Transfer Applicants

Applicants are considered transfer students if they enrolled in any college-level course work (at another college or university, or other campus of the University of Colorado), full time or part time, since graduating from high school. Applicants are not considered transfer students if the only college-level classes they have taken were while enrolled in high school. To be considered for admission, transfer students must report all previous college work and have a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Competitive Admission Criteria

Transfer applicants are considered for admission on the basis of transfer as well as freshman criteria, including minimum academic preparation standards (MAPS). All transfer applicants who graduated from high school in 1988 or later are expected to have completed MAPS requirements before enrolling at CU-Boulder.

CU-Boulder's aim is to offer highly qualified and intellectually curious transfer students the opportunity to continue pursuing their educational goals. We practice a holistic admission review process, taking into account a variety of primary academic and secondary factors as they relate to your projected success in our competitive academic environment. You will be considered on an individual basis relative to a prediction of your academic success in the college to which you apply. For more information on competitive transfer admission guidelines, visit admissions.colorado.edu/undergraduate/apply/transfer.

College of Arts and Sciences

A cumulative college GPA of 2.50 or better in appropriate general education courses is required. Students who complete 60 semester hours of transfer-level work with a cumulative GPA of 2.50 at a Colorado community college and who apply by the equal consideration deadline are assured admission to the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must complete all of the Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS) to be guaranteed admission.

NOTE: This information applies to students who entered college after spring 1988. For those students who entered college prior to summer 1988, contact the Office of Admissions.

Leeds School of Business

A cumulative college GPA of 3.00 or higher is required. Preference is given to students who have completed finite math (or college algebra), calculus, microeconomics and macroeconomics with competitive letter grades.

School of Education

Students who have completed a bachelor’s degree may apply for admission directly to the School of Education. All other undergraduate students must be admitted to another college or school before applying to a CU-Boulder teacher education program.

Visit www.colorado.edu/education/prospective-students/undergraduate-licensure for additional information.

Program in Environmental Design 

A college GPA of 2.75 or higher is required. Admission preference is given to students who have taken college-level courses in the areas of architecture, planning or environmental studies. Completion of courses in related fields of social science, natural science, fine arts or humanities is also considered in the admission review.

College of Engineering and Applied Science

Cumulative college GPA of 3.00 for all majors EXCEPT Mechanical Engineering, which requires a 3.30 cumulative college GPA. Transfer applicants must have taken courses relevant to an engineering curriculum, including at least two semesters of college-level calculus, along with two semesters of calculus-based physics with lab and/or college-level chemistry with lab. Chemical engineering and chemical and biological engineering applicants should have completed two semesters of college chemistry. Grades in math, science and engineering courses should be B or higher. (Exception: Students [resident or non-resident] who apply for admission for a semester that occurs within 18 months of their high school graduation date may also be competitive without having taken the above coursework, as long as the high school academic record meets the current Guaranteed Admission for Colorado Freshmen criteria. In addition, if any college-level work has been completed, the overall GPA should be 3.10 or higher.)

The college guarantees admission to any of its baccalaureate degree programs to students transferring from Colorado public institutions of higher education who meet the College of Engineering and Applied Science Guaranteed Admission Criteria for Colorado Transfers. 

College of Media, Communication and Information 

Admission to the College of Media, Communication and Information requires a transfer student to have a minimum of 24 semester hours of appropriate college-level course work completed or in progress and an overall GPA of 3.00 as well as a 3.00 average GPA in CMCI prerequisites. Applicants must have completed or be in progress in the equivalent of the two introductory courses for the following majors:

• Advertising, Public Relations, Media Design (Strategic Communication)--Contemporary Media Analysis; Principles of Advertising and Consumer Culture
• Communication--Pubic Speaking; Group Interaction
• Journalism--Contemporary Media Analysis; Principles of Journalism and Networked Communication
• Media Studies--Contemporary Media Analysis; Either Principles of Advertising and Consumer Culture or Principles of Journalism and Networked Communication

Consult the departmental websites for the prequisite courses for the Department of Critical Media Practices and the Department of Information Science.

College of Music

A college GPA of 2.75 or higher and an audition of all applicants is required. More information may be found in the Undergraduate Admission and College of Music sections.

College Entrance Tests

Transfer students are required to submit SAT or ACT scores, except those who have completed 24 or more semester hours of transferable college-level work at the time they apply. 

Students’ highest scores are used in the admission decision. If the same test is taken more than once, the scores on each subsection are combined to give the highest overall score. SAT subject test scores are not required. For more information, see the How to Apply for Undergraduate Admission section.

ALEKS Mathematical Skills Assessment

A solid grounding in basic mathematics is assumed for most CU-Boulder introductory science, engineering, business and social science courses. The questions in the ALEKS assessment helps students determine their level of preparation for many introductory courses, specifically so their likelihood of having a successful experience is enhanced. An ALEKS exam score is a prerequisite for many courses. This means a student cannot enroll in one of these courses unless he or she has taken the ALEKS exam and obtained the minimum required score for a particular course. Therefore, it is very important that students take theri time and complete the assessment carefully, as it will affect the courses in which they may enroll. Because many colleges preregister students in required courses, it is highly recommended to complete the placement prior to June 1. Waiting to take the exam may make it difficult to get a student's necessary courses.

NOTE: ALEKS may be unnecessary if the students are transferring credit for math courses from another accredited institution. Some college level courses at other institutions may meet these prerequisites and some departments may still require ALEKS regardless of AP/IB or transfer credit. For questions, students should consult their academic advisor for their specific situation. Most students have at least one math course as a component of their general education requirements, and most will require completing the ALEKS assessment.

For further information, vist the Division of Academic Affairs at www.colorado.edu/academicaffairs/AVCUEaleks.html or go to the Office of Orientation at orientation.colorado.edu.

Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS)

Effective with students who graduated from high school in spring 1988 or later, CU-Boulder expects all transfer students to have completed courses that meet certain minimum academic preparation standards (MAPS). For MAPS requirements for specific CU-Boulder colleges and schools, see the MAPS chart.

MAPS requirements not met in high school may be met through equivalent college-level course work before or after transfer to CU-Boulder. A semester course completed at the college level substitutes for a year of work in high school. Students who attended a non-U.S. high school for two years or more are not subject to MAPS.

Opportunities for Colorado Transfer Students

A list of transferable state-guaranteed general education courses has been established for students pursuing arts and sciences majors. Contact your current Colorado school, the CU-Boulder Office of Admissions, or visit our website for more information.

Course equivalency information is available online at www.colorado.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/transfer/courseequivalency, and also through Colorado community college advising offices. This includes information on CU-Boulder admission requirements, graduation requirements and course equivalencies.

Students transferring to a program outside of the College of Arts and Sciences need to work with community college advisors and use the transfer information to assure that appropriate courses are taken prior to transfer. Students wishing to enter the Program in Environmental Design or the College of Engineering and Applied Science should be aware that because of the structure of the curriculum, they are encouraged to transfer as early as the beginning of the sophomore year. Academic programs vary in terms of the maximum number of hours that may be transferred from a community or junior college.