New Transfer Students

At least 60 of the 120 credits required for a degree must be earned in residence. Residence credit is granted for courses elected on the Ann Arbor campus or at off-campus sites directed by Ann Arbor faculty present on the site.

At least 30 of the last 60 credits for the degree must be earned in residence.
No more than 60 credits may be earned through Advanced Placement, credit by examination, correspondence courses, transfer credit from other institutions, and off-campus independent study.
Cross-campus transfer students may receive credit for a maximum of 90 credits from a previous college or school on the Ann Arbor campus. No more than 60 of these 90 credits may have been completed at other institutions. LSA residency requires that a student earn 30 credits in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Students who transfer from a two-year college are permitted 60 transfer credits (62 if an Associate's degree requiring 62 credits has been completed).
Prior to Spring 2014, LSA had the following policy: "Students who have completed 60 credits toward an LSA degree cannot earn degree credit for courses elected at a two-year college."
Please note, in order for LSA to accept community college credits toward the 120-credit requirement after the student has already completed 60 credits, the student needs to be enrolled in the community college course as of Spring 2014 or later. LSA will not allow students who took the course prior to Spring 2014 and who had >60 credits at the time they took the community college course, to count toward their 120 credits regardless of when they send their transfer transcript to U-M. Because the Curriculum Committee explicitly decided to make the new policy effective this Spring 2014 and NOT make it retroactive, the Academic Standards Board will not entertain petitions for students who took community college credit prior to Spring 2014 and want it to count toward their 120-credit requirement.
As always, community college credit taken prior to Spring 2014 can count toward other LSA general requirements regardless of how many credits the student has completed, including BS and LSA credit, as well as distribution.

Credit from Dual Enrollment Programs while in High School

Students interested in electing out-of-residence credit should consult the Office of Undergraduate Admissions' website about transfer equivalencies and an academic advisor about the appropriateness of the intended elections.

Students who wish to take a course not listed on the equivalency tables may have that course evaluated by using a Transfer Credit Equivalency form (formerly the Out-of-Residence form). This form can be completed online at https://www.ugadmiss.umich.edu/TCE/Student/CT_TCEForm.aspx.

If credit elected out-of-residence is to be included in a plan for the major, approval should be obtained in advance from a department advisor.

The language requirement cannot be fulfilled by out-of-residence credit that is elected after the student has begun degree enrollment in LSA unless the appropriate language department has approved that plan in advance.

Seniors planning to elect the final portion of the senior year out of residence should contact the LSA Academic Auditors prior to leaving campus for information about procedures to avoid a delay of graduation.

LSA students who elect courses which duplicate Advanced Placement or transfer credit will receive degree credit and honor points (for graded courses) for the LSA election while credit for the duplicated Advanced Placement or transfer courses will be deducted. The only exceptions to this policy are courses transferred from another school or college on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan or from UM-Flint or UM-Dearborn. In these cases, courses elected in LSA which duplicate the transfer courses are posted on the academic record as "repetitions" or "not for credit" elections. The original course elections continue to appear on the academic record for degree credit, and grades earned in these courses continue to be computed in the grade point average.

Students electing courses in LSA which are prior to those in a course sequence for credits already awarded via transfer credit will have the transferred credits deducted, and the credits and honor points earned by the LSA elections will stand. This could mean losing credit for several courses while retaining credit for only one (for example, transfer credit for one or more terms of foreign language can be deducted because of subsequently completing the first term of that language at the University of Michigan).

Official transcript(s) of the completed transfer work should be sent to:

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

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) at the University of Michigan welcomes transfer applicants from community colleges, two- and four-year colleges, and universities. A transfer applicant is defined as any student who has attended any institution of higher education after high school graduation on any basis for any period of time. UM—Dearborn and UM—Flint students are considered new transfer students.

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is a liberal arts college inside a premier, public research university. You will ll receive a broad and diverse liberal arts education that prepares you to shape your future. LSA is home of the university's natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and hosts over 70 departments and programs. Many of our 1,100 faculty are members of multiple departments, which allows for enhanced learning across the disciplines.

The decision to transfer to another institution can be a difficult and exciting decision. It is important to understand the opportunities, policies, and resources at the new institution. This website is designed to assist you in exploring the exceptional programs and opportunities you will have as a transfer student in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts.

To apply as a transfer student or to schedule a campus visit please contact Admissions.

If you have already been accepted to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, please sign up for an orientation program through the Office of New Student Programs.

Transfer Student Information Session and Walking Tour

Students in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts must complete a program of study consisting of courses primarily from LSA or equivalent transfer credit.

Undergraduate LSA courses are listed in the LSA Undergraduate Course Catalog. Courses offered by other academic units (e.g., Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Education, Engineering) of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and not listed in the LSA Undergraduate Course Catalog are defined as non-LSA courses.

Non-LSA course work earns credit toward a degree and honor points according to the following policies:

Candidates for an A.B., B.S., or B.G.S. degree must complete a minimum 100 credits of LSA courses, allowing 20 credits of non-LSA course work in the minimum 120 required for the degree. Non-LSA credits in excess of 20 will be included in the calculation of a student's GPA, but will not be counted toward the 120 credits needed for a Bachelor's degree in LSA.
Courses cross-listed between LSA and another school or college of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) count toward the required number of LSA credits.
School of Kinesiology courses cross-listed with an LSA SUBJECT count for degree credit as LSA courses.
All other School of Kinesiology courses are recorded as "not for credit" for LSA students except for the courses for which LSA students may receive non-LSA degree credits.

