Transfer of Credit information

Transfer credit is defined as any credit earned at another accredited institution, credits earned on another campus of the CU system, or credits earned as a non-degree student within the CU system. The following limits apply:

  • Master’s student: 9 semester hours
  • MFA student: 18 semester hours
  • Doctoral student: 21 semester hours
  • Students who took courses as a non-degree student toward a CU Boulder graduate certificate: 24 semester hours

Transfer credits from accredited institutions are accepted only after approval by the graduate program and the Graduate School, and must meet the following standards to be considered:

Work already applied toward a graduate degree received from CU Boulder or another institution cannot be accepted for transfer toward another graduate degree of the same level at CU Boulder. In addition, work completed for a doctoral degree may not be applied toward a subsequent master’s degree. Courses applied toward an undergraduate degree may not be transferred to the CU Boulder Graduate School.

 All courses accepted for transfer must be graduate level courses. The course grade must be B or higher. Transfer course work which is to be applied to a graduate degree at CU Boulder and was completed more than 5 years prior to being accepted to the program shall be evaluated by the major department as to current relevance and applicability to the degree requirements. 

Credit may not be transferred until the student has completed 6 credits of graduate level course work as a degree-seeking student on the CU Boulder campus with a 3.0 GPA.

Additional information can be found in the Graduate School Rules. Please also consult department/program policies. Individual programs may have more restrictive limits or guidelines surrounding course content.

Endorsements needed

Students will need to provide the following information to proceed:

  • The name and colorado.edu e-mail address of their faculty advisor
  • The name and colorado.edu e-mail address of the director of graduate studies for their program. (In some cases this will be the associate chair or associate dean. If you do not have this information, please ask your graduate program assistant.)

Information needed for form

Carefully review the transcript from the institution where the courses were taken so that you can provide:

  • Formal name of institution
  • Course number, title, term/year the course was taken, and grade earned
  • Number of credits listed on transcript and any conversion necessary to semester hours
  • Supporting documentation (if necessary)

Submission and routing information

Work with your faculty advisor and graduate program assistant in advance of submitting the form to ensure that the course content has been reviewed and approved, providing transcripts and/or syllabi as requested, and to ensure that an official final transcript is available in your student record. You will receive notification upon submission of the request form, and then your graduate program assistant will receive the form to review and provide additional information. Next, your request for transfer will be routed to your faculty advisor and graduate director using the e-mail addresses provided. Your request may also be reviewed by International Admissions or by an undergraduate dean’s office if necessary. After review by the Graduate School, the student and program will receive notification.

Additional instructions HERE.

Please Complete the Following

Student Information:

Faculty Advisor Information:

Graduate Director Information