Unraveling the Mystery of Transfer Credit

Transfer credits are a necessary step in the transfer process. But navigating the tangled web of offices, courses, and requirements involved can seem overwhelming at first. Here are a few tips to help you in this process.

First, save all of your syllabi. When moving to Ann Arbor, it seems natural to throw away all of your old course materials. However, the University will often ask you to provide syllabi from your previous courses in order to evaluate them for transfer credit. Saving a copy of each syllabus now is much easier than emailing former professors months (or years) later, and sometimes the syllabus must be from the term in which you took the class -- which the professor might not necessarily have on file.

The next step is decoding your individualized transfer credit guide. The University will provide you with a summary of all the classes that transferred from your previous institution and what courses they count for at U-M. [Note: Engineering students should check your unofficial transcript in Wolverine Access to see what credit was posted. If nothing was posted, and it has been more than a week since your college sent your official transcript, send an email with your name, UMID number, and college/university name to engincredit@umich.edu.]

Once you receive the transfer credit guide, it’s important to look it over very carefully. If you are still taking classes, your current elections will be posted when your final transcript has been processed. You can also review the transfer credit databases online at:

• Office of Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Credit Equivalency Database
• College of Engineering Course Equivalency Database

Accepted credits will either be listed as Equivalent Credit, Departmental Credit, or Interdepartmental Credit, and some academic departments, such as Athletic Training, may also award certain credit called, "Professional Credit".

Equivalent Credit and Departmental Credit are the most common types. Equivalent Credits (e.g., ENGLISH 125 on your transcript) are courses that closely match the courses taught at U-M. Departmental Credits (e.g., ENGLISH 101x on your transcript) are courses that are transferable but do not closely match the U-M courses. You might be able to use these credits toward your major, minor, or general degree requirements with the permission of an advisor. Interdepartmental Credits are courses that cover a broad range of topics and because of the scope of their subject material, cannot be assigned to any individual academic department. Like Departmental Credit, Interdepartmental Credit is usually applicable as elective credit and must be approved by an advisor if it is to be used toward degree requirements. Professional Credit, pending review by the department, could be used toward major requirements in certain cases. Talk to an advisor in your School/College to learn more about how your transferable credit applies towards your major or minor, and towards graduation.

If you completed courses that didn’t transfer but are similar to courses taught at the University of Michigan, you have the option to petition. The petitioning process looks different for every academic department; however it often involves sending in a course syllabus and course description to be assessed by credit evaluators. Talk with your advisor at Orientation, or after, about which courses you would like to petition, and they can help you come up with a plan to begin. Petition requests for first-year writing requirements should be completed through the Sweetland Writing Center.

Although it may seem daunting, starting this process early can save you a major headache come senior year, and thousands of dollars in tuition!

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