Undergraduate Transfer Admission

Undergraduate transfer applicants are those who have attended college in a fall or spring semester after graduating from high school. Applicants who have attempted or earned less than 24 semester hours must submit the same credentials as those seeking admission as first-time, first-year students. Applicants who have attempted or earned 24 or more semester hours only need to submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Remedial and developmental course work, test-based and most military credit, and credit attempted or earned during high school is not counted toward the 24-hour minimum above. 

Those who have earned an Associate of Arts, an Associate of Arts and Science, or an Associate of Arts in Teaching degree from a regionally accredited Illinois community college will be admitted to UIS as a junior with general education requirements met. Students having earned an Associate of Science degree may also be admitted to UIS as a junior but are not considered to have automatically met all UIS general education requirements; however, students who have earned an Associate of Science degree and believe they have met the requirements may request an academic review by submitting a Student Petition. Students are encouraged to utilize Transferology to ensure they are fulfilling academic program requirements including prerequisite course work.

Students can transfer in up to 72 hours of lower-division credit and up to 30 hours of upper-division credit, but the combination of all transfer credit cannot exceed 90 hours. Students must meet the university residency requirement of completing at least 30 semester hours at UIS as well as all program and campus degree requirements to graduate.

Evaluation of Transfer Course Work for Undergraduate Admission and Transfer Credit

• Transfer work is evaluated for admission purposes and then considered for credit. The University evaluates transfer work completed at institutions accredited by a regional or national accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), including institutions under candidacy status. Foreign institutions must be recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country or an equivalent government authority. 
• To be eligible for admission and credit, transfer work must be similar in nature, level, and content to courses in the undergraduate curriculum and/or applicable to an undergraduate academic program. Other transfer work that is deemed nontransferable (such as continuing education courses, graduate-level courses, and courses that are remedial, technical, vocational, or doctrinal in nature as determined by the campus) are not used for admission decisions regardless of the institution’s accreditation.
• Credit for transfer courses is either applied as direct equivalents with University courses or applied to a degree in a manner determined by the department and college. Determining how transfer credit is applied varies by campus depending on the process established to implement University policy.
• The precise amount of transfer credit awarded and that is applicable toward a particular degree is determined by or in consultation with the University college and department concerned.

“Transfer work” and “transfer courses” are used interchangeably in this policy. Regardless of the term, this policy applies to transfer not in the form of courses, such as credit for military service and credit through testing and experiential learning. Transfer work not in the form of courses is evaluated for transfer per the terms of this policy.