Transfer credits, petitioning, and testing out
Transfer credits
Transfer credits consist of any college or university credits that you earned before being admitted to a University of Minnesota degree program. Your Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Post Secondary Education Options (PSEO), and College in the Schools (CIS) are all considered transfer credits! In order for them to show on your University of Minnesota record, an official transcript or document with these courses, grades, and credits must be submitted to the University of Minnesota Office of Admissions.
It may take up to six weeks for the University of Minnesota to process official transcripts and place the credits on your University student record. Keep track of when your official transcripts were submitted to the University and how current those transcripts are. To find out which transcript(s) the University has received, call Admissions at 612-625-2008. If the University of Minnesota has not received your transcripts, ask your previous school to send them again, then call Admissions to make sure they have arrived!
Transfer credits show up in the following places:
- Transfer course evaluation/report: This is the official list of processed transfer credits. The University of Minnesota Office of Admissions will send you one.
- APAS report: The credits will be plugged into your lib ed and/or major requirements.
- University of Minnesota transcript: Transfer credits are listed as total credits only. They are figured into your final completed credits but not into your University of Minnesota GPA, unless they were completed through a University of Minnesota program.
Petitioning
To request permission to depart from degree requirements and procedures, you need to fill out a University of Minnesota petition form (available in Student Services, 25 Appleby Hall or at One Stop’s Forms Online). Meet with your adviser to discuss the petition and to obtain his/her comments and signature. In most instances, you will also need your instructor’s signature on the petition form. Once you have signed and dated the form and attached any relevant documents (e.g., a syllabus, medical documentation), submit it for preliminary review to Student Services, 25 Appleby Hall. Then complete the process by taking your petition to the One Stop Student Service Center in 200 Fraser Hall to enter the petition request on your student record. Petitions are reviewed on a weekly basis.
Testing out of University of Minnesota courses
No-credit exemption (“Waiving”): Testing out of a University of Minnesota course for exemption excuses you from the requirement of taking a course, but it does not confer credit.
For-credit exemption: Testing out of a University of Minnesota course for credit excuses you from taking the course and gives you credit.
For more information on no-credit and for-credit exemptions, contact the College Level Exam Program at 612-624-9853, or talk with your adviser.
Updated April 2008