Transfer Credit
A student who wishes to transfer credit from another university must obtain and complete a Transfer of Credit form at http://www.unco.edu/graduate-school/pdf/Transfer-of-Credit.pdf and must obtain an official transcript(s) showing the course(s) to be transferred. The student must then present the completed petition and an official transcript to the program advisor for approval or disapproval. If the program advisor approves and signs the petition, it must be sent to the Graduate School along with the official transcript for final approval/disapproval. This process must occur no later than three weeks prior to the end of the semester that the student plans to graduate. Courses requested for transfer must meet all criteria for credit transfer and be approved by the Graduate School.
- Transfer work is not used in the calculation of the graduate grade point average.
- Transfer credit will not be accepted if the work was used to obtain a degree or is included as part of another degree at any institution.
- Transfer work must be approved by the school and must be “A”, "A-", "B+", "B" or “B-” work.
- Transfer credit cannot be used to meet any residency requirement.
- Transfer credit cannot be used to make up "C-","D+", “D”, "D-", “F” or “U” grades received in required courses. Courses graded “S/U” are not transferable unless documentation can be obtained from the originating institution stating that the “S” grade granted is equivalent to an “A”, "A-", "B+", "B" or “B-” grade.
- All program requirements, including transfer work, must be completed within the time limits of the degree program, i.e., five years for the master's degree, six years for the specialist degree, or eight years for the doctoral degree.
- Transfer courses must be numbered as graduate level according to the course numbering system at the originating institution.
- Transfer courses must be from accredited institutions of higher education that offer equivalent level degrees (e.g., doctoral degrees if transferring graduate credit into a doctoral program).
The University of Northern Colorado only accepts credit from institutions of higher education holding full regional accreditation from one of the following agencies:
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Schools
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
To find out if your previous college or university is regionally accredited by one of these agencies, visit https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/
Student Complaints
If a disagreement regarding the transferability of credits for coursework or a degree occurs between a student and the institution, the Colorado Department of Higher Education will facilitate an expeditious review and resolution of the matter. Complaints can be filed at http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Complaints/default.html. The Colorado Commission on Higher Education shall have final authority in resolving transfer disputes.