Evaluation of Transfer Credit
Transfer credit evaluations are conducted in the Office of Registration and Records. The evaluation process begins after a student is admitted to the university by the Admissions Office, or has completed the reactivation process with the Office of Registration and Records, if a returning NDSU student.
What do I need to do to have my credits evaluated?
PROVIDE OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS FROM EACH COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN WHICH ACADEMIC CREDIT WAS EARNED. Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the transferring institution to NDSU, from the student in the sealed envelope provided by the transferring institution, or from an approved professional evaluation service that also authenticates educational documents. The evaluation process for international coursework differs from that of domestic coursework. See NDSU Transfer Policies for details regarding the evaluation of domestic and international transfer credit.
If you are a new student, transcripts may be sent to the following address:
NDSU Office of Admission
Dept 2832, P.O. Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
If you have completed at least one semester at NDSU, transcripts may be sent to the following address:
NDSU Registration and Records
Dept 2801, P.O. Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
If you wish to transfer international coursework to NDSU, please see the Evaluation of International Transfer Creditpolicy for more information.
PLEASE NOTE: if you earned college credit while in high school, official transcripts from each institution must also be sent to NDSU for evaluation of credit.
PROVIDE OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS FOR ALL CREDIT BY EXAM SCORES. Information on how to order transcripts for AP, CLEP, IB, and DSST can be found here.
Documentation of Transfer Credit
After your courses are evaluated, you will receive an email from the Office of Registration and Records. Information on how to access the Transfer Credit Report, which shows all of the courses that were transferred to NDSU, organized by the transferring institution and the term taken. This report does not include general education designations for applicable transfer courses, or show how courses will apply toward your intended major.
In the future, remaining degree requirements can be viewed in Campus Connection through the Academic Requirements Report. This report will show completed and remaining courses needed to earn a degree.
Application of Transfer Credits
For practical purposes there are three main types of transfer credit that you will see on your curriculum guide or advisement report:
- Credit for major requirements and college specific courses (determined by each academic college and department)
- Credit for general education requirements (determined by institution and North Dakota University System guidelines)
- Credit for “free electives” (courses that do not have a course equivalent at NDSU)
"Free Elective" courses may only count toward total credits, and not general education or major requirements, with the following exceptions:
- General education courses from other accredited institutions, that transfer to NDSU as “free elective” may be accepted in transfer as part of the general education requirements at NDSU.
- Each academic department may determine whether “free electives” may satisfy specific curricular requirements through a course substitution process. (See also General Education Administrative Policies in the Undergraduate Bulletin)
Completion of General Education Curriculum
Students transferring to NDSU after having completed a general education program consisting of at least 36 semester credits from another regionally accredited institution are considered to have completed their lower-division general education requirements at NDSU.
