Transfer Credit and Degree Applicability

Credits and Transfers

After students are admitted to the University of Missouri (MU), an admissions evaluator will evaluate whether any college credit earned elsewhere is transferable to MU.  Coursework being transferred from schools outside of Missouri may need faculty review, which can delay the evaluation process.

  • Advanced Placement credit is only awarded based on official score reports sent to MU directly from the College Board, and not based on scores reported on transcripts.
  • Dual credit must be evaluated by Admissions prior to being awarded.
  • Courses transferred from Missouri community colleges will generally count as lower-division credit, however students should check the Transfer Course Equivalency site for course specific information.
  • For details on course equivalences for most school in Missouri and for select out-of-state institutions, check MU's transfer course equivalencies which can be accessed from the myZou log-in page and then clicking on Transfer Course Equivalency. Prospective students interested in seeing how transfer courses might apply toward MU degree requirements can go online to transferology to enter course data, review equivalencies, and produce an unofficial degree audit. Students currently enrolled at MU should run a degree audit using myDegreePlanner.
  • Advanced standing credit in a foreign language awarded by previous institutions will not transfer to MU. It can be requested after you have successfully completed a course at MU at or above that level.
  • Military veterans may be awarded some credit if the meet certain criteria.

Generally, coursework completed at a accepted accredited (formerly regionally accredited)* institution and oriented toward a baccalaureate degree will be accepted if each grade is C or better. Generally, the following types of credit are exceptions that are excluded from transferable courses: Technical, vocation or remedial courses; Courses not intended for a baccalaureate degree and/or terminal vocational degree or certificate program; Courses from non-regionally accredited institutions or from accredited institutions for which specific equivalent credit is sought, may be reviewed via the appeal process.  MU will transcript all courses taken at regionally accredited institutions, and courses from nonaccredited institutions accepted under the review procedures described above, with the exception of remedial courses.  Courses unlike anything offered at MU will be automatically coded on the transcript as “no credit awarded.”  All other courses would be transcripted as “miscellaneous electives.”  Individual academic units will decide whether to accept any of these courses as credit toward their degree(s).

Questions should be directed to the MU Office of Admissions.

Transfer from an Accepted Accredited* College or University

Students may transfer more than 64 credit hours of lower division courses from either Missouri associate degree-granting or baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Any additional lower division course credits above 64 credit hours will be accepted in transfer if the credits are applicable to the baccalaureate degree or are prerequisites for an upper division course in the major, in accordance with the Missouri Coordinating Board's policy.

*The University of Missouri accepts credit from Missouri Colleges that were formerly accredited by a Regional Accrediting agency per the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), specifically:

  • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC)
  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
  • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
  • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

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Transfer from a Community College

Community college courses generally have transferable equivalents at the 1000 or 2000 level. A community college course may be the equivalent of a University of Missouri course of 3000 or greater, if that course is determined by the MU department that it is equivalent.

Students may transfer more than 64 credit hours for lower division courses from either Missouri associate degree-granting or baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Any additional lower division course credits above 64 credit hours will be accepted in transfer if the credits are applicable to the baccalaureate degree or are prerequisites for an upper division course in the major, in accordance with the Missouri Coordinating Board’s Handbook.

For additional information, contact the college or school from which the degree is sought or see Credits and Transfers information from the MU Office of Admissions.

Articulation Agreements

Contact departmental advisors for information on articulation programs and agreements.

Associate of Arts Degree

An Associate of Arts degree (AA) is a two-year program that indicates the completion of a student's lower-division education. It also is a specific transfer degree for entry, at the junior level, into the general range of baccalaureate degree programs offered by the University.

Students transferring to MU from a formerly regionally-accredited Missouri college or university with an AA degree and a certified 2.0 GPA will be accepted with junior standing. They will also have completed lower-division, general education requirements if the AA degree consisted of at least 60 credits of college-level work. These 60 credits must include completion of an institutionally-approved, general-education program of not fewer than 39 credits.

Students holding the AA degree are admissible to MU, but are not necessarily admissible to specific programs. Some of the specific programs with specialized lower-division requirements are the colleges of Business, Education, Human Environmental Sciences and the schools of Health Professions, Journalism, Nursing and Social Work. The transfer requirements for all academic units may be found in this catalog on the degree specific pages. Students applying with an AA degree from another state will have their courses reviewed for equivalency on an individual basis.

Associate of Science Degree

An Associate of Science degree (AS) is a specialized degree intended for transfer into a specific, preprofessional program. Junior standing is guaranteed to the transfer student only if curricular details have been agreed on by MU and the institution granting the AS. Students who receive a specialized AS degree do not automatically qualify for junior standing in all MU programs. To enroll in some degree programs, students may have to take additional, general-education courses.

Students without Associate Degrees

Students transferring without associate degrees must meet regular MU transfer admission standards.

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Transfer within the UM System

Students may transfer among campuses within the University of Missouri System. University of Missouri Policy states that "Any course that leads to an undergraduate degree on any campus of the University of Missouri shall be accepted in transfer toward the same degree on each campus of the University offering said degree." Students transferring within the UM system are still required to satisfy the course and residency requirements of the campus from which they wish to graduate. Grades, including D and F grades, and grade points earned will also transfer and be included in the cumulative UM grade-point-average.

For more information contact the following offices:
University of Missouri - Columbia, Office of Admissions, 800-225-6075, mu4u@missouri.edu
University of Missouri - Kansas City, Registration & Records Office, 816-235-1125, registrar@umkc.edu
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Registrar's Office, 573-341-4181, registrar@mst.edu
University of Missouri - St. Louis, Office of the Registrar, 314-516-5545, registration@umsl.edu

Military Transfer Credits

Military veterans, with at least two years of honorable service are allowed to transfer military course credit. The transcript coursework must have been accredited by the American Council of Education (ACE). Veterans are advised to contact University Admissions regarding specific transfer credit policies. An exception to current transfer credit policies is that military veterans be allowed a maximum of 9 hours credit as general electives. This policy began with military veterans enrolled for the Fall 2010 semester.

Transfer Students and University General Education Requirements

All University, general-education requirements are considered completed for students who transfer to MU with an AA degree from an accepted accredited (formerly regionally-accredited)* Missouri institution. Transfer credits for other students are evaluated on a course-by-course basis. All students must complete University graduation requirements beyond the University general education requirements.

NOTE: Many departments, degrees and majors have more specific requirements for foundation course work in addition to the University, general-education requirement. However, the reverse is not true. Departments or academic units may not have fewer general education requirements than described by the University general education requirements. Careful planning will allow students to simultaneously meet University, general-education requirements and prepare for many of the more specific foundation courses required by their field of study.

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