Undergraduate Transfer Policy
About This Policy
- Responsible Office
- Enrollment Management
Who is a Transfer student?
The University considers a transfer student one who has earned 16 or more college-level credits after graduating from high school or earning a high school diploma equivalent. Students who have earned less than 16 college-level credits after graduating from high school or earning a high school equivalent diploma are considered freshmen.
Admissions Information
Individuals who are interested in applying to Montclair State University as a transfer student should review the Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Applicants page. Admissions criteria, including specific requirements for academic programs, application deadlines, etc., are listed.
Acceptable Credits
Transfer credit is accepted from institutions accredited by one of the organizations below:
- Accrediting Commission for Community & Junior Colleges
- Higher Learning Commission
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- New England Commission of Higher Education
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- WASC Senior College and University Commission
- Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
Students are required to submit an official NACES-accredited organization course-by-course evaluation to review coursework earned outside of the United States.
Montclair State University accepts coursework recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE), as long as the student meets the minimum criteria needed for credit (if one is established). Students must submit their official ACE transcript for these courses to be reviewed for equivalency.
The University accepts exams for credit, including but not limited to, Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Proficiency (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and NYU Language Proficiency, provided the student meets the established minimum score requirements. Official score reports must be submitted to the University in order for acceptable credit to be posted. Minimum score requirements, a list of accepted exams, and Montclair equivalencies for these exams can be found on the Office of the Registrar website.
Exams and/or coursework that are not recommended for credit by ACE may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but there is no guarantee the credit will be accepted. Please refer to the Office of the Registrar website for more information.
Coursework is considered acceptable from an institution accredited by one of the above organizations if the student has earned a C- or better in a college-level (100 or above) course. Credit is not awarded for remedial coursework. D grades are considered acceptable in only two situations:
- If the D grade is earned as part of an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree
OR
- If the D grade is earned in the first course of a two-course sequence and the second course in the sequence has a C- grade or better (ex., SPAN 101 – D, SPAN 102 – C+)
The GPA earned from previous institution(s) is not transferable. Institutions on a non-semester credit system (ex., Quarter-hour, units, etc.) are converted to a semester-hour system, which may result in a loss of credit.
Students may also be awarded transfer credit for prior learning outside the classroom via challenge exams, portfolio reviews, or if the coursework has been reviewed and posted on an official transcript from Thomas Edison State University (TESU). Refer to the Credit for Prior Learning Policy for more information.
Currently enrolled students interested in taking coursework elsewhere and transferring it back to Montclair must review the Coursework at Another Institution policy and Office of the Registrar website for more information.
Credit Evaluations
Official credit evaluations are generally completed within 10 business days of the student’s acceptance to the University, provided an official college transcript is submitted with their admissions application. Majors undergoing curricular updates may exceed this turnaround time. In-progress coursework will not be reviewed.
General Education requirements are waived for transfer students who earn their AA, AS, or AFA degree from a NJ or out-of-state community college in the United States. Students who earn an AAS, or who do not have an Associate’s degree, will receive a course-by-course credit evaluation and will not receive a General Education waiver.
Students who have already earned a Bachelor’s degree in the United States or have a NACES course-by-course evaluation with the US equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree posted from a foreign institution will have their General Education requirements waived. Please review the Second BA policy and Residence Requirement policy for additional information.
Transfer students who earned 16 or more credits either post-high school graduation or after earning their high school diploma will have their New Student Seminar requirement waived. This requirement is not waived for incoming freshmen or Adult Learners.
Montclair State University participates in the NJ Statewide Transfer Agreement. Please visit njtransfer.org for more information. Students governed by the NJ Statewide Transfer Agreement have the right to appeal decisions regarding the acceptance of their transfer credits.
Credit Limits
Students transferring from a community college or two-year program may transfer a maximum total of 60 credits combined from all community colleges or two-year programs. While there is no limit to the number of transfer credits that may be transferred from a four-year institution, students must fulfill the University Residency Requirement.
In some cases, it may be necessary to complete more than the minimum number of credits required for graduation from Montclair State University.