Students must request an Official Transcript to be sent to Colorado State University in order to receive transfer credit. Transcripts will be accepted electronically via email to etranscripts@colostate.edu, in person in a sealed envelope at Admissions in Ammons Hall or the Office of the Registrar in Centennial Hall, or mailed to:

Office of Admissions
Ammons Hall
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523

Only lower division courses (100 and 200 level) courses will be assigned as equivalent.

Completion of an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science from a Colorado Community College, and/or completion of the gtPathways curriculum, waives any unfulfilled requirements of the CSU All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC), with the exception of the AUCC Category 4 requirements.

The Office of the Registrar, under direction from academic teaching departments, is responsible for determining course equivalencies for all courses presented for transfer to CSU. Students should be aware that credits may transfer to CSU, but not count toward department graduation requirements. Evaluation of credits is made only from official transcripts or test scores (AP, IB, CLEP) after a student has been granted admission. All transferrable coursework is posted to the student’s record and, once posted, cannot be removed.

Not all courses accepted in transfer to CSU are accepted with the assurance they will count toward a specific degree. The departmental requirements for different Bachelor’s degrees vary considerably, and therefore, the department head for a particular degree program determines which courses must be completed to satisfy departmental curriculum requirements.

After evaluations are complete, students are notified by e-mail 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.

  • Quarter Credits are converted to semester credits upon transfer. This is done by multiplying the quarter credits by .67 (i.e. 4 quarter credits x .67 = 2.6 semester credits).
  • International Credits are converted to the U.S. semester based system unless there is an official CSU Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows for an alternate credit evaluation option. A conversion factor will be used to determine the U.S. Credit equivalency for each course. No more than 18 credit hours per term or 36 credit hours in any academic year may transfer. The Office of the Registrar will determine the official credit conversion as well as the grade equivalencies.

Students may request re-evaluations of their transfer courses if they believe the content warrants a different CSU course equivalency. The department that “owns” the course will need to complete a “Request for Course Equivalency Re-evaluation Form.” That form, accompanied by a syllabus, should be sent by the department to:

Degree & Transfer Unit
Centennial Hall
1063 Campus Delivery

Students who have completed coursework from international tertiary institutions recognized by the ministry of education, or a similar accrediting body, in the home country may receive transfer credit at CSU. The courses completed must be consistent in level, duration, hours of lecture, discussion, and course content with courses offered at regionally accredited American universities, and must be consistent with the specific courses, majors, and programs at an international university for transfer credit to be awarded. A student will earn the approximate equivalent of one year for every one year of academic study. Students wishing to inquire about international transfer coursework should email the International Evaluation unit in the Office of the Registrar.

If you submitted your Original International Transcript(s) to the Office of the Registrar, you will be notified when the transcript(s) are ready to be picked-up. They will be held to no more than one semester after admission to CSU.

Regular academic courses completed with a “C-” or higher are generally accepted in transfer. Credit can be awarded for academic pass/fail courses in which a passing grade is equivalent to a “C-” or higher.

Regular academic courses completed with a “C-” or higher are generally accepted in transfer. Credit can be awarded for academic pass/fail courses in which a passing grade equivalent to a “C-” or higher is earned.

However, all courses awarded an academic pass during the spring of 2020 will be eligible for transfer credit, regardless of the passing grade equivalent at the awarding institution.

Some courses are not transferable or do not count as degree credit at CSU. They are as follows:

  • Courses, which by name or description are developmental, remedial, or preparatory, such as remedial English, developmental reading, preparatory mathematics, pre-college math, etc.
  • 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 CSU department offering the course.
  • Nursing courses are considered to be included under the CSU policy regarding courses of a vocational/technical nature.
  • Courses in which a grade of “C-” or better was not achieved.
  • Courses in religion taught at any regionally accredited institution will be evaluated on the basis of the particular orientation of the course, as determined by the department offering similar courses at CSU. Extension courses in religion are not eligible for credit evaluation unless they appear on the transcript of a regionally accredited institution.

Courses completed that are less than 10 years old may or may not apply towards your Bachelor’s degree. If a course(s) is over 10 years old, direct equivalencies are not initially granted but instead must be reviewed by the teaching department and or major department to determine if the course is an appropriate substitution for a requirement.

The State of Colorado has developed a statewide guaranteed transfer (gtPathways) program, which applies to all Colorado public institutions of higher education, including Colorado State University. Statewide, there are approximately 1,000 lower-division general education courses in 20 subject areas approved for guaranteed transfer from one public institution of higher education in Colorado to another. This policy does not address the transfer of credits from private, non-accredited, or out-of-state institutions, or the awarding of credit for non-credit bearing courses.

After starting on a higher education pathway at any public college or university in Colorado and upon acceptance to another, a student may transfer up to 31 credits of successfully (C- or better) completed guaranteed transfer general education coursework. These courses will apply toward the general education core or graduation requirements at Colorado State University.

For more information of gtPathways and to browse the available courses, refer to the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.

Prior to engaging in a formal dispute:

  • Confirm all undergraduate official transcripts have been received and processed by the Office of the Registrar
  • Review your transfer courses with your assigned academic advisor for potential course substitutions or waivers
  • Request a re-evaluation from the CSU teaching department

Steps to disputing your Transfer Evaluation:

  1. Review Policy: Colorado State University policy outlines what credit Colorado State University accepts and which credits can be re-evaluated. Review CSU Transfer and Test Credit information to ensure you are aware of transfer policies
  2. Contact your Degree Analyst: To receive consultation on options available to you regarding your transfer credit, contact the Degree and Transfer Evaluation unit of the Office of the Registrar.
  3. University Resources: As a student of Colorado State University, you have the right to file a complaint with the University if you have been unable to satisfactorily address your concern via the resources available, including an academic appeal
  4. CDHE: After you have exhausted all available University resources to resolve your specific issue, you have the right to file a complaint with the Colorado Department of Higher Education

Students have the possibility to earn transfer credit for academic work done under the sponsorship of non-collegiate institutions, if the courses proposed for transfer:

  • Have been approved by the American Council on Education,
  • Are listed in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs, and
  • Are approved by the CSU department and college in which the subject matter is taught.

Students who wish to request such transfers should contact the Degree and Transfer unit via email, phone: (970) 491-4860, or in person in Centennial Hall.

To order your ACE transcripts, please use the ACE Online Transcript Service.

The Office of the Registrar, under direction from academic teaching departments, is responsible for determining course equivalencies for all courses presented for transfer to CSU. Students should be aware that credits may transfer to CSU but not count toward department graduation requirements. Evaluation of credits is made only from official transcripts or test scores (AP, IB, CLEP) after a student has been granted admission. All transferrable coursework is posted to the student’s record and, once posted, cannot be removed.

There is no limit for the amount of credit that can be transferred from regionally accredited institutions. Credits students bring upon entering the University may cause them to reach 60 credit hours earlier than their peers, prompting Differential Tuition. Read more about credits and Differential Tuition.