Transfer Course Evaluation & Acceptance Policies

Credit from Two-Year Institutions /Community Colleges

A maximum of 64 semester credits may be accepted in transfer from accredited two-year institutions.
Credit earned at two-year institutions cannot be assigned equivalents to Colorado State's 300- and 400-level courses.
Completion of an Associate of Arts (AA) or an Associate of Science (AS) from a Colorado community college, and/or completion of the gtPathways curriculum, waives any unfulfilled requirement of the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC), with the exception of Category 4 Capstone Requirements.

Evaluation of Transfer Credit

The Registrar's Office is responsible for determining transfer course equivalencies. Students should be aware that credits may transfer to the University, but not count toward department graduation requirements. Evaluation of credits is made only from official transcripts after a student has been granted admission. Regular academic courses completed with a grade of C- or better are generally accepted in transfer. Transfer grades and credits are not computed within the cumulative GPA earned at Colorado State.
Quarter credits are converted to semester credits upon transfer to Colorado State. This is done by multiplying the quarter credits by .667 and rounding (i.e. 4 quarter credits x .667 = 2.67 semester credits.)
After evaluation, students are notified by email that their Transfer Credit Report is available through the “View My Transfer Credits” link in RAMweb. The credit report lists transfer courses and how they were transferred to Colorado State University.
Students may request a re-evaluation of their transfer courses, if they believe the content warrants a different CSU course equivalency than the one provided through the initial course evaluation. For more information please see the “Transfer Course Equivalency Re-evaluation” information under the “Transfer Evaluation” section.
Not all courses accepted in transfer to Colorado State are accepted with the assurance that they will count toward a specific degree. The departmental requirements for the various bachelors' degrees vary considerably and, therefore, the department head for a particular degree program determines which courses must be completed to satisfy departmental curriculum requirements.
Courses that are not equivalent in content to any course at Colorado State will be accepted as elective credit

International Transfer Coursework

Students who have completed course work at recognized international universities may receive transfer credit at Colorado State. The courses completed must be consistent in level, duration, hours of lecture, discussion, and course content with courses offered at accredited American universities, and must be consistent with the specific courses, majors, and programs at an international university for transfer credit to be awarded. Students wishing to inquire about international transfer coursework should contact the Registrar’s Office at registrarsoffice@colostate.edu, (970)491-7159, or in person in Centennial Hall.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Regular academic courses completed with a "C-" or better grade are generally accepted in transfer to Colorado State. Credit can be awarded for academic pass/fail courses in which a passing grade that is equivalent to a "C-" or better has been awarded.

Non-Collegiate Transfer Coursework

Colorado State will award transfer credit for academic work done under the sponsorship of non-collegiate institutions, if the courses proposed for transfer:

1. have been approved by the American Council on Education;

2. are listed in The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs; and

3. are approved by the department and college in which the subject matter is taught at Colorado State.

Students who wish to request such transfers should contact the Registrar’s Office at registrarsoffice@colostate.edu, (970)491-7147, or in person in Centennial Hall.

Types of Credit Not Accepted in Transfer

There are some courses which either are not transferable or do not count as degree credit at Colorado State, as follows:

Sub college-level courses, which by name or description are developmental, remedial, or preparatory. Such as, remedial English, developmental reading, preparatory mathematics, pre-college math, ect.
Courses of a vocational/technical nature are generally not transferable. However, if such work is judged to be pertinent to the needs of a particular curriculum, credit will be granted upon the recommendation of the department responsible for the student's curriculum. Likewise, vocational/technical courses similar in content and level with courses taught at Colorado State may be accepted for credit upon the recommendation of the Colorado State department offering the course.
Nursing courses are considered to be included under the Colorado State policy regarding courses of a vocational/technical nature (see 2).
Courses in which a grade of “C-“ or better was not achieved.
Courses in religion taught at any accredited institution will be evaluated on the basis of the particular orientation of the course, as determined by the department offering similar courses at Colorado State. Extension courses in religion are not eligible for credit evaluation unless they appear on the transcript of an accredited institution.