Transferring Credits

Coursework completed at institutions that are not regionally accredited but hold national or specialized accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be considered for transfer credit in consultation with the academic department on a case-by-case basis. Coursework completed at an international institution may also be considered for transfer credit on a case-by-case basis. If such individual review is requested, the student must submit an institutional catalog or program of study and copies of course syllabi for those courses for which transfer credit is desired.

A maximum of 64 credits may be transferred from community colleges or other two-year institutions, and a maximum of 90 credits may be transferred from another four-year institution or combination of two and four-year institutions. However, your final 30 units (senior year work) must be completed as a Towson University degree candidate.

1. Evaluation of Transfer Credit                                                                              
   1. The University Admissions Office will prepare an official evaluation of transfer credit post-enrollment. This evaluation is divided into a Core Curriculum requirements section, and a free elective/potential major credit section. Your prospective major department will assign potential major credit after you have submitted an application. Completion of a two-year degree does not guarantee the transfer of all course work completed. In addition, an A.A./A.S. degree by itself will not satisfy all of TU’s Core Curriculum requirements.
   2. Transfer credits will be awarded for most academic courses completed. For course transferability regarding Maryland community colleges, access the ARTSYS Articulation System. Towson ARTSYS is an online database with approved course equivalencies from a variety of community colleges and four-year institutions, outside of the Maryland community colleges. We are constantly updating this website as new equivalencies are approved.
   3. Towson University will honor the courses you've completed toward your Core Curriculum requirements from any Maryland public institution of higher learning. This includes any work completed through Advanced Placement, CLEP or division exams. Any of these test credits not transferred toward Core Curriculum must be evaluated individually. Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for more information.
2. Transferable Courses or Credits
   1.  If you have earned a grade of D or higher in any previous course or credit, your credit is transferable to TU as general education or elective units (English composition requires a 2.0 or higher for graduation from TU). However, any major course transferred to TU with a grade of less than a 2.0 must be repeated at TU in order to count for major credit. This will increase the number of units required for graduation.
   2. Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and general CLEP credit may be awarded. Credit for AP is usually awarded on the basis of scores of 3 or above, with a score of 3 often requiring a review of the test booklet. For general CLEP or AP credit, you must provide the University Admissions with an official report from the Educational Testing Service.
   3. If a course was taken as upper-level at your previous four-year institution and numbered as such, you will automatically be awarded upper-level units at TU. For community college courses that have upper-level equivalents at TU, the content of these courses will be recognized as satisfying specific course requirements; however, the credits will not count toward the 32 upper-level units required for graduation .
   4. As a transfer student, you may petition potential major credit or elective credit to satisfy courses in your major program. Simply contact your intended major department to determine which of these credits will apply toward your program. Complete a Petition to Change Original Transfer Credit Evaluation Form (PDF) [Link to Petition to Change Original Transfer Credit Evaluation Form (PDF) uploaded here] and take this form to your intended major department.
3. Non-Transferable Courses or Credits 

   1. Courses that are not parallel or discipline-compatible with TU courses are considered nontransferable. These include:

      1.  Developmental or remedial course work, personal development courses

      2. College orientation, technical/occupational courses
      3. Selected business courses
      4. Separate 1-credit lab science courses will not transfer without their companion lecture courses
      5. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) credit
   2. College Level Examination program (CLEP) credit is selectively transferred. Credit for CLEP subject exams will not be awarded in transfer; however, units will be awarded for the general exam of each test if the following minimum scores are earned:                                                                          

      GENERAL CLEP	MINIMUM SCORE	MINIMUM COMPUTER SCORE
      Humanities	480	50
      Math	450	50
      Natural Science	450	50
      Social Science/History	450	50

      A maximum of 24 credits (6 units for each successfully completed section) will be awarded in transfer as free elective only, CLEP credit for ENGL 102 or writing for a Liberal Education will not be awarded in transfer.
4. Advanced Credit

   1. Transfer students who have completed advanced-level work and would like academic credit and advanced placement are encouraged to take the Advanced Placement (AP) administered by the College Entrance Examination Board. The university receives the results of these tests in mid-July, and notifies students about advanced placement and credit prior to the change of schedule period. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the director of admissions or the chair of the appropriate academic department.

   2.  A bulletin of information about Advanced Placement Tests may be secured from the College Entrance Examination Board, P.O. Box 592, Princeton, N.J. 08540.

      See Towson University's AP Standards

5. International Baccalaureate

   1. Towson University recognizes that the International Baccalaureate (IB) program represents achievement beyond the standard American high school program and regularly awards advanced standing to students who successfully complete IB course work.

   2.  Students who earn an IB diploma will be awarded 30 units toward the bachelor's degree and receive sophomore standing. Some of these units may be applied toward Towson's Core Curriculum requirements; each student's IB units will be individually evaluated for Core Curriculum applicability.

   3.  Students who earn an IB certificate will be eligible to receive units based on the results of their higher level exams only. At least 6 and as many as 8 units will be awarded for each higher level exam completed with a score of 4 or above. A score of 5 or above is required to receive units for the physics higher level exam.

      See Towson University's Higher Level IB Equivalency

   4.  If you're a graduate of a Maryland public community college and in good academic standing with at least 56 transferable credits, you will receive admission priority at Towson University.

   5.  Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree holders from a Maryland Community College are guaranteed admission (as space permits) if they meet the following criteria:

      1. minimum 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale

      2. no record of attending an institution of higher education after earning an A.A. from a Maryland community college

      3. apply by the application deadline

   6. Guaranteed admission applies to admission to the university only and does not guarantee admission to competitive majors. If you plan to pursue a competitive major, you must contact that department for specific screening procedures and GPA requirements for entrance into the major.
   7. Students who have earned less than 55 transferable credits or are transferring from an institution other than a Maryland community college will be admitted based upon their combined cumulative GPA, amount of transferable credits and space availability.

   8. Credits from two-year institutions may not be used to fulfill the upper-level requirement of 32 units. Lower-level courses from four-year institutions that have upper-level TU equivalents can transfer as lower-level credit. However, this coursework can count toward requirements for your major. Faculty from your major will make this determination. 

A.A.T. Degree (Associate of Arts in Teaching)

Maryland public community college students who have earned A.A.T. degrees (Associate of Arts Degree in Teaching) will be awarded 64 credits in transfer “without further review,” in accordance with MHEC policy. Community college students should contact the appropriate education department chair at their institution for specific details and program deadlines. Course work for students who do not complete all requirements of the AAT degree will be applied toward Towson’s GenEd/Core Curriculum and major requirements on a course-by-course basis.