Academic Policies and Procedures

Click on any of the following for more information:

TRANSFER CREDIT  

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

The Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) allows students to take advanced work while in high school and then be examined for credit at the college level. Students who take advanced placement courses and subsequently receive scores of 3, 4 or 5 on the CEEB Advanced Placement Examination are generally given college credit for lower-level courses in which they have demonstrated proficiency. Refer to the following chart for general information and consult with your advisor to determine how the credit can be applied to your specific degree program. Original, official score reports must be submitted to the Office of Admissions for credit award consideration.

This chart represents academic credit for students admitted to the University of Colorado Denver beginning fall 2016. Students admitted prior to fall 2016 should consult the University Catalog corresponding to the year in which the exam was taken. 

Advanced Placement (AP) Chart  

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB), available at select high schools, is a rigorous, pre-university course of study emphasizing liberal arts from an international perspective.

In accordance with HB 03-1108, CU Denver will grant at minimum 24 semester hours of credit for any student who has graduated from high school having successfully completed an International Baccalaureate diploma program with a minimum score of 4 on each exam. Credit may be granted for individual IB courses where examinations are completed with at least a score of 4 for students who do not complete an IB diploma program. Refer to the following chart for general information and consult with your advisor to determine how the credit can be applied to your specific degree program. Original, official IB transcripts with exam scores must be submitted to the Office of Admissions for credit award consideration.

This chart represents academic credit for students admitted to the University of Colorado Denver beginning fall 2016. Students admitted prior to fall 2016 should consult the University Catalog corresponding to the year in which the exam was taken. 

International Baccalaureate (IB) Chart  

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Incoming students may earn university credit by examination in some subject areas in which they have demonstrated college-level proficiency. Interested students may take approved examinations through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) testing service.

Acceptable CLEP examinations and credit awards are outlined in the following chart. Original, official CLEP score reports must be submitted to the Office of Admissions for credit award consideration.

This chart represents credit awarded for exams taken from August 2019 and later. For exams taken in prior or future catalog years, consult those academic catalogs for exam equivalency information.

Select CLEP Exams taken January 2019 and later will receive gtPathways credit.

Transfer of CLEP (College Level Examination Program) gtPathways  

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

Students may earn credit through certain College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations, provided that they score at the 50th percentile or above. CLEP credit may be applied toward graduation if comparable to CU Denver coursework included in the College of Engineering curriculum. Official CLEP score reports are required for transfer credit consideration.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The use of CLEP subject examinations toward major, minor or certificate requirements is subject to a separate evaluation by the faculty advisor in the department or program. To receive academic credit from CLEP, students must present official test results to the Denver Campus Office of Admissions. A maximum of 30 hours of CLEP credit will count toward the degree.

Cambridge A-Levels

Incoming students may earn credit from the Cambridge A-Level examinations. Cambridge A-Levels are internationally bench marked qualifications providing excellent preparation for university education. They are taken in over 125 countries and offer a wide variety of different subjects. Cambridge International A-Level qualifications are widely recognized and valued by universities and employers alike. CU Denver does not recognize AS-Levels currently. The acceptable A-Level examinations and credit awards are outlined in the chart linked below. Original, official A-Level score reports must be submitted to International Admissions for credit award consideration.

This chart represents credit awarded for exams taken during the 2018-2019 catalog year. For exams taken in prior or future catalog years, consult those academic catalogs for exam equivalency information.

A-Level Exams  

Joint Services Transcript Credit

Beginning Spring 2019, select courses and occupations from the Joint Services Transcript qualify for the Colorado gtPathways program. The courses and occupations in this chart can apply to CU Denver’s Undergraduate Core Curriculum. An official copy of the Joint Service Transcript is required for evaluation.

Transfer of Joint Service Transcript Military Occupations Evaluation  

Military Experience Credit

It is the policy of CU Denver to award transfer credit for military courses and/or military service based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE)’s Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services, provided such credit is generally applicable to CU Denver programs of study. For military transcripts such as CCAF and AARTS, transfer credit is considered on the same basis as transcripts from traditional collegiate institutions.

Upon review of the Certificate of Release of Discharge from Active Duty form (DD-214)/Member 4 Service 2 or additional documentation as required either elective or core course credit will be awarded based on ACE recommendations.

The applicability of electives is determined by the student’s major and/or college. 

