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Transfer Students

Eligible students are those who have completed high school or its equivalent and have attempted twelve or more quarter or semester college-level (college-level meaning applicable to at least an associate degree) credits after high school at an institution accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies. Students who previously attended Montana State University and who are returning after attending another institution should refer to Former MSU Students.

Academic Eligibility

Applicants will be considered for admission based on transferable credits from all regionally accredited colleges or universities previously attended. A cumulative transferable grade-point average (GPA), as determined by MSU, of 2.0 or C on a four-point scale is required in order to be accepted for admission in good standing.

Transfer Students Denied Admission

Students interested in appealing should refer to the section titled Appeal of Admission Decisions.

Application Procedure

  1. Students may apply for admission as a regular transfer student pursuing a first degree or as a second degree student.

  2. Receipt of the following credentials in the Office of Admissions constitutes a complete application for admission:

    1. Application form: The application form may be obtained by contacting the Office of Admissions, Montana State University, P.O. Box 172190, Bozeman, MT 59717-2190 (406-994-2452). Return the completed and signed application form to the Office of Admissions.

    2. $36 application fee (online application); $30 application fee (paper application):: Checks should be made payable to Montana State University. The application fee will not be waived, deferred, or refunded. The fee must be paid before the application will be processed.

    3. Official college/university transcripts: An official transcript must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions from each regionally accredited college or university attended. This academic information will be used to determine admission status as well as transfer credit.

  3. Requests to have credentials sent to Montana State University must be initiated by the applicant. Requests should be made to the registrar at the former institution. Credentials must be sent directly from the school to the Office of Admissions. Credentials received from the student will not be accepted.

  4. Applicants who are enrolled at a transfer school while applying to MSU will be considered for admission based on an incomplete official transcript showing all academic work completed and posted to date. A final official transcript must be received in the Office of Admissions by the 15th class day of the first term of attendance. Academic eligibility will be reviewed again upon receipt of that final transcript.

  5. Application materials and application fee will be retained for one year from the original applied term. To apply for a semester other than the original one, inform the Office of Admissions as soon as possible.

Evaluation of Transfer Credit

  1. An evaluation of transfer credit will be done as soon as possible after final and official transcripts from each institution have been received by MSU. Upon completion, evaluation information will be sent to the student and to the student's academic department. To find out how courses will transfer, please visit https://atlas.montana.edu:9000/pls/bzagent/hwzkxfer.p_selstate

  2. All college-level courses from colleges or universities in candidacy status or accredited by any of the six regional accrediting agencies at the time the courses were taken will be accepted for transfer. Courses from unaccredited schools will not be accepted for transfer.

  3. The Office of Admissions determines whether or not the transfer work is college level, the appropriate grading and credit conversions on transfer work, and the applicability of transfer credit toward the University Core requirements. However, the individual academic departments have the prerogative to substitute transfer courses for curriculum requirements.

  4. College-level courses which do not have an equivalent at MSU will be accepted as elective credit. The academic department will determine if the transfer electives satisfy specific curriculum requirements.

  5. Freshman/sophomore level courses taken at another college or university will not be evaluated as equivalent to junior/senior level courses at MSU. Also, junior/senior level courses will not be evaluated as equivalent to freshman/sophomore courses at MSU. Elective credit will be granted in these cases. If a lower-level elective is substituted for an upper-level course by an academic department, that credit may not be used to fulfill the University upper-level credit requirement.

  6. Transfer credit is accepted from vocational technical institutions if the institution is regionally accredited and the courses taken apply toward an associate degree at the institution.

  7. Tech Prep: Courses taken through an approved Tech Prep program will be granted college credit for equivalent coursework. The Tech Prep course(s) must be listed on an official transcript from the transferring college or university and sent directly to the Office of Admissions.

  8. Transfer credit will be given for courses in which passing grades were received.

  9. Credit is granted for college-level continuing education, correspondence, and extension courses successfully completed at institutions accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies. Official transcripts posting these courses must be sent directly from the institution to the Office of Admissions.

  10. Transfer credit will be awarded for Advanced Placement Examinations with a score of 3 or better. Applicants should request that official scores be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.

  11. Transfer credit will be awarded for successful performance in certain subject examinations of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Credit awarded for the CLEP Examinations will not count toward University Core requirements. Official results must be sent directly from the CLEP testing center to the MSU Testing Service. Refer to Advanced Standing for further information about CLEP.

  12. Military experience will be considered for credit upon receipt of official military documentation. Contact the Office of Admissions for information on documentation requirements.

  13. International coursework (except from Canadian institutions where English is the language of instruction) may need to be evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation company. MSU reserves the right to require a professional evaluation. Contact the Office of International Programs for further information.

  14. Transfer students start a new grade-point average upon enrolling at MSU; however, grades earned from transfer institutions are used for academic status purposes. Any new transfer student whose cumulative transferable grade-point average is less than 2.0 will be admitted under University probation. Please see Scholastic Probation and Suspension in the Academic Information section.

  15. Undergraduate transfer students follow the MSU Catalog in effect at the time of initial enrollment at MSU. Transfer students from feeder institutions such as the community colleges in Montana and Wyoming as well as the four year colleges in Montana may elect to follow the MSU catalog that was in effect when they began their freshman year at the feeder institution. Please see Graduation Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees in the Academic Information section.

  16. Transfer students are encouraged to bring personal copies of their transcripts for advising purposes during orientation/registration. Catalogs and course syllabi describing previous coursework may be of assistance to the academic advisor when determining appropriate course placement.

Transfer Credit Appeals

Students who wish to appeal a decision regarding acceptance of transfer credit should address all concerns to the Graduation and Admissions Requirements Committee (GARC). Students who wish to appeal the assignment of transfer credit to the University Core requirements should address the concern to the Core Equivalency Review Board. Students should contact the Office of Admissions to receive information on the appeal process.


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