Transfer students FAQ

The transfer application deadline for fall admission is July 1. The transfer application deadline for spring admission is December 15.

Applications for admission are reviewed when they are complete. A complete application is one which includes official transcripts from each institution the applicant attended previously. A final decision will be made on each complete application within 10 business days of receipt of the last official transcript.

Students who have been academically dismissed from other institutions are generally admitted as long as all admissions requirements have been met. Students who have been dismissed for other reasons are subject to further evaluation.

If your application for admission has been denied and you feel this is in error or have subsequently completed additional coursework that will improve your standing, you must send a Request for Re-Evaluation to mynevada@unr.edu.

Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree at another regionally accredited institution may be admitted to the University as a second bachelor’s student and are not subject to the 2.5 grade point average requirement. There is a separate application for student's applying for a second bachelor's degree.

“Transfer Articulation” or determining “Course Equivalency” is the process that Admissions & Records staff go through to determine how the courses you took at other institution(s) transfer to the University. A list of the courses the University has previously evaluated for transfer can be found on the transfer equivalency website. If an institution you attended or a course you took does not appear on the list, that means we have not previously evaluated it. In that event, upon receipt of the official transcript, we will evaluate the course(s) if possible or send them to the appropriate department(s) to determine equivalency.

Credits earned at accredited institutions, or at institutions that are approved candidates for accreditation, by one of the following regional accrediting associations recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), are normally transferable, provided the courses are comparable to those offered by the University of Nevada, Reno, or other regionally accredited colleges and universities, and the courses are relevant to the student’s academic program.

• Middle States Association of College and Schools (MSA), Middle States Commission on Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE), Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CTCI), Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC), The Higher Learning Commission
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Commission on Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASCACCJC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASCACSCU), Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities.

Applicants from regionally accredited institutions are generally granted credit for completed courses that meet baccalaureate degree requirements unless otherwise specified. For specific course equivalencies, visit the transfer equivalency website.

Credits are generally awarded for courses completed at regionally accredited institutions that meet baccalaureate degree requirements. If you completed work at an institution that was not regionally accredited, you may not receive credit for that work. If you took remedial/developmental/occupational courses elsewhere, you will not be awarded degree credit for that work regardless of the accreditation status of the transfer institution.

No. Transfer admission criteria is based, in part, on 24 transferable semester credits being completed.

No. All work on every official transcript will be evaluated. Students may transfer more than 60 credits, but they must complete at least 60 credits at a four-year institution to earn a degree at the University. Transfer students with 60 or more credits must declare a major by the end of their first semester.

Yes, the credits will transfer at least as general elective credit. However, in areas of study in which the subject matter changes rapidly, material in courses taken long before graduation may become obsolete. Courses that are more than 10 years old are applicable toward completion of specific major or minor requirements at the discretion of the student’s major or minor department. Departments may approve, disapprove, or request that the student revalidate the substance of such courses.

Students whose major or minor programs include courses that will be more than 10 years old at the expected time of graduation should consult with their major or minor department as early as possible to determine the acceptability of such courses. Departments may adopt a more restrictive policy where accreditation and/or licensure requirements limit the applicability of courses to fewer than 10 years.

You will find specifics on test credit awarded on the basis of your College Board Advanced Placement Examination or International Baccalaureate Examination scores in the general catalog. Test credits will be posted on your record only after official scores have been received directly from the testing agency. Please allow five business days from the date of receipt for processing of test scores in the Office of Admissions and Records.

The completion of the Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Business (AB) degree at an NSHE community college automatically fulfills the lower-division general education requirements at any other NSHE institution. However, many programs at the University require specific core coursework as preparation for the major.

Students are strongly encouraged to review major program descriptions in the University of Nevada, Reno general catalog and to consult with an academic advisor to select general education coursework to ensure that work completed for their NSHE AA, AS, or AB will satisfy major-specific lower-division core curriculum requirements.

These are official certifications issued from an institution (either on an official transcript or a separately issued document) that show transfer core components that students transferring from California, Oregon, Texas, or Washington State may have completed. For more information, please visit one of the following that pertains to you:

• University of California
• Oregon Community Colleges Handbook & Planning Guide
• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Students who have completed one of the transfer degrees or general education transfer components listed above may not be required to take additional lower-division general education courses at the University of Nevada, Reno. (Per the NSHE Board of Regents, all students must complete ENG 102 and instruction in the United States and Nevada constitutions). Many programs at the University require specific general education coursework as preparation for the major.

Students are strongly encouraged to review major program descriptions in the University of Nevada, Reno general catalog and to consult with an academic advisor to select general education coursework to ensure that work completed at the out of state institution will satisfy major-specific lower-division general education requirements at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Conferral of the AA-T, AS-T, AAOT, ASOT, or a DTA associate degree must appear on the official college transcript. Certification of completion of all of the IGETC, CSU Breadth, or Texas Common Core requirements may appear on the official college transcript or on a separate official document issued by the institution. Partial certification will not be accepted.

Students with a previous bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution may transfer to the University without the need, after transfer, to take additional lower-division core curriculum courses (with the exception of United States and Nevada constitutions). However, many programs at the University require specific core coursework as preparation for the major. Students are strongly encouraged to review major program descriptions in the University of Nevada, Reno general catalog and to consult with a University transfer advisor.

NOTE: Students will answer a series of questions when completing the Undergraduate Application for Admission to submit the Second Bachelor’s Application.