For any questions or further information regarding military credit transfer, please contact the CU Denver Veteran and Military Student Services at 303-315-7300 

DSST/ DANTES Exam Credit

Beginning January 2019, incoming students may earn university credit by examination in some subject areas in which they have demonstrated college-level proficiency. Interested students may take approved examinations through the DSST/DANTES testing as a part of their Military Service

Acceptable DSST examinations and credit awards are outlined in the following chart. Original, official DSST score reports must be submitted to the Office of Admissions for credit award consideration.

Transfer of DSST/DANTES Exams  

Accepted Courses for Transfer

Military Service and Schooling

To have credit for educational experiences evaluated, applicants with military experience will be required to submit the DD-214 to the Office of Veterans Student Services. Applicants should also submit the Smart Transcript and official Dantes Subject Standard Test (DSST) score reports (if applicable) to the Office of Admissions for additional credit consideration. For students with other military credit for which a separate transcript is issued, such as Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) or Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), official transcripts should be sent to the Office of Admissions.

It is the policy of CU Denver to award transfer credit for military courses and/or military service based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE)’s Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services, provided such credit is generally applicable to CU Denver programs of study. For DSST exams, only upper-level credit as recommended by the ACE guide is considered in transfer. For military transcripts such as CCAF and AARTS, transfer credit is considered on the same basis as transcripts from traditional collegiate institutions.

Upon review of the Certificate of Release of Discharge from Active Duty form (DD-214)/Member 4 Service 2 or additional documentation as required either elective or core course credit will be awarded based on ACE recommendations.

The applicability of electives is determined by the student’s major and/or college. 

For any questions or further information regarding military credit transfer, please contact the CU Denver Office of Veteran Student Services at 303-556-2745 (DD-214 credit consideration).

Other University of Colorado Campus Coursework

A current CU Denver student can take courses at other University of Colorado campuses. Those campuses include Boulder and Colorado Springs. However, courses taken at another University of Colorado campus are subject to various transfer rules as stated below:

• When the course is taken, all coursework needs to be submitted to the Office of Admissions
• Courses will be calculated into the CU Denver cumulative GPA
• Course subject codes and numbering are subject to change due to the different curriculum taught at the various campuses.  In other words, courses will not be transferred as equivalencies.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Architecture and Planning

BS Architecture students must have the written approval of the BS Architecture director or undergraduate academic advisor to register for courses (excluding MSUD pooled courses) offered by other institutions, including other University of Colorado locations. Credit will not be given for courses taken without approval. Grades of C or better must be earned to receive the undergraduate bachelor’s degree credit. Generally, only non-architecture electives or lower-division, non-architecture requirements are acceptable for transfer from other institutions once a student has been admitted to the BS Architecture Program. Students who, after admission to the college, take more than 12 semester hours from another institution, must reapply for admission to the college as transfer students and must meet the current admission requirements.

The maximum number of credit hours applied to individual architecture major requirements from transfer coursework must not exceed the number of credit hours given to its equivalent CU Denver course. Excess credit hours from architecture-related transfer coursework will not count toward the 120 credit hours needed for the BS Architecture degree.

College of Arts & Media

Students should consult the College of Arts & Media in advance at CAM@ucdenver.edu to determine how courses from other University of Colorado campuses may complete degree requirements at CU Denver.

Business School

Business students must have the written approval of the business program director to register for courses (excluding MSCD pooled courses) offered by other institutions, including other University of Colorado locations. Credit will not be given for courses taken without approval. Grades of C- or better must be earned for most transfer credit to receive business degree credit, however, upper division business core must be a C. Generally, only nonbusiness electives or lower-division, nonbusiness requirements are acceptable for transfer from other institutions once a student has been admitted to the Business School.   

1. Admitted Business School students may request by email or petition to complete Business lower division courses or 3000 level business core courses at another institution as long as:
   1. The student still meets our 30-hour residency rule (Business courses completed at CU Denver),
   2. The student still meets our 45 upper division hours rule (we count upper-division transfer credit toward this 45),
   3. The institution of choice meets our transfer agreements (AACSB, Colorado Community Colleges),
   4. The course is approved for transfer via syllabus review
2. We will not transfer in, any of our major courses, international studies, or MGMT 4500 except in rare situations by petition. If approved, the student must still meet all residency rules.

School of Education and Human Development

Students should consult with the undergraduate advisor in advance to determine how courses from other University of Colorado campuses may complete degree requirements at CU Denver.

