Regulation on Transfer Student Admission

The following regulation is designed to provide Systemwide consistency and clarity regarding the definitions and treatment of undergraduate transfer students for admissions purposes, the transfer of credits, and services supporting transfer student success.

I. Definitions. These definitions are intended only for UNC System data reporting purposes. For purposes of determining admissions and student services eligibility, other UNC policy provisions and/or campus specific admissions and eligibility see Section 700.1.1.1[R] of the UNC Policy Manual, Regulation on Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Undergraduate Admission for the University of North Carolina System, and paragraph II of this regulation.

An undergraduate first-time student is one who has not attended another postsecondary institution after graduating from high school. It also includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer.

An undergraduate transfer student is one who has attended another postsecondary institution after graduating from high school.

II. Admission of Transfer Students.

A. For purposes of undergraduate admission, transfer applicants who have earned at least 24 transferrable undergraduate credits from one or more regionally accredited, post-secondary institutions shall not be required to meet Minimum Admissions Requirements (MAR) and Minimum Course Requirements (MCR).

Transferrable undergraduate credit counted as part of these 24 hours shall also include:

Credit earned at foreign institutions deemed to have the equivalence of regional accreditation; equivalence of regional accreditation generally refers to recognition by the foreign country’s Ministry of Education and/or recognition by a credible organization offering credential evaluation services; and

Credit awarded for prior learning as part of military service, with the military branch designated as the transfer institution.

Undergraduate credits awarded for AP, IB, or other credit by exam shall not be included as part of these 24 hours.

The 24-hour credit threshold is a minimum threshold with which all UNC campuses must comply. Campuses may, however, choose to set thresholds above the system-wide minimum.

Applicants under the age of 21 with fewer than 24 hours of transferrable undergraduate credit earned in a post-secondary institution must meet MAR and MCR, unless campus specific exceptions are made (paragraph F., below).

B. Transfer applicants who are 21 years of age or older shall not be required to meet MAR and MCR for admissions purposes, though institutions shall only admit applicants who meet campus-specific admissions requirements.

UNC System institutions shall comply with all requirements of the policy on Military Student Success (see Section 700.7.1 of the UNC Policy Manual, Policy on Military Student Success), though institutions shall only admit applicants who meet campus-specific admissions requirements.

UNC System institutions shall comply with all requirements of the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA), though institutions shall only admit applicants who meet campus-specific admissions requirements.

UNC System institutions shall publish any further criteria used to determine admissibility of transfer applicants, including minimum required transfer credits, minimum GPA, and other factors.

Each campus shall establish policies describing the admission of transfer students for whom exceptions are made to MCR and/or MAR. Criteria pertaining to admissions exceptions shall be developed with faculty participation and approved by the campus board of trustees.

III. Acceptance of Transfer Credits.

A. UNC System institutions shall determine and publish the procedures and criteria for accepting transfer credits.

The procedures shall identify the positions or offices that determine transferability and the process for appealing such determinations;

The criteria shall address minimum grades required in courses and other considerations for determining transferability of credits;

These criteria shall be consistent with the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement and the Military Student Success policy.

If, at matriculation, an institution awards 60 or more hours in transfer credit to a student, that student is exempt from Section 400.1.5 of the UNC Policy Manual, Policy on Fostering Undergraduate Student Success, paragraph (II)(A)(9).

A UNC System institution’s award of academic credit that it has determined meets the requirements of Section 400.1.5, paragraph (II)(A)(9)(i), Section 400.1.5, paragraph (II)(A)(9)(ii), or both, through any method including without limitation (i) the award of credit for prior learning or, (ii) the award of credit for completion of a course or courses as a non-degree seeking student, is binding on other UNC System institutions in determining whether the student has met the requirements of those sections.

IV. Transfer of Student Success.

Consistent with its institutional mission, each UNC institution shall establish programs and resources to promote the success of all transfer students.

These programs and resources may include special orientation sessions, designated first-year seminars for transfer students, academic advisement resources specifically for transfer students, financial aid counseling, inclusion in early warning systems, and others.

The UNC System Office shall work with institutions to develop effective reporting protocols for transfer student persistence and graduation rates in order to promote the development and improvement of campus-based services and resources to support transfer student success.

D. The UNC System Office shall facilitate the sharing of information among institutions about successful strategies employed by UNC campuses for promoting the success of transfer students.

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