The Silver Core went into effect beginning with the Fall 2016 term. To be eligible for graduation, students must complete the degree requirements in either the general catalog published the year they formally entered the degree program or the year they intend to graduate from the program. Students who started their careers pre-Silver Core may use a pre-Silver Core catalog year awarded when they formally entered the degree program as long as there is clear transcript evidence that they were taking baccalaureate degree applicable coursework throughout their career. You must work with your academic advisor to be reassigned a different catalog year (requirement term).

NSHE students, who have not completed a transferable AA, AS, or AB degree, may satisfy the Core Humanities requirements with non-CH courses only if they do so before matriculating to the University. See the transfer agreements in the general catalog to identify acceptable coursework.

If either the University of Nevada, Reno does not offer a direct equivalent of a transfer course, or if faculty/staff have not previously evaluated the course, it will receive the LELC (lower-division elective credit) or UELC (upper-division elective credit) designation with the appropriate departmental prefix. In the latter circumstance, students may ask their advisors to evaluate the courses to meet college or major requirements. Requests for evaluation to meet core curriculum requirements must be routed to the Director of the Core Curriculum. Most often a course description and the course syllabus will be required to conduct the evaluation.

If either the University of Nevada does not offer a direct equivalent of a transfer course, or if faculty/staff have not previously evaluated the course, it will receive the LELC (lower-division elective credit) or UELC (upper-division elective credit) designation with the appropriate departmental prefix. In the later circumstance, students may ask their advisors to evaluate the courses to meet college or major requirements. Requests for evaluation to meet core curriculum requirements must be routed to the Director of the Core Curriculum. Most often a course description and the course syllabus will be required to conduct the evaluation.

The following are options to remedy this deficiency:

1. Send official ACT, SAT, CLEP, IB, or AP test scores to the University.
2. Review alternative placement options for math and English.

If the course you intend to enroll is not listed in our course equivalency table, please contact the Office for Prospective Students or email mynevada@unr.edu for assistance on course evaluation.

The approved substitute course must be evaluated as a direct equivalent of the prerequisite course to allow online registration. When that is not the case, you must come to the Admissions and Records front counter located on the 2nd floor of the Fitzgerald Student Services building where one of our helpful staff will review your Academic Advisement Report (AAR), and, if it is appropriate, do the enrollment for you.

Transcripts from Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) institutions are received electronically and are generally processed within five business days of receipt. Transcripts from all other institutions are loaded manually. In turn, processing generally takes up to 15 business days. If you completed a degree at your previous institution, please ask that an updated transcript be sent only after your degree has been posted on the transcript.

Yes, you are required to provide transcripts from each previous institution you were registered at or attended.

The following are possible reasons:

1. 1. You listed an incorrect college or campus on your application
   2. A National Student Clearinghouse report showed that you registered at or attended the institution

To correct this, you must contact the institution’s records office and request a letter verifying that you did not attend their institution. The letter must be sent directly to our Admissions and Records Office via fax (775) 784-4283 or emailed to mynevada@unr.edu.

While all NSHE institutions use the same student information software, transcript data is not automatically shared among NSHE institutions. The University cannot see TMCC records and vice versa. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 requires all institutions of higher education to protect the confidentiality of student records; therefore, students must authorize the release of transcript data from one NSHE institution to another. 

Students are very strongly encouraged to carefully review their current academic advising report (AAR) with an academic advisor at least once per semester.

The AAR is current only if it includes all courses that meet baccalaureate degree requirements completed whether at this University or at another institution of higher education. Students are required to submit transcripts including final grades for transfer work completed in prior terms by the end of the late registration period for each term.

Students are very strongly encouraged to carefully review their current academic advising report (AAR) with an academic advisor at least once per semester. The AAR is current only if it includes all college-level work (courses that meet baccalaureate degree requirements) completed whether at this University or at another institution of higher education. Students are required to submit transcripts including final grades for transfer work completed in prior terms by the end of the late registration period for each term. If a transcript was received with in-progress work, a subsequent transcript will need to be submitted once grades for the pending term have been completed. The “Official Transcript” item will remain on the to-do list until a final, completed, official transcript has been received.

The general catalog includes detailed descriptions of each of the degree programs offered at the University. A new general catalog is published online each year because the degree program requirements change often. To be eligible for graduation, students must complete the degree requirements in either the general catalog published the year they formally entered the degree program or the year they intend to graduate from the program. Students who start their careers at NSHE two-year colleges may use the catalog year awarded when they formally entered the general transfer AA, AS, or AB program as long as there is clear transcript evidence that they were taking baccalaureate degree applicable coursework throughout their career.

Reverse transfer is a process that allows a student from a NSHE associate degree granting institution to matriculate to and take courses at the University that can be used to fulfill remaining associate degree requirements at the NSHE associate degree granting institution. Particularly in science and engineering programs, students who plan to complete both associate and bachelor’s degrees may be required to matriculate to the University prior to completing the requirements for a transfer associate degree. In these cases, students may develop an individual reverse transfer agreement to earn their associate degree.

Prior to enrolling at the University, students must meet with an advisor at the associate degree granting institution to determine how coursework completed at the University will be used to meet outstanding associate degree requirements. When the mutually agreed upon University coursework is complete, students must send an official University of Nevada transcript to the NSHE associate degree granting institution. Students may be required to complete an application for graduation at the associate degree granting institution prior to the processing of the University transcript. Students should contact an academic advisor at their transfer institution for more details on the reverse transfer process.

The University of Nevada publishes transfer agreements with each NSHE two-year institution for each baccalaureate program offered. These agreements are updated annually. Review the agreement for the program you intend to enter at the University and have it available at each advisement appointment. Transfer agreements are developed based on the requirements for the general transfer AA and AS degrees offered at each NSHE two-year institution. You can access transfer equivalency information for individual courses on the transfer equivalency website.