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

Transfers between campuses of the University of Colorado should be carefully planned to avoid loss of academic credit. Courses and credits required for engineering degrees vary from campus to campus; therefore, students should plan as far ahead as possible. An advisor can help choose the right courses. Such planning should also include contacting the engineering department to which the student plans to transfer at least one semester before the transfer is planned. The transfer student must have at least a 2.000 GPA for 30 hours of credit toward an engineering degree to be eligible to transfer. A higher GPA may be required to transfer directly into the College of Engineering, Design and Computing. In general, calculus, physics and chemistry courses will transfer for full credit. In addition, 12 semester hours of humanities and social sciences electives will usually transfer for full credit. Fundamental computing courses may be unique by campus and should be checked with the campus to which the student is transferring. Any minimum academic preparation standards (MAPS) deficiencies should be eliminated before transferring.

International Coursework

Study Abroad Coursework

Current CU Denver students are encouraged to participate in the various study abroad programs offered through the Office of Global Education. Prior to leaving, you will complete a Course Approval Form with the courses you intend to take abroad and the CU Denver equivalents. An academic or major advisor will sign off on the appropriate CU Denver equivalents that relate to the course taken abroad.

Transcripts will be issued by the foreign institution. Once transcripts are received by the Office of Global Education, the Course Approval Form will be compared to the transcripts. Assuming that all courses meet the minimum transfer grade of C- or higher, the transcript will be compared to the approved courses on the Course Approval Form. Credits will be transferred to the University.

The grades and courses will not appear on the student’s transcripts. Should a student fail a course, no credit will be issued, and the course will not appear on the transcript.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

Business School

Transfer credit from study abroad programs requires prior written approval from the Advising Department. Students must meet with a business staff advisor to determine course acceptability prior to the semester in which they intend to study abroad. Information on the various programs is available at the Office of International Affairs.

Courses Not Accepted for Transfer

Developmental, remedial, religious doctrinal, religious training, single religion, outdoor leadership, student orientation, internship, and cooperative education courses are not accepted in transfer. Vocational/technical courses, life experience, and work experience are not accepted in initial transfer, but exceptions may be granted by the dean responsible for the student’s curriculum. Independent Study, Special Topics and other experiential learning programs that lack catalog descriptions are not accepted in initial transfer but may be reviewed for transfer consideration by the corresponding academic department. Students wishing to appeal transfer credit decisions should contact their school or college advisor. Except for developmental/remedial courses, academic departments make final decisions on transfer credit appeals.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

Credit earned from the following courses, College Algebra, College Trigonometry, or Precalculus Mathematics (CU Denver Numbers MATH1110, MATH1120, MATH1130), will not be applied to the Engineering major requirements, but may be accepted in transfer. 

Courses on basic subjects such as mathematics or physics may be acceptable for direct transfer of credit if they were taught as part of an accredited program for all students and were not specifically designated for engineering technology students. Engineering technology courses (courses with technology designations) will not be considered for transfer into an engineering degree program. Students may seek credit for course work by examination.

Appeals Process

Transfer credit that was not originally accepted by the Office of the Registrar may be appealed through the student’s advisor. Most commonly, a copy of the syllabus will be requested from the student to give to their advisor. If it is an international course, the syllabus will need to be in English. Once the student’s petition is approved, the advisor will request that the course be accepted by the Office of the Registrar.

If a dispute cannot be resolved between the student and CU Denver, a student is at liberty to file a formal complaint with the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

If certain courses are not initially accepted by the Office of the Registrar, the student and advisor can discuss the peition process for accepting these courses. If the student’s petition is approved, the advising office will request that the Office of the Registrar accept the course(s) in transfer.

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

All requests for consideration of transfer credit and its application toward a degree must be submitted prior to the student’s last two semesters at the Denver campus.

Minimum Transfer Standards 

Student course work of comparable content and scope to that of CU Denver curriculum will be considered for transfer credit if it was completed at a college or university with regional accreditation. If coursework was completed at an institution not regionally accredited, the student may specifically request that credit be considered in transfer by initiating a review process which begins with the student’s academic advisor. Only courses in which a grade of C- or better (1.700) was earned are considered for transfer. Courses in which a grade of Pass (P) was earned are considered for transfer only if a grade of Pass at the sending institution is defined as a C- or better. Courses identified on transcripts as State of Colorado guaranteed transfer courses (gtPathways) are always accepted in transfer (with C- or better grades) and applied to degree requirements per gtPathways guidelines.

