Dual Enrollment while in High School

The State of Michigan mandated that all public universities, effective January 3, 2013, must award credit for college-level courses taken by high school students. Accordingly, President Coleman signed the following statement which commits LSA to change its policy on dual enrollment credits:

The University certifies that, by January 3, 2013, it will not consider whether dual enrollment credits earned by an incoming student were utilized towards his or her high school graduation requirements when making a determination as to whether those credits may be used by the student toward completion of a university degree or certificate program. (See Lester Mont’s January 10 memo to All University Admissions Offices.)

Previously, LSA restricted the granting of transfer credit for incoming students when dual enrollment credits were used to meet high school graduation requirements and/or our own internal admissions requirements. Under our new policy we will lift these specific restrictions and allow transferable dual enrollment credits to count toward LSA degree requirements.

While the State of Michigan mandated broad changes to how public universities treat dual enrollment credit, public universities retain the ability to determine the transferability of dual enrollment courses to their respective institutions. The Deans of all the Schools and Colleges at the University of Michigan reaffirmed this position with the following statement, which re-asserts the right of faculty to determine which courses are suitable for transfer to the respective Schools and Colleges at the University of Michigan.:

High school students who dually enroll for courses at accredited institutions of higher education may receive credit for work taken at these institutions for courses that have been recognized for transfer to the University of Michigan in accordance with the University’s transfer credit policy. Acceptance of courses and credits deemed suitable for transfer to the University of Michigan is determined by faculty in the department, school, or college responsible for instruction in the subject area. Among factors influencing the determination of acceptability are accreditation status, comparable academic quality, and the relationship of the course to other course offerings in the primary administrative unit and other academic units at the University of Michigan, and the basis for student performance evaluation in the course. Additionally, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will continue to determine which students are eligible for admission to U-M based on the overall strength and quality of the student’s academic preparedness. In other words, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will admit those individuals that present the strongest range of credentials and experiences that are consistent with those of our incoming student body.

Overall, while our new position on dual enrollment will allow incoming students to potentially count more of their dual enrollment credits towards LSA degree requirements, we will retain the ability to assess whether individual courses meet our standards for being awarded transfer credit in the first place. For instance, we will continue to designate courses taught to high school students in a high school setting as non-transferable. That is, as with all potential transfer credit, we must determine that individual courses fully meet the standards and expectation, as set by LSA faculty, for awarding transfer credit to college courses taken while in high school.

LSA Office of the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education

Executive Director of the Newnan LSA Academic Advising Center April 2013

Does this policy apply to students who were admitted to the University of Michigan prior to Spring 2022?

No, this policy is not retroactive. Instead, it applies only to those students who matriculated to the University of Michigan in Spring 2022 or later. Students who do a cross-campus transfer to LSA in Spring 2022 or later will be held to the date that they first matriculated at the University of Michigan in determining if Dual Enrollment credits will be transferred.

Will U-M give college credit for dual enrollment courses taken during high school?

Yes. High school students who dually enroll for courses at accredited institutions of higher education may receive credit for work taken at these institutions for courses that have been recognized for transfer to the University of Michigan in accordance with LSA's transfer credit policy.

How will I know if the college course(s) will transfer to U-M?

Refer to the Transfer Credit Equivalency database. This website provides information regarding how courses from other institutions will be posted to the U-M transcript.

Is there a limit to the number of college credits that will transfer to U-M?

Yes. LSA will allow a maximum of 60 credits to transfer.

Will I receive credit if I took a course pass/fail? 

It is preferred that transfer courses be taken for a letter grade. You must earn a grade of “C” or higher for a course to be posted to your U-M transcript. Most universities/colleges provide an explanation of the “pass” grade for their institutions. If the institution indicates that the pass grade is a “C” or higher for the transferable course, credit may be awarded.

Can I use transfer credits to count toward some degree requirements in LSA?

Many degree requirements can be fulfilled with transfer credit. Your academic advisor can help you understand how transfer credit applies to specific LSA degree requirements. If you have questions about this, please set up an advising appointment. 

Can I use transfer credits to count toward my major or minor?

Each department in LSA sets its own guidelines for the use of transfer credits towards specific requirements in that program; there are no general rules that govern the process. If you are transferring credits from another institution and you want any of those credits to count toward the requirements of your major, these credits must be approved by your major’s department academic advisor. Transfer courses that are in the department of your major, but are not accepted by your department advisor, may be used as elective credit.

Will my college courses be evaluated in the admissions review process?

Yes. In order for any student to be considered for admission to LSA, all college transcripts with dual enrollment courses must be submitted. Your admissibility to the University will be based, in part, on the quality of your dual enrollment coursework. Failure to disclose any college-level courses taken prior to matriculating at U-M is considered a form of misrepresentation and may result in revocation of your admission to the University.

Can I pick and choose which transfer courses I want posted to my U-M transcript?

No. In presenting dual enrollment credits for transfer to the University of Michigan, all of these credits become a permanent part of your U-M record; LSA does not allow students to selectively remove transfer courses from the U-M transcript.

Where do I send my official college transcript for potential transfer credit?

If you took "college" level courses prior to completing your high school or secondary-level program, you should have official transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution to transcripts@umich.edu. File size of attachments cannot exceed 10 MB. Transcripts sent from applicants are not accepted as official. Alternatively, official transcripts can be mailed to:

University of Michigan
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
1220 Student Activities Building
515 E. Jefferson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316 

We are unable to accept faxed transcripts.