Transfer and Test Credit

Transfer credit evaluations are conducted in the Office of Registration and Records. The evaluation process begins after a student is admitted as a degree seeking student to the university or has completed the reactivation process with the Office of Registration and Records if a returning NDSU student. 

Administrative Policy for the Evaluation of Transfer Credit from U.S. Institutions

The Office of Registration and Records administers the NDSU policies governing the acceptance of college credit from outside institutions. These requirements apply to returning students who have attended other institutions, as well as new NDSU students. Before credits may be evaluated for specific NDSU course equivalencies or application to programs of study, transfer courses will be accepted for university credit according to the following criteria:

1. College-level coursework from regionally accredited colleges or universities (or equivalent for international institutions), including Credit By Examination and the Joint Services transcripts, are eligible for acceptance in transfer with receipt of official transcript or score report.
   1. Colleges and Universities that are regionally accredited will be recognized by any of the regional accredited agencies listed below.
      1. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
      2. New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning (NEASC-CIHE)
      3. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC)
      4. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
      5. Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Colleges (SACS)
      6. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
      7. Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC-ACSCU)
2. Course repeats
   1. Courses repeated elsewhere prior to attending NDSU will be accepted in transfer as indicated on the transferring institution's official transcript. Transfer courses taken from multiple institutions that have the same NDSU equivalent will be considered as a repeated course, and only the most recent attempted course will be accepted for transfer.
   2. Courses will not be accepted in transfer to replace any grades or credits earned at NDSU. If a course is completed at NDSU, and an attempt is made to repeat that course elsewhere, the course is considered duplicate and is not eligible for transfer. (See also Repeated Courses policy.)
3. Credit for a remedial course is not accepted for transfer if the course is remedial by definition of the transferring institution or if it is equivalent to a remedial course at NDSU. Remedial courses may, however, fulfill prerequisite requirements, if applicable.

4. Credit awarded by an institution through examination, placement or prior learning credit will not be accepted.

5. The Office of Registration and Records determines the applicability of transfer credit toward NDSU general education requirements according to institutional and North Dakota University System guidelines. (See also General Education Administrative Policies.)
6. College-level credits that do not have course equivalents at NDSU will be accepted as electives and may count only toward total credits. An academic department may determine whether these electives satisfy specific curricular requirements through the course substitution process. 
7. NDSU requires that a minimum of 36 credits toward a baccalaureate degree be earned at the junior or senior (300- and 400-level) level. Therefore, while a freshman- or sophomore-level (100- or 200-level) course transferred from another institution may satisfy a specific upper-level program requirement at NDSU, that course will not be counted toward the 36-credit upper-division degree requirement.
8. Transfer grades are recorded but not computed in the institutional cumulative GPA at NDSU. Transfer grades are used only for purposes of admission to the University, admission to certain programs, and for some scholarships and financial aid.
9. All letter grades will be accepted by the university; however, many colleges and departments have standards to determine course applicability toward their respective degree programs.
10. The name of transfer institutions and total credits accepted by NDSU will be indicated on the official transcript. Individual transfer courses are not detailed on the official transcript but are provided in the academic requirements report after admission to the university.
11. Transfer credits are converted to semester credits, if applicable.

Evaluation of Transfer Credit from International Institutions

According to North Dakota University System policy (402.9) effective January 2013, international transcripts must be submitted to an approved external credential evaluation service. Obtaining an evaluation is the sole responsibility of the student. Evaluations must be submitted according to the guidelines listed below. The policies for the evaluation of transfer credit listed for Domestic/US Institutions also apply to international transfer credit.  NDSU students participating in an approved study-abroad program and international students transferring from a North Dakota State University partnership institution are exempt from submitting an external credential evaluation.

• Students must submit official transcripts to an evaluation service that has been approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE).
• Official transcript(s) issued in English must be submitted to NDSU in addition to the evaluation unless the evaluation service provides certification of student documents and sends copies of transcript(s) to NDSU.
• The evaluation must contain a course by course evaluation.
• New international students should send evaluations directly to the Office of International student and Study Abroad Services.
• New domestic students or United States permanent resident students should send evaluations directly to the NDSU Office of Admission.
• Students must submit course syllabi for all completed coursework directly from the international institution to the NDSU Office of Registration and Records.
• Effective January 2020, all international transfer coursework listed as “English as a Foreign Language” will not be accepted for NDSU English composition courses.

North Dakota University System Common Course Numbers

Institutions in the North Dakota University System have established common course numbers (CCN) to facilitate transfer within the University System. Under the CCN agreement, transfer students who have successfully completed CCN courses will not be required to retake them at NDSU unless their degree program requires a higher grade. However, CCN courses will not fulfill residence requirements nor will 100- and 200-level courses fulfill the upper-division requirement for graduation.

Evaluation of Military Credit

North Dakota State University accepts military courses recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE). Students who have completed military courses may receive transfer credit from NDSU. When evaluating military courses, the Office of Registration and Records will follow the criteria illustrated below:

1. Only Joint Services Transcripts that are sent electronically from the American Council on Education will be considered official and will be accepted. 
2. Courses listed under “Military Courses” will be accepted for credit. Courses listed under “Military Occupations”, “College Level Test Scores”, and “Other Learning Experiences” on the Joint Services Transcript will not be accepted for credit. 
3. Basic Military Training courses will transfer as an elective but will earn credit towards the General Education Category: Wellness (W).
4. Each course listed under Military Courses will be awarded the number of credits recommended by the American Council on Education. 
5. Courses that do not have an NDSU equivalency will be set as electives. These courses will be evaluated per the American Council of Education’s recommendations.
6. Courses that are recommended as vocational or graduate level will not be accepted for transfer. 

Joint Services Transcript Order Information:

Website: Joint Services Transcript Request

Email: jst@doded.mil