The Office of the Registrar considers course work for general transfer regardless of the age of the academic credit. Certain departments, however, have specific age of credit policies for applying credit to degree requirements and for meeting prerequisites. State guaranteed general education courses will be accepted in transfer and applied to graduation requirements for a period of at least 10 years after course completion as outlined in gtPathways guidelines.

Credit Hour Conversion

The University of Colorado Denver is on a 16-week fall and spring semester system. Summer terms, study abroad programs, and independent learning vary in length but are reported in semester hours. Students who transfer from a quarter-based institution will receive the following conversion:

1 quarter hour = 0.67 semester hours
Example: 4 quarter hours = 2.7 semester hours

Maximum Number of Transfer Credit Hours Accepted

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

Business School

The Business School generally limits its applicability of business course credits to those that are comparable to lower-division business courses at CU Denver. Students who have taken upper-division business courses from an Association for Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business program may request review of these courses for possible transfer by contacting the Business School advising office. All courses taken in their major must be completed at CU Denver.

For students newly admitted to the Business School and former business students readmitted to the school after an absence of three semesters, applicable credits up to eight years old will be counted toward business degree requirements. Courses more than eight years old will be evaluated individually for their current relevance to the degree program. Students may be required to update their knowledge by taking additional courses when past courses are outdated; in such cases, credit will be given for both courses.

College of Arts & Media

College of Arts & Media (CAM) degree programs involve carefully structured sequences of course work, designed to build student knowledge, skills and dispositions toward academic, artistic and professional outcomes. Students interested in transferring to pursue a CAM degree should contact CAM advising in advance at CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu to plan out their transfer credits and subsequent University of Colorado Denver course work. As part of this discussion, CAM advisors can help students determine the best semester in which to transfer, taking into consideration each student’s desired timeline toward graduation and program requirements.

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

The College of Engineering, Design and Computing, in general, requires that engineering course transfer credit must come from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited engineering program to be acceptable for degree purposes. Engineering technology courses are not considered equivalent to engineering courses.

Transfer Credit Level Determination

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

College of Arts & Media (CAM) degree programs involve carefully structured sequences of course work, designed to build student knowledge, skills and dispositions toward academic, artistic and professional outcomes. Students interested in transferring to pursue a CAM degree should contact CAM advising in advance at CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu to plan out their transfer credits and subsequent University of Colorado Denver course work. As part of this discussion, CAM advisors can help students determine the best semester in which to transfer, taking into consideration each student’s desired timeline toward graduation and program requirements.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The general rule for determining transfer credit is that the level of credit awarded - lower-division or upper-division - will be determined by the level of the course at the sending institution. If the institution of origin listed the course as 1000 (or 100) or 2000 (or 200), or if the numbering system otherwise indicates lower-division credit, then it automatically will receive lower-division credit for fulfilling college requirements.

This rule will apply in all cases other than those where course- or student-specific exceptions have been made as described in the paragraphs below. Also, exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis in instances where the sending institution does not use a four-level course numbering system or otherwise indicate lower-and upper-division credit distinctions.
Academic units retain the authority to determine whether an individual transfer course (taken at either upper or lower division) will count as fulfilling an upper-division major requirement. If the transfer course was taken as lower-division but is deemed to fulfill a UCD upper-division major requirement, the academic unit is additionally responsible for determining whether the course should be awarded upper-division credit toward the CLAS graduation requirement of a minimum of 45 upper-division credit hours. These are separate decisions, thus it is possible for a lower-division transfer course to fulfill an upper-division requirement in the major but not count toward the 45 upper-division hours required by CLAS. In either case, the academic unit’s decision can either be applied to all future students entering with the same transfer course (this is known as course equivalency) or made on a one-time basis (this is known as a course substitution). These decisions will be made by the appropriate department chair or undergraduate major advisor. The academic unit that owns the course prefix for the substituted course holds the authority to make these transfer determinations, even in cases where the substituted course fulfills a major requirement for a separate academic unit.

Academic units will report all course substitutions and equivalencies using the DATC Universal Form. This form requests that the approving chair or major advisor examine the course description and, if possible, the syllabus from the sending institution. When approving major credit for a transfer course taken at the lower division, the chair or major advisor should indicate whether the course should also count toward the CLAS requirement of 45 upper-division (UD) credit hours, or whether the hours should continue to be counted at the lower division (LD). The chair or major advisor should also indicate whether the determination should be applied to all future students entering UCD with the same transfer course (equivalency). This indication may result in revisions to the automated transfer-equivalency tables used for degree audit purposes. One exception made for a given course may then become the standard for all future students sending in that same course. The Advising Office will report such exceptions to the Registrar’s Office for consideration of whether or not to revise the transfer equivalency tables.