University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance ensemble courses yield non-LSA degree credit but no honor points (except for those cross-listed with LSA: ENS 405, 406, 407).
Transfer credit for Speech and Journalism courses are counted as non-LSA.
The College does not grant degree credit for any courses offered through the Military Officer Education Programs except for those courses cross-listed in other academic units.

Transfer Credit Equivalencies listed on this page are for college students only; high school students, depending on individual circumstances, may or may not receive transfer credit for courses if elected while in high school.

These resources will tell you if a course will transfer, but how the credit will work in your degree is more complicated.

Here are three warnings about interpreting the information correctly.

The credit hours posted to the U-M transcript are usually the number of credits granted at the offering institution. There are exceptions; for example, please see Transfer Credit from a Quarter-Calendar School if you're taking classes at a school on the quarter system.
Online MATH, ECON, SPANISH, and PHYSICS courses will not transfer to the University of Michigan.
Basic foreign language credits do transfer here, but these equivalencies show how the College will evaluate language courses for students entering LSA for the first time. Once a student has started coursework in the College, language departments do not allow courses from elsewhere to meet the language requirement without special permission.
Study Abroad transcripts from China: Students must arrange for an official university transcript report to be sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions by the China Academic Degree and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC), 18th floor, B-17, Tongfang Scientific Plaza, No. 1, Wangzhuang Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China, Tel: 86-10-82379480, Fax: 86-10-823778718, Email:cqv@cdgdc.edu.cn , Website: www.cdgdc.edu.cn.

If a course you'd like to take isn't listed, you need to request a pre-evaluation from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (Student Activities Building). An on-line form for requesting pre-evaluation can be found at: https://www.ugadmiss.umich.edu/TCE/Student/CT_TCEForm.aspx

For a demo-only version of this Transfer Credit Equivalency Request form, click here.

An official evaluation is done upon receipt of an official transcript. You may consult your advisor regarding distribution or major requirements.

Any student transferring to the University of Michigan from another institution (including UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn) must attend one of the Transfer Orientation Sessions. Transfer orientation will serve as an introduction to the University community and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. During a one-day orientation, you will complete all necessary procedures for class registration including placement testing, general information sessions, and academic advising. Orientation also gives you a chance to meet other new students.

It is imperative that you sign up for an orientation session through the Office of New Student Programs.

For a successful orientation, please prepare in the following ways:

Familiarize yourself with the general degree requirements as well as look over individual majors (majors) and minors.
Browse the online courseguide and make a list of courses you would be interested in taking. The online courseguide lists course offerings and descriptions in every LSA department. Courses are also listed according to requirements they fulfill.
Look over your Credit Evaluation, which you will receive from Admissions. Write down any questions you may have. An academic advisor will review the credit evaluation with you during orientation.
Approximately two weeks before your orientation date, the registration system, WolverineAccess, will be available for you to backpack courses. WolverineAccess contains information about class time and locations and the most up-to-date enrollment figures for all classes. You can backpack several of your course selections before you come for orientation. Conveniently, this allows you to save the information about classes that interest you; the backpack does not save you a place in the courses.

We look forward to working with you during orientation. Please come to campus for orientation with the uniqname and working password that were issued to you. You will not be able to register for courses without them. Please do not change your password until you have successfully registered for courses at orientation.

Students who transfer from a two-year college are permitted 60 transfer credits (62 if an Associate's degree requiring 62 credits has been completed).
[Prior to Spring 2014, LSA had the following policy: "Students who have completed 60 credits toward an LSA degree cannot earn degree credit for courses elected at a two-year college."
Please note, in order for LSA to accept community college credits toward the 120-credit requirement after the student has already completed 60 credits, the student needs to be enrolled in the community college course as of Spring 2014 or later. LSA will not allow students who took the course prior to Spring 2014 and who had >60 credits at the time they took the community college course, to count toward their 120 credits regardless of when they send their transfer transcript to U-M. Because the Curriculum Committee explicitly decided to make the new policy effective this Spring 2014 and NOT make it retroactive, the Academic Standards Board will not entertain petitions for students who took community college credit prior to Spring 2014 and want it to count toward their 120-credit requirement.
As always, community college credit taken prior to Spring 2014 can count toward other LSA general requirements regardless of how many credits the student has completed, including BS and LSA credit, as well as distribution.]
Up to 60 credits may be transferred from the Flint and Dearborn campuses of the University of Michigan. Courses completed at these campuses are defined as out-of-residence credit (effective September 1, 1976), even though they carry Michigan Honor Points.
Even if a course is transferable, credit is not allowed if the final grade earned is "C-" or lower. This includes all transferable credit earned outside the University of Michigan. (All credits and grades from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and -Flint campuses transfer.)
Credit cannot be transferred from another school if that credit is also being counted toward another baccalaureate or graduate or professional degree. "Special Joint Degree Programs" are exceptions to this policy.

Credit from Dual Enrollment Programs while in High School

Students interested in electing out-of-residence credit should consult the Office of Undergraduate Admissions' website ( www.admissions.umich.edu/transfer-credit ) about transfer equivalencies and an academic advisor about the appropriateness of the intended elections. Tables of transfer equivalencies are available on the College website: www.lsa.umich.edu/transfer/