Transfer Student Information

Transfer Courses/ Credits Accepted for Transfer

The following policies guide Montana Western’s decisions as to whether transfer courses or credits are accepted for transfer:

1. Coursework and credits must be college-level and applicable to a degree at the transfer institution.

2. Courses must have been taken at a regionally accredited college/ university in the United States. Coursework from foreign

institutions is evaluated on a case-by-case basis; foreign credentials must be officially translated to English as part of the

admissions process.

3. All transfer course credits will be converted to semester credits.

4. There are no limitations on transfer credits accepted if transferred from a four-year regionally accredited post-secondary

institution or from a two-year technology institution. Note that no upper-level credit will be awarded for courses completed at

a two-year institution.

5. Approved courses that are passed with grades “A” through “D-”, plus “P” or “S” grades, will be accepted for transfer to

UMW, but only applicable courses graded “C-” or higher will be used to satisfy degree requirements at UMW. However,

students transferring to Montana Western must maintain an overall GPA of 2.00 while at UMW.

6. Students who complete a General Education program at a unit of the Montana University System and those who complete the

MUS General Education Core are deemed to have completed the General Education program at UMW.

Transfer Courses/Credits Used to Meet Requirements for Graduation

The following general policies guide Montana Western’s decisions as to how an accepted transfer course can be used to meet

requirements for UMW degrees or programs:

1. To be applied to a degree at UMW, the transfer course content must be similar or equivalent to the required UMW course, or

the transfer course must be an acceptable substitute or elective.

2. The number of course credits must be similar (e.g., one credit differences - three vs. four credit course - are acceptable, two or

three credit differences - two vs. four credit course - are not); students may take Independent Study to make up course

credit/content deficiencies.

3. Course level must be similar (e.g., a 100/200 level course from the transfer institution may not be used to meet a

300/400 level requirement at UMW).

4. Courses must be successfully completed with grades of “C-” or better; grades of “S” and “P” are accepted but with

limited application; department and/or division approval is required.

5. Some courses may need further evaluation as to their applicability toward a given program; substitution/waiver forms

should be used to document department and division approval of such applicability. Courses subject to this further review and

approval will need more time for certification than the 10 working days.

6. All transfer students must successfully complete at least one-fourth (25%) of the coursework required for a degree while

in residence at UMW. A majority of courses required in the Major and/or Minor must be taken at UMW and generally these

courses must be the last courses taken prior to graduation (see Degree Residency Requirements section of this Catalog).

7. No student will graduate from UMW with less than a 2.0 institutional GPA; however, some degree programs require a

higher minimum GPA.

8. The UMW Registrar will record only summary transfer course data on a transfer student’s UMW academic record.

“Summary” information includes the name of the transfer institution, dates of enrollment, total college-level degree-applicable

credits earned, plus attempted GPA hours, grade points earned, transfer institution GPA, and total hours attempted.

9. Only the UMW GPA appears on a student’s transcript, although total hours earned will reflect all credits earned at UMW

and those accepted from other colleges attended. All courses attempted at all institutions attended will be used to calculate a

cumulative GPA for purposes of determining eligibility for top student in the UMW graduating class, athletic eligibility

according to NAIA or NIRA regulations, and/or instances where third parties authorized to have such information request such

a calculation.

10. Transfer applicants who complete a general education core at one of the units of the Montana University System, or those

who complete the MUS General Education Core are deemed to have satisfied the general education requirements for a degree

(Associate or Bachelor) at UMW.

11. Outdated (Transfer) Coursework: “Acceptable” transfer courses that are more than five years old at the time of admission to

UMW, at the discretion of the University, may be excluded from consideration in meeting major/option, minor/related area, or

professional requirements for a degree. Acceptable transfer courses that are more than 15 years old at the time a student is

admitted to UMW, at the discretion of the University, may be excluded from consideration in meeting general education or

elective requirements for a degree (MUS Board of Regents Policy 301.5.1).

12.Limitations on Transfer Credits:

Maximum Transfer Credit Applied

UMW degree

transferred

from 4-Year

College/Univ

ersity

If transferred

from

Year/Technol

ogy School

(

No upper-

level credit

awarded)

Associate Degree

(64 credits)

48 semester

credits

48 semester

credits

BAS, BA, Non-

Educ BS Degrees

(120 cr)

90 semester

credits

60 semester

credits

BS Education

Degrees (128 cr)

98 semester

credits

64 semester

credits

Appeals – Transfer of Credits

Appeals regarding the acceptance of transfer credits should be directed to the UMW Registrar. Questions or appeals concerning the application of courses or

credits to a specific degree or program of study at Western should be directed to the Director of Student Success.

Montana University System (General Education) Core Curriculum

New students transferring to UMW from any of the units of the Montana University System (MUS) or one of the three public community colleges in Montana

(Flathead Valley Community College, Dawson Community College, Miles Community College) and who have satisfactorily completed a minimum of twenty

(20) credits of campus-specific general education courses (distribution requirements considered) prior to transferring to UMW can elect to complete the MUS

(General Education) Core Curriculum in lieu of the UMW General Education program. Information on the MUS core can be viewed online at

http://mus.edu/transfer/gened.asp.

New transfer students who are eligible for this option should communicate their choice of General Education program (UMW or MUS) at the earliest possible

time so that UMW personnel (faculty advisors and Advising Office staff) may provide the most accurate and reliable degree advice possible.

C: TransferStudentCoursesCredits