Transfer Advising Center
Transfer tips
At a two-year college, a transfer program is a series of courses designed for students who wish to transfer into a Baccalaureate degree program at a four-year college or university. This area of the Transfer Advising Center should answer any questions you may have.
What is a transfer program?
At a two-year college, a transfer program is a series of courses designed for students who wish to transfer into a Baccalaureate degree program at a four-year college or university. The courses are selected to be equivalent to the same ones you would take at the four-year school and include all of the general education courses you would need for the first two years at that school.
How does transfer work?
The receiving institution is the institution that evaluates courses to determine if they will accept the credit. However, SMC has a close working relationship with many colleges and universities and therefore we have what are called equivalency lists which tell how courses at SMC will transfer to the institution. If we do not have an equivalency list for an institution you are interested in, it is recommended that you contact that school for guidance concerning which courses will transfer. General Education courses are almost always a good choice and transfer quite easily to most colleges and universities.
How do I know which of my courses from SMC will transfer?
The transfer programs at SMC Associate in Arts and Associate in Science are designed with maximum transferability in mind. We have prepared Transfer Equivalencies and/or Transfer Guides for most Michigan colleges and universities as well as several Indiana colleges and universities. By following these guides, which were prepared by SMC and the receiving institution, you can be sure that you are taking the correct transfer classes.
How do I actually transfer credits to another institution?
You will need to have an "official transcript" sent to the transfer institution. But remember, you will need to fill out an admissions application for the transfer institution (and often times be accepted) BEFORE your credits can be transferred. To request a transcript from SMC, please refer to the Transcripts page in the Records and Registration area of our web site for complete instructions.
After the institution does the credit evaluation, you should receive a copy of what credits have transferred. Be sure to check this for accuracy. If you have a question, be sure to contact an advisor/evaluator at the transfer institution.
Do all classes offered at SMC transfer?
No. There is an important distinction between occupational and transfer degrees. Occupational degrees and courses are designed to be technical in nature, and therefore very specific. As a result they do not transfer as easily as the general education courses. Our transfer degrees AA and AS) are designed to accommodate a broad-base education which comprises the first two years of the bachelor's degree.
What is the advantage to attending SMC for my first two years?
No. There is an important distinction between occupational and transfer degrees. Occupational degrees and courses are designed to be technical in nature, and therefore very specific. As a result they do not transfer as easily as the general education courses. Our transfer degrees AA and AS) are designed to accommodate a broad-base education which comprises the first two years of the bachelor's degree.
Do I have to complete an Associates degree before I transfer?
No. You may choose to take anywhere from one course to an entire Associate degree, about 62 credits, before you transfer. As a result of the MACRAO Agreement, for many schools in the state of Michigan, you have a distinct advantage if you transfer with the Associate degree. For many participating schools, transfer students who have met the MACRAO requirements will have met many or all of the freshman and sophomore level general education requirements of the receiving institution. You should also check out scholarship requirements, some scholarships might require the receipt of a degree.
There are occasionally times when a college/university recommends that you transfer after one year to ensure graduation from the college/university in a timely manner. See the transfer guide, if available, or contact your college/university for the information.
What is the advantage to attending SMC for my first two years?
At Southwestern Michigan College, you can take advantage of low tuition rates and quality education in small classes where you will get personal attention from instructors who care about your success. All of this can be done without loss of credit upon transfer.
What about the rumor or story I heard that the credits someone else took did not transfer?
Basically, each case must be reviewed on an individual basis. If, for example, the person was in an occupational degree and then changed to a transfer degree, then, as discussed above, his or her occupational courses will probably not transfer. To continue the example, very specific and technical automotive classes probably won't help you learn criminal justice and the reverse is also true (your upper level criminal justice classes probably will not help you become an automotive technician). However, if you are transferring and you take general education courses, you should not have problems when you transfer. Remember, the more you plan, the better your transfer experience!
What is the difference between an equivalency list and a transfer guide?
An equivalency list shows how each course at SMC transfers to the transfer institution. It is a course by course equivalency. For example, SMC's SOCI 201 will transfer to WMU as SOC 200.
A transfer guide outlines what courses you can take for a program/major at a transfer institution. It outlines an entire program/major rather than just giving course by course equivalencies.
How do I select a transfer university?
1 |
Have you done your homework? |
||||||||
Remember, that ultimately you are responsible for deciding which college you will attend. However, you are not alone in the decision making process! Talk to family, friends, advisors, faculty, and college representatives. Use the Internet, the library and the TLC (Teaching and Learning Center - Dowagiac campus) to do your research. |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
2 |
Have
you contacted the school you are interested in attending? |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||
3 |
Do
you have critical information? |
||||||||
|
|||||||||
4 |
Do you have financial information? How will you pay? Where will you live? |
||||||||
|
|||||||||
What steps should I take to transfer?
- Remember to do you homework! Successful transfer takes planning.
- Select a transfer institution as early as possible. The sooner you know where you are going, the better you can plan for that school.
- Get a catalog and familiarize yourself with deadlines, general education requirements, major requirements, and testing and competency requirements. If it is a Michigan school, do they participate in the MACRAO Agreement.
