Description
This resource will provide information regarding advising issues common to working with transfer students. For the purposes of this document, transfer students are considered those students who have done post-secondary work after high school at another two or four-year higher education institution.
Common advising issues with transfer students:
- Posting of official transcripts: Sometimes official transcripts have not been fully assessed or all final grades and coursework from previous institutions have not been received by the Office of Admissions. It is advisable to work around classes the student has already taken, and refer the student to admissions to get the transcript issue dealt with as soon as possible.
- Petitions: If upon initial evaluation a transfer course is not counted as a liberal education requirement, writing intensive requirement, major requirement, or upper division requirement (and the student believes it should be), then it will be necessary to explain the petition process to the student. Students may still have in mind several policies from former institutions, so clearly explain the paperwork and process to him/her. The best time to address such questions is in the student’s check-back appointment, when the student’s overall progress has been assessed and the need for petitions or re-evaluation of transfer credits, or not, has been clarified. For more information, see Petitioning transfer work.
- “Transfer shock”: As with other student populations, transfer students go through a sort of transition or culture shock upon beginning study at the U of MN.
Transfer course evaluation process
Upon admission to CLA, students will be mailed a Transfer Record of Articulated Courses (TRAC) report from the Office of Admissions. The TRAC shows the courses and total credits transferred, the courses that did not transfer, and how the transfer courses fulfill Liberal Education (LE) requirements, including freshman writing and Writing Intensive (WI) requirements. At O/R, students receive an Academic Progress Audit System (APAS) report. Information about progress towards CLA majors is currently available on APAS for most CLA majors and minors, and for pre-programs (for example, premedical). Admissions needs to have received and reviewed official transcripts with all grades posted for a student’s course reports to be accurate.
Each APAS should be checked for accuracy by a collegiate advisor; consult Admissions when appropriate. Requirements evaluated by Admissions include freshman writing and WI courses, LE requirements, and restricted credits such as physical education, applied music, and study skills. The APAS also tracks non-CLA credits even though the previous 18-credit limit is not currently enforced. This means the APAS total credits earned box may be incorrect if there are more than 18 non-CLA credits earned. Therefore, the adviser doing a manual review of the APAS should note any discrepancies and make changes to the APAS as needed.
The CLA student community is responsible for APAS coding for second language and, in some cases, upper division courses. Upper division designation is usually pre-determined by the course numbering system at the previous school. The TRAC report automatically designates such courses as 3xxx level. Reevaluation of other courses for upper division designation by faculty from the appropriate U of M department may be desired, and the reevaluation process begun at the student’s check-back appointment.
Designators/course titles: The department designators are listed as those here at the U. If there is not an equivalent U of M department designator, then the transfer course will be listed with a “TRFR” designator. Courses are listed alphabetically by designator. The course title, designator and number from the previous institution will be listed next to the U of M equivalent. For example:
1CHEM 1051 5.0 Principles of Chemistry
NCC: CHEM 109
Course numbering: If a direct U of M course equivalency has been established in the articulation table, then the U of M course number is listed (as above). If a direct equivalency has not been established, then the course is assigned a random number (a mixture of numbers and letters, e.g., 1COMM 1T0AB).
Upper division courses are indicated with a starting number of 3 or higher, e.g., 1COMM 3T0AB. The course numbering system key is also listed near the beginning of the TRAC report.
Petitioning transfer work
There are times when a student may disagree with Admissions’ assessment of transfer coursework. If a student feels certain courses should have fulfilled a requirement, they can submit a petition to the appropriate department or office as listed below.
- If a course did not count for LE or WI requirements, the student should fill out a “Petition for Transfer Course and U of M Coordinate Campus Courses” form available from the Office of Admissions or the Admissions’ website http://intranet.kin.umn.edu/docs/lib_ed_petition.pdf. They should return it to Admissions with appropriate supporting materials.
- If a course did not count for upper division credit and the student would like it to be considered as such, the student should fill out a “Request for reevaluation of credits transferred” form.
