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Transfer Evaluations

The Registrar's Office evaluates transcripts and prepares a Transfer Equivalency Report (TER) to determine the courses that are transferred to Mesa State College.  The TER is produced by the Registrar's Office after the student has been admitted and all official transcripts are received.  It consists of a computer printed page showing course transfer equivalents but will not show how courses are used in the major program; you will need to see an advisor to determine that.  The TER is generally completed and sent within two to three weeks after acceptance to Mesa State.  If you have any questions regarding your Transfer Equivalency Report please contact the Registrar's Office at (970)248-1555.

The faculty and department head of each department determine if an under what conditions non-traditional credit is allowed.  If allowed, the following limits apply:

  • Maximum of 30 semester credit hours for a baccalaureate degree
  • 15 semester credit hours for an associate's degree
  • 6 semester credit hours for a technical certificate

The total combination of any non-traditional credit cannot exceed:

  1. 30 semester credits for a baccalaureate degree;
  2. 15 semester credits for an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree;
  3. 20 semester credit for an Associate of Applied Science degree;
  4. Twenty-five percent of the semester credits required for a technical certificate.

Advanced Placement Exams and Scores Accepted by MSC

The faculty and department head of each department determine if an under what conditions non-traditional credit is allowed.  If allowed, the following limits apply:

  • Maximum of 20 semester credit hours for a baccalaureate degree or an Associate of Applied Science degree
  • Maximum of 12 semester credit hours for an Associate of Arts or an Associate of Science degree
  • Maximum of 6 semester credit hours for a technical certificate. 

Students may not earn CLEP credit in a class in which they have been previously enrolled including a class from which the student withdrew, so that the transcript shows a "W," "WP," or "WF." 

The total combination of any non-traditional credit cannot exceed:

  1. 30 semester credits for a baccalaureate degree;
  2. 15 semester credits for an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree;
  3. 20 semester credit for an Associate of Applied Science degree;
  4. Twenty-five percent of the semester credits required for a technical certificate.

The faculty and department head of each department determine if and under what conditions non-traditional credit is allowed.  If allowed, the following limits apply:

  • Maximum of 20 lower division semester credit hours

The total combination of any non-traditional credit cannot exceed:

  1. 30 semester credits for a baccalaureate degree;
  2. 15 semester credits for an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree;
  3. 20 semester credit for an Associate of Applied Science degree;
  4. Twenty-five percent of the semester credits required for a technical certificate.

It is the policy of Mesa State College to accept academic credits from:

  1. All public colleges and universities in the state of Colorado, provided they are currently regionally accredited. This applies regardless of the institution’s accreditation status at the time the credit was earned.
  2. Private and out-of-state colleges and universities, provided the institution is currently regionally accredited and was accredited or was a candidate for accreditation at the time the credit was earned.
  3. Regionally accredited two-year community or junior colleges.
  4. Regionally accredited institutions that award “S” or “P” grades, if the granting institution states that such

           grade is equal to a grade of “C” or better.

There are six U.S. regional accredited bodies that are acceptable.  Mesa State is a member of the North Central Association.

PROCESS

Each course is evaluated using the abbreviation, level, title and description.  On occasion, a course syllabus is necessary to complete the evaluation. With this information, the course is compared to the classes offered at Mesa State College. Courses with an exact match are given the Mesa State course equivalent while those without an exact equivalent are coded with the department prefix and level (i.e. MANG 1XX) or as an elective (i.e. ELEC 2XX). Once an equivalent course decision is made, it is entered into the permanent database.

GRADES:

A grade of "C-" or higher must be earned in each transferable course. Courses with a "Pass",
"Satisfactory" or other non-letter grade will only be considered if the transcript key confirms that it is equivalent to a C- or higher on the grade scale.

RESTRICTIONS:

Preparatory classes taken in preparation for college level English Composition or College
Mathematics will transfer as zero credits. Other "pre-college" classes do not transfer. Religious classes are generally not accepted. No more than two physical activity courses are accepted for a baccalaureate degree; no more than one for an associate's. Technical trades classes generally do not transfer unless they are applicable to your Mesa State College/Western Colorado Community College program. Classes over 15 years old are looked at on a course-by-course basis. Some Mesa State College majors have "age" restrictions on the use of certain courses in those majors. The final approval of how classes are used toward major area requirements is done by the department chair.

Quarter to semester hour conversion: Classes taken at an institution using a quarter hour system are
converted to semester hours by multiplying by two-thirds (i.e., 3 quarter hours = 2 semester hours).