- Meet with advisors. This includes not only your SMC faculty advisor, but also the advisors from your transfer institution. College/university Transfer Counselors usually visit campus. It is also a very good idea to visit the campus to which you are considering transferring. (See Visitation Information)
- Follow prepared transfer guides, if available, and keep in contact with the college/university in which you are interested. If transfer guides are not available, consult the catalog/web site and contact the college/university and get recommendations from them concerning what courses to take.
- Apply for admission to the college/university in a timely manner. Know about and pay attention to deadlines and recommendations for early transfer (for example, after one year of study).
- Gather information needed for scholarships and financial aid information. Be sure to get all paperwork turned in within the allotted deadlines. Do you need letters of recommendation? Be sure to leave those writing your letters plenty of time to complete them!
- Send an official transcript of all coursework (including any completed outside of SMC). Please note that if you have attended elsewhere, you will need to send a transcript from that institution also. For example, if you attended WMU and had those credits transferred to SMC, and now want to transfer to FSU, you will have to send transcripts from both WMU and SMC to FSU to be evaluated.
- Attend transfer orientation.
- Enjoy your experience at the transfer institution!
What kind of questions should I ask my transfer institution?
Not sure what kinds of questions to ask at my transfer institution. Here are some suggestions:
- General Admissions - to the College/University:
- What are the minimum admission requirements for transfer students?
- What is the minimum GPA needed for admission?
- Do D's transfer?
- How likely is it that I will be accepted? How many transfer students are accepted in a given year/semester?
- Is there a deadline for admissions? If so, what is it?
- Where can I get scholarship information?
- Where can I get housing information?
- Do you have visitation days? When is orientation?
- What is the best way to contact my department/major advisor?
- When do I need to have my transcript sent? When can I have it evaluated? How long will it take?
- Where can I find information on transfer equivalencies and/or transfer guides?
- If this is a Michigan school, do they participate in the MACRAO agreement? Do they have provisos to the agreement?
- Any tips for a successful transfer?
- Admissions - the Major/Department:
- What are the minimum admission requirements for my major?
- Is there a deadline for applying to my major/department? If so, what is it?
- Are scholarships available within my department?
- Who is my advisor? How does advising work?
- Is my major impacted? (This means that there are more applications than the major can accommodate - usually resulting in higher admissions standards.)
- Are there certain courses I must have completed before I can be accepted into my major?
- How likely is it that I will be accepted into my major/department?
- Any tips for a successful transfer?
How soon do I need to speak with an advisor at the school where I plan to transfer?
As soon as you have selected a transfer school, you should contact an advisor at that institution. In this way, you can be sure that you completely understand and meet the admission and transfer requirements of the college or university you have selected. Transfer guides are wonderful tools in the planning process - but please remember, they are just tools and should not be considered a "contract." It is important that you stay in contact with your transfer institution where you can be notified about changes that may not be reflected in the guides.
How do I get information about four-year colleges and universities?
Southwestern Michigan College has a number of resources that you can use to access information about other colleges and universities. You are currently using one of them: this transfer Web page! Just keep browsing on the Transfer Advising Center. Your faculty advisor is experienced in working with students in your area of study and you can access information about hundreds of colleges through catalogs and special computer software available at the Teaching and Learning Centers.
In addition, college planning web site sponsored by the American Education Services (AES) is available to provide you with additional resources for planning for a transfer from a business, technical, junior, or community college to a four-year college. The address is: FurtherYourEducation.com
What are the transfer policies and minimum grades for colleges/universities?
| Institution | Transfer GPA? | Minimum Grade
Allowable to Receive Transfer Credit |
Minimum GPA for Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSU | No | C | 2.00 |
| CMU | No | C- | 2.00 |
| Davenport | No | C | No minimum GPA |
| EMU | No | C | 2.00 |
| FSU | No | C | 2.00 |
| GVSU | No | D (Overall GPA 2.00 or better) |
2.00 with 30 cr. hrs |
| IUSB | No | C | 2.00 |
| Kendall | No | C | 2.25 |
| Kettering | No | C | 3.00
overall and 3.00 in english, science, & math recommended |
| LSSU | No | C- | 2.00 |
| MSU | No | D (Overall GPA 2.00 or better) |
Contact MSU (around 3.00) |
| MTU | No | C | 2.5 recommended |
| NMU | Yes | All grades transfer | 2.00 See http://www.nmu.edu/admissions/transfer/transferfaq.htm for further information. |
| OU | No | C | 2.50 |
| SVSU | No | C- | 2.00 |
| UM | No | C | 3.00 recommended |
| WSU | No | D (Overall GPA 2.00 or better) |
2.00 |
| WMU | No | D (Overall GPA 2.00 or better) |
2.00 |
Please note that although many universities require at least a C (2.00) grade point average or higher for consideration for admission, there may be programs within those universities that have much higher grade point requirements. Some schools will allow admission on a probationary basis if the GPA is lower than specified. Also, most universities do not allow "D" grades in major/minor course requirements.
