Transfer Credit Information
Coming to SMU from another institution?
Saint Mary's Bachelor Completion programs offer a generous credit transfer policy. More information about the credit transfer policy and partnerships with schools can be found in this section.
Transfer credit is awarded from regionally accredited institutions, business and industry training, non-regionally accredited vocational or technical colleges or institutes, military education, and standardized examinations.
Conversions and Rounding
All transfer credit awards are made in semester credits. If a student submits a transcript for evaluation which uses a quarter credit system (or any system which is not a semester credit system), all credit values are converted to semester credits. Semester credit values are rounded to the nearest hundredth. In situations where fractional credit values are being used to fulfill specific requirements, these values must be within one-half credit of the total requirement amount to fulfill the requirement.
Duplicate Credit
If a student receives transfer credit, he or she may not receive credit for a course which duplicates this learning. The program director will judge the similarity of learning in the two courses. Certain courses may be taken more than once without duplicating learning. These courses include, but are not limited to:
- Practical music courses (e.g. violin, college choir, etc.)
- Writing and composition courses (including CM309)
- Practical and other applied/experiential courses (e.g., residency or internship courses)
Credits applied toward one requirement may not be applied toward another requirement.
Substitution for Program Requirements
Students must fulfill all requirements in their programs at or through Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. If a student has received transfer credit for a course which duplicates learning in a required course in his or her program, the program director will recommend another course so that the student will earn the total number of required credits in the program.
Transfer credit is awarded from regionally accredited institutions, business and industry training, non-regionally accredited vocational or technical colleges or institutes, military education, and standardized examinations.
Credit from Regionally Accredited Institutions
Undergraduate students must earn a total of 122 semester credits, of which at least 62 must be from regionally accredited colleges and universities. These 62 credits may include credits earned from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Credits from regionally accredited institutions are acceptable for transfer into the undergraduate program. Each course is evaluated and transferred separately. The following restrictions apply:
- No credit will transfer for courses in which a grade of C- or lower was earned. (The grade of D earned from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is accepted.)
- maximum of 2.0 semester credits will be awarded for physical education activity courses.
- No credit will transfer for courses which are pre-freshman level or remedial. (These courses are usually numbered under 100.)
- Credit will not be awarded twice for the same learning.
- The credits may not have been used as part of a conferred undergraduate degree.
- A maximum of 100 credits will be transcripted
Credit for Business and Industry Training
Transfer credits for business and industry training courses are made via recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE). Credits from business and industry training do not apply toward the 62 regionally accredited college/university credits required for graduation. These credits may be used for general electives.
Credit from Vocational or Technical Colleges or Institutes
If a vocational or technical college is regionally accredited, the credits are transferred on a course-by-course basis and count toward the minimum of 62 credits students must earn from regionally accredited institutions. If the institution is not regionally accredited, a maximum of 38 credits may be transferred into the university. If the student has received a degree or diploma for a program of study in an area relevant to his or her major (as determined by the program director), the transfer award is determined by the number of hours in the program in which the student earned grades of ‘C-’ or above, according to the following formula:
* 2,000 or more hours = 38 credits
* Less than 2,000 hours — prorated based on the formula 2,000 hours = 38 credits (number of hours X .019 credits)
If the student has two or more degrees or diplomas, the maximum transfer award remains at 38 semester credits. If the student has not completed a degree or diploma program, or if the area of study is not applicable to the student’s major, the transfer award will be prorated based on the schedule above, with a maximum transfer of 12 credits.
Military Credits
Credits for military education are awarded via recommendations of the American Council of Education (ACE). To received an evaluation of courses taken through the Army, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard, a student must request that the official transcript be mailed to Saint Mary's University. Please see the Minnesota Veterans Licensure Certification Web (http://www.mncertifiedvets.us/acronym.htm) site for details. These credits do not apply toward the 62 credits required from a regionally accredited institution. These credits may be used for general electives.
To receive an evaluation of courses taken through the Air Force, students must request a transcript from the Community College of the Air Force. Military credits from the Community College of the Air Force do apply toward the 62 credits required from a regionally accredited institution.
Standardized Examinations
Students may receive up to 60 credits for successful completion of standardized college-level examinations taken through the CLEP and DSST programs. Credit awards for specific examinations are made via recommendations of ACE and College Board. Examination credits may be used to fulfill general education competency areas, or to meet general elective requirements. CLEP and DSST examination credits do not apply toward the 62 accredited college/university credits required for graduation. Previously completed CLEP and DSST examination credits may be transferred when students enter the university’s undergraduate program. Examinations may also be taken concurrently with undergraduate course work. Credits cannot be awarded if the test subject area duplicates previously earned credit or major core content.
CLEP
Students may earn semester credits through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP). The CLEP General Examinations measure college-level knowledge in the basic areas of the liberal arts and the subject examinations measure knowledge in specific content areas. CLEP tests are given in computer-based format, and scores are reported upon completion of the test. A test administration fee is payable to CLEP at the time of testing. Enrolled students are charged an administrative fee for posting the examination credits to their university transcript. If a test is not passed, a waiting period of six months is required before re-testing in the same subject. Examination information, including study guides and practice tests, are available online at the CLEP website: www.collegeboard.com/clep.
DSST
Students may earn semester credits through the DSST examination program, formerly DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support). The DSST exams are similar to the CLEP exams, but cover additional subject areas. DSST tests are given in paper format, and scores are reported three to five weeks after the test is completed. A test administration fee is payable to DSST at the time of testing, and enrolled students are charged an administrative fee for posting the examination credits to their university transcript. Non-students pay a testing fee to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in addition to the DSST fee at the time of testing. If the test is not passed, a waiting period of six months is required before re-testing in the same subject. Examination information, including a list of test subject areas, fact sheets, and practice tests, are available online at the DSST website: www.getcollegecredit.com.