If a course was not designated as a major course and a student would like a course to be evaluated as such, the student should have that course evaluated by the appropriate department utilizing the “Request for reevaluation of credits transferred” form.
If a course did not transfer for credit and the student would like it to be reevaluated, the student should fill out a “Reevaluation of credits not transferred” form.
The “Request for reevaluation of credits transferred” and “Reevaluation of credits not transferred” forms are available in Student Communities, should be completed in consultation with a Community adviser, and should be forwarded with supporting materials to the appropriate department/office for review. Depending on departmental procedure, either the petition will automatically be returned via campus mail to the appropriate Student Community, or the student will be asked to pick up the petition and bring it to their CLA Student Community. Once the petition decision is received, a CLA adviser should verify the decision and notify the student that the petition results are available to be picked up.
Noteworthy requirements and exemptions
AA, MnTC, or a previous bachelor’s degree:
Identify students with an AA from a MN community college, those who have completed the MN Transfer Curriculum, or those with a previous bachelor’s degree. Students with an AA from a MN community college are exempt from the freshman writing and the diversified core requirements. Students who have completed the MN Transfer Curriculum are exempt from the freshman writing, the diversified core and designated themes requirements. Students with a previous BA are exempt from the writing intensive, liberal education, upper division outside the major, and second language requirements.
Students with any other bachelor’s degree (except the BFA in art, or BIS offered by the U of M) must complete the second language requirement.
Additionally, students within one course of completing the MN Transfer Curriculum or an AA from a MN community college are allowed one semester to complete the AA or MN Transfer Curriculum. They will need to consult with the Office of Admissions for more on this allowance.
Residency requirements:
Remind students that they are required to complete 75% of their UMTC credits with A-D grades, and need to take a minimum of 30 credits at the UMTC campus. This may present a problem for students who transfer in with more than 90 credits. Also, inform students of the “Senior Year Rule”: that 15 of their last 30 credits must be taken at UMTC.
Second Language:
The second language requirement can be one of the more daunting requirements for transfer students due to its multi-semester time commitment. If possible, a student should begin second language coursework immediately. For placement and requirement information, consult http://langtest.umn.edu/ and/or policy 5.6 or 2.4.
Math placement test:
Some students may benefit from taking a Math Placement Test for appropriate placement into college algebra, pre-calculus, and calculus. They can take it by utilizing the Math Placement website using the username and password in the information packet provided by the CLA Student Information Office.
The 13 credit policy and the transfer student
Non-traditional students who wish to attend the University of Minnesota part time are welcome, and should be directed to the “Reduced Credit Load Petition” on-line at: http://www.onestop.umn.edu/onestop/img/assets/9061/part_time_petitions.pdf. Students may also obtain paper copies of the form from their CLA Student Community. Situations that best support a request for a reduced credit load include verifiable personal, work, family circumstances, or other situations that merit a reduced load, whether for one semester or on a continual basis. If the petition is approved, the student will pay for coursework on a per credit basis. The CLA Office of the Assistant Dean evaluates these petitions.
Major declaration process
Transfer students who indicated a major at the point of admission will have their record changed to an “undeclared” status after attending a CLA Orientation and Registration session. The chosen major will appear as a subprogram on their record. When a major program form is submitted to the college by the student, the major on record will be changed from “undeclared” to the declared major.
Once a student has completed 60 transfer credits, the student will need to formally declare a major with their departmental adviser. If they do not, a major declaration hold (MDR) will be placed on their record which will prevent them from registering for the next term. Encourage students to see an adviser in their CLA Student Community if they have questions or problems declaring their major during their first term at the U.
Checkback appointment
Discuss adjustment or “transfer shock” issues, and address any outstanding transfer issues, such as pending petition decisions. Discuss major and program goals with students to determine their future intentions. If a student is considering applying to graduate school or a professional program (teaching, law, medicine, etc.), help identify pre-professional program or graduate school prerequisites and offer appropriate referrals when necessary.
Also let students know about CCLC’s available resources. Be sensitive to the transition needs of the transfer student and exercise patience.
