of and strategies for being admitted to a particular major, as well as to alternative majors.

WHAT ABOUT MY COURSES AND CREDITS?

26. Will my grades transfer? Does my grade point average (GPA) transfer?
Grades from other institutions will not transfer to UM, although they will appear on the unofficial transcript to help your advisor assess your academic strengths and weaknesses and your potential success in upcoming coursework. GPA does NOT transfer; however, the GPA of previous work may be used in evaluating eligibility for admission to certain majors, programs, honors and awards. In such cases, the transfer GPA may include all previous work, not merely transferable courses. See an advisor for more specific information.

27. How many transfer credits will I receive for my work? What if the course at my old school is more or fewer credits than the equivalent course at UM?
Transfer credits are based on contact hours and the number of credits required for a degree at the sending institution. For U.S. institutions, UM will neither add nor remove credit hours from a student’s record. Thus, a 5-semester-hour Calculus class at a sending institution will be awarded 5 semester hours at UM, even if it is deemed directly equivalent to a UM course for 3 or 4 credits. A 3-semester-hour language course will transfer as 3 credits, despite the fact that UM offers 4, 5 and 6 credit courses in foreign language. Your College/Department advisor will work with you regarding fulfilling requirements within your major.

UM awards the standard .67 credit per credit-hour from institutions on the quarter system. A 3-credit course there will merit 2 credits here. If the sending institution reports units earned, UM will convert units to credits based on the number required for degree completion.

28. How many credits can I transfer?
A maximum of 60 credits from a community or two-year college, and an overall maximum of 90 credits total from a combination of two and four-year institutions may be applied towards a UM degree. Students are required to complete at least their final 30 credits at UM to earn a degree. For transfer-credit courses must be academic in nature and similar to programs offered at UM.

29. What kinds of courses do not transfer?
Transfer credit may be denied at UM for several reasons. Technical, vocational, remedial, and professional courses do not transfer, nor do courses that are dissimilar in content or scope to programs offered at UM; UM does not accept correspondence or continuing education units, nor offer credit for military “A” or “B” schools, internships, externships or independent study courses. Check with your College/Department advisor concerning transfer courses applying toward the major.

30. How will the credits I’ve earned at my former institution apply to my majors?
Courses that have a direct equivalency to courses in the major at UM will generally fulfill major requirements; courses that do not have a direct equivalency may be reviewed by the College/Department advisor for applicability toward the major.

31. What if I have extra credits?
If a student has earned more than the allowable 60/90 transferable credits, an advisor will work with the student to assure that the credits most useful to the chosen degree program are retained as applicable. In no case will a student be required to repeat a transferable course.

32. What about AP, IB, CLEP or credits from a different school?
UM does award credit for AP, IB, and CLEP scores. UM requires original score reports for these awards. Credit is not transferable based on a sending institution’s award. See the Undergraduate Catalog at http://www.umd.edu/catalog; Chapter 1 for Admission Requirements for AP and for IB information. See Chapter 4 for Registration, Academic Requirements for CLEP information.

33. What if I have an Associate’s degree?
An AA or an AAS degree from a Maryland Community college generally means you have completed 30-36 hours of general education (CORE) coursework. UM requires 33-36 CORE credits at the lower level; an advisor will determine if you have completed lower-level CORE via transfer.

All courses are reviewed individually for transfer from any sending institution; Associate’s degrees do not transfer as a block of coursework; the only exception is the Associate Arts of Teaching from Maryland community colleges.

34. What if I’m transferring from within the University System of Maryland?
All courses are reviewed individually for transfer from any sending institution; general education courses from any Maryland public institution will fulfill general education (CORE) requirements at UM. A grade of “D” is acceptable from Maryland public institutions unless the major at UM requires otherwise.

35. Do I have to take the Math Placement Exam (MPE)?
Yes. Find out about the exam at http://www.math.umd.edu/undergraduate/credit/placement.shtml
Transfer Students:
All transfer students who have taken college Calculus (which transfers to UM as Math 140 or above) and received a grade of “C” or better are not required to take the MPE. Transfer students requesting exemption from the MPE must provide an official or unofficial transcript as documentation of course completion on the morning of their Orientation program. All other transfer students should come to Orientation prepared to take the MPE.