Transferring to CU Denver as a New or Current Student

After all transcripts have been received, the Office of the Registrar prepares a transfer credit report, indicating which courses are accepted in general transfer by CU Denver. Students will receive this report along with their admission decision. At this time, students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor, who will determine how transferred credit applies to specific degree requirements, sometimes using automated systems and with assistance from academic departments. Academic units make all final decisions regarding application of transfer credit to degree requirements. Transfer credit evaluations are valid only for degree programs offered entirely at the Denver campus.

Courses are accepted in initial transfer and applied to graduation requirements at CU Denver at the same academic level as on the transcript from the sending institution. Transfer courses with similar content to CU Denver courses (but are listed on the transcript at a different level) may be substituted upon approval from the academic unit. Such courses, however, apply to overall requirements at the level listed by the sending institution unless an exception is granted. Only undergraduate courses are considered in transfer. Though unofficial transcripts may be used for admissions decisioning and initial transfer credit review, official transcripts must be submitted to the Office of Admissions for validation before the census date of a student’s first term. Failure to do so will result in a registration hold.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Arts & Media

College of Arts & Media (CAM) degree programs involve carefully structured sequences of course work, designed to build student knowledge, skills and dispositions toward academic, artistic and professional outcomes. Students interested in transferring to pursue a CAM degree should contact CAM advising in advance at CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu to plan out their transfer credits and subsequent University of Colorado Denver course work. As part of this discussion, CAM advisors can help students determine the best semester in which to transfer, taking into consideration each student’s desired timeline toward graduation and program requirements.

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

Transfer students should make an advising appointment as soon as possible after being admitted to the college.

Students must contact the department to which they’ve been admitted to schedule an appointment with a faculty advisor.

To expedite the advising process, please bring a copy of your transcripts from all institutions you have attended, copies of course descriptions for any courses you wish to have considered for transfer and if possible, a syllabus for each of those courses. Only courses with a grade of C- or better will be considered for transfer credit. Pass/fail courses, internship courses, research-related courses and special topics courses will not be considered for transfer credit.

gtPathways Curriculum

The Colorado Department of Higher Education oversees the Guaranteed Transfer (gtPathways) program, which provides for guaranteed transfer, and more importantly, guaranteed application of credit toward lower-division general education credit requirements at Colorado public institutions of higher education. All gtPathways approved courses undergo statewide faculty review, and all lower division CU Denver Core courses are gtPathways approved. Please see the list of Core courses for their gtPathways content area.

Statewide Transfer Articulation Agreements

In compliance with Colorado’s Statewide Transfer Policy, students may transfer credit from a Colorado community college on a course-by-course basis or by completing an associate of arts (AA) or associate of science (AS) degree. Students who complete an AA/AS degree may be guaranteed full transfer of the associate degree (60 credits maximum).

The guaranteed transfer program applies only to students who began Colorado community college studies in fall 2003 or later and who meet the following requirements:

• complete an AA/AS degree, which includes 31 credits of state-guaranteed general education courses
• earn credit only at Colorado community colleges within the last 10 years
• earn a grade of C- or better in each course

Statewide articulation agreements are in place governing transfer of students from Colorado community colleges into programs in anthropology, business, economics, elementary education teacher licensure, engineering, French, history, mathematics, political science, psychology, sociology, and Spanish.

Transfer advising plans for Colorado Community College students are available from the Office of Admissions and at www.ucdenver.edu/admissions. In addition, an admissions representative can assist students with planning a transfer program of study. Representatives regularly visit Colorado community colleges. Call the Office of Admissions at 303-315-2601 or email admissions@ucdenver.edu for additional information.

SCHOOL/COLLEGE SPECIFIC POLICY

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

The College of Engineering, Design and Computing has formal transfer agreements with all Colorado community colleges, including the following Denver metro-area community colleges:

Arapahoe Community College (Littleton)-303-794-1550
Community College of Aurora-303-360-4790
Community College of Denver-303-556-2600
Front Range Community College (Westminster)-303-466-8811
Red Rocks Community College (Lakewood)-303-988-6160

Students interested in transferring should contact the engineering department to which they plan to transfer and the respective community college counseling office at the phone number indicated above.