Board Policies
Chapter 3 - Educational Policies
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3.21 Undergraduate Course Credit Transfer

Part 1. Purpose. The purpose of this policy is to establish consistent practices for accepting credit for undergraduate college-level courses transferred into a system college or university, except for courses that apply to the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum as per Policy 3.37 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

Part 2. Definition. For purposes of this policy the following definition applies:

Comparable or equivalent course. A comparable or equivalent course is one that is similar in nature, content and level of expected student performance on course outcomes to a course offered by the receiving institution.

Part 3. Transfer of Undergraduate Credits.  Once a student has been admitted to a system college or university, each college or university shall evaluate college-level course credits completed, as submitted by the student on an official transcript, to determine if they shall be accepted in transfer. Once the credits are accepted in transfer, each college or university shall determine how the course credits will apply to program and graduation requirements.

Transfer of credit from one college or university to another shall involve at least three considerations:

1. Educational quality of the learning experience which the student transfers,
2. Comparability of the nature, content and level of the learning experience offered by the receiving college or university, and
3. Appropriateness and applicability of the learning experience to the programs offered by the receiving higher education entity in light of the student’s educational goals.

Subpart A. Transfer of courses that are comparable or equivalent. A receiving system college or university shall accept courses in transfer that it determines to be comparable or equivalent to specific courses it offers.

Subpart B. Transfer of courses that are not comparable or not equivalent. College-level courses accepted in transfer by a system college or university that are determined to be not comparable or not equivalent to specific courses taught at the receiving college or university shall be accepted as electives.

Part 4. System College or University Transfer Policy. Each system college or university shall implement a policy to address transfer of course credit consistent with the requirements of this policy and Procedure 3.21.1 Undergraduate Course Credit Transfer.

Part 5. Disseminating Information. Each system college or university shall publish its transfer policy.

Part 6. Student Appeals. Each system college or university shall establish a policy for student petition and appeal of credit transfer decisions. The Chancellor shall establish a procedure for system-level appeal of system college or university credit transfer decisions.

Date of Implementation:	8/01/07,
Date of Adoption:	4/29/98,
Date & Subject of Revisions: 6/20/07 –moves transfer of credit related to the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum to Policy 3.37, expands existing language to address course credit transfer from any higher education institution, limits the policy to transfer of formal credit courses, moves academic program requirements and transfer to Policy 3.36, and moves process and procedural items to the chancellor’s procedure. Click here for additional 3.21 HISTORY