Transfer Admission

High school graduates who have attempted 12 or more college credits after graduation and/or students who have enrolled as degree-seeking college students are considered transfer students. Transfer students make up nearly a third of the undergraduate student body. They represent a variety of educational backgrounds and include community college and two-year college graduates, returning students, and students from four-year colleges and universities.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted with official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (whether or not credit is desired). Transfers applying with fewer than 30 completed credits or from colleges with non-standard grading systems must also submit official high school transcripts including SAT scores. There is a nonrefundable application fee of $40 for Massachusetts residents, $50 for other U.S. citizens, and $60 for international applicants. Upon acceptance, a nonrefundable enrollment fee of $165 is required to confirm a place in the entering class.

Applications must be received and complete (including all official college transcripts, required essay, fee, and related documents) not later than May 1 for fall semester and October 15 for spring semester.

International students are eligible only for fall admission unless they are currently enrolled at a U.S. college and have completed a non-ESL English writing course. They must also submit TOEFL scores, a certified affidavit of financial support, and a bank statement.

Applicants who have previously applied for transfer may request "reactivation" of their transfer application for one or two semesters after originally applying. The delayed action form must be submitted and updated documents received by the stated deadline dates.

Transfers must submit a brief written statement with their application. Applicants can use this opportunity to provide further information not apparent from their transcripts and other materials. Interviews with transfer counselors may be requested if there are any special concerns about the transfer process.

Transfer Admission Criteria and Decision-Making Process

About 4,600 transfer applications are expected for 2002-2003 enrollment for approximately 1,800 vacancies. The primary criterion for transfer admission is the quality of the applicant's academic record. Transfer applicants with above-average grades in a range of disciplines (including writing/composition, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and natural sciences) usually qualify for general admission. Out-of-state admission is more selective. Competitive majors require prerequisite course work. Other factors considered include the number of transfer credits, prerequisite coursework, and consistency of academic record. Admission priority is given to participants in the Massachusetts Community College Joint Admissions Program and degree students at the University of Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell. Admission decisions are made beginning in March through June for fall enrollment, and October through December for spring enrollment.

Additional transfer information is provided in the admission application and the viewbook.

Massachusetts Community College Graduates

Students who earn an associate's degree with the Commonwealth Transfer Compact (CTC) from a Massachusetts community college and who have above-average grades are generally strong candidates for admission. The CTC is a credit transfer agreement which guarantees students a minimum of 60 transfer credits and completion of University of Massachusetts Amherst general education requirements. Associate degrees not conforming to CTC specifications are evaluated based on individual course acceptance. Contact your community college transfer counselor for details.

Joint Admissions Program with Massachusetts Community Colleges

The University has joined with the 15 Massachusetts community colleges to guarantee acceptance of students upon completion of designated transfer associate's degree programs with a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade average. Students who elect this option upon enrollment at the community college will receive continuous advising assistance, periodic communications from University academic and other departments, and information sessions with University faculty.

University of Massachusetts Interchange

Enrolled degree-seeking students at the University's Boston, Dartmouth, or Lowell campuses who wish to transfer permanently to the Amherst campus may do so under the Interchange Transfer program. To be eligible, the applicant must be in good academic standing, have completed a minimum of 12 credits, be currently enrolled with 12 credit hours, and have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Note: Applicants from the Boston, Dartmouth, or Lowell campuses who are enrolled in non-degree status are not eligible for the Interchange Transfer program but will be reviewed as regular transfers and must submit all fees and other application materials.

Selecting a Major

For transfer applicants, especially juniors, it is important to find out about University major degree requirements prior to filing the application for admission.

Several majors require completion of prerequisite course work and more competitive grade point averages before transfer. Other ma-jor departments may require a specific number of upper division courses to be taken at the University, or minimum grades, or sequential courses, or internships, etc. Admission to the Isenberg School of Management is not directly to a major. Please contact a transfer conselor in the Undergraduate Admissions Office or University academic departments to request major degree information.

Transfer Credit/Course Evaluation

Transfer credit is generally awarded for courses taken at regionally accredited postsecondary educational institutions which are comparable in content and level to courses offered by the University. Only courses in which a grade of C- or higher is earned are considered. Internships, co-ops, and technical, vocational, or highly specialized courses are generally not accepted.

Accepted transfers receive a preliminary evaluation of their credits indicating a tentative graduation year. A more detailed course and major evaluation takes place during the New Students Program.

In order to graduate, transfers must satisfactorily complete all University General Education degree requirements, school/college requirements, and major department requirements and earn a minimum of 120 graduation credits (128-135 for engineering), of which 45 must be earned at the University.

Commonwealth Honors College

Transfer students with a GPA of 3.2 or higher may qualify at the time of admission to transfer directly into the Commonwealth Honors College at the University. Upon enrollment, students must bring a transfer transcript to the Commonwealth College office and meet with an honors adviser to sign an honors contract.

Transfer students with fewer than six semesters to complete may apply to have their transcripts reviewed for appropriate accommodations by the Dean of Commonwealth College. The student's prior work will be assessed to determine the foundations and honors course requirements remaining to be satisfied. These honors courses must be taken while in residence and completed with a B or better. Under no circumstances will the Dean's Book requirement or the culminating experience requirement be waived. Students who transfer into Commonwealth College having completed an associate's degree through a certified Commonwealth Honors Program are recognized as having completed the first two years of their Commonwealth College requirements.

In order to graduate with honors, students must complete a minimum of 45 graded University credits.

Many honors opportunities are offered to academically talented transfer students at the University. Some may enjoy the challenge of taking honors courses without joining the Commonwealth College. Those who join the Commonwealth College, take honors courses, earn a B or better in them, and maintain a 3.2 overall cumulative GPA, will graduate as "Commonwealth College Scholars." To graduate with higher Latin honors students must successfully complete the requirements of Commonwealth College and attain a minimum GPA of 3.5 for magna and 3.8 for summa cum laude. Departmental or Interdisciplinary Honors are awarded in addition to Commonwealth College and Latin honors. Specific requirements vary depending on a student's major. Interested students may contact the Commonwealth College office, 504 Goodell Building, for further information.