Transfer Student Services

Student Types | Transferring Credit | Transferring Core Courses | Transferring Associate’s Degrees | *Special Transfer Credit
*Credit by Examination, Military Credit, & International Credits

Office of Transfer Student Services

Malissa Mathis, Director
Marjorie Armon, Office and Finance Manager
David Kenley, Transfer Specialist
Mandy Morgan, Transfer Specialist
Karen Nelson, Transfer Specialist
Student Services Center, Room 321E
(501) 682-1183

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock welcomes transfer students and is committed to making their transition and transfer of credit as smooth as possible. The Office of Transfer Student Services was established in April 2009

  • to seek solutions,
  • to expedite the articulation of core transfer credit,
  • to troubleshoot core curriculum transfer issues for students, faculty, and staff, and
  • to help inform policy change that will reduce barriers for undergraduate students with core transfer credit.

The Office of Transfer Students provides dynamic student service to meet the transfer credit evaluation needs of continuing, current, new, and prospective UALR transfer students. Our main goal is to make transferring to UALR easier for students to accomplish and the transfer process easier to understand. We provide a friendly starting place for transfer students to connect with essential information and resources. Our office is located in room 321E on the third floor of the Student Services Center.

Transfer Student Types for Admission and Finance Aid Eligibility

For the purposes of admission and eligibility for financial aid, UALR defines types of transfer students according to the number of hours they have previously earned and their intention to earn a degree either with UALR or with another college or university.

Transfer students are those who have previously attended another institution of higher learning and have at least 12 transferable college-level credit hours and a grade point average of at least 2.00 on all previous college work. Transfer students intend to earn an academic degree at UALR, even though they may be in the process of earning an associate’s degree at another college when they apply for admission to UALR. Although transfer students may be allowed to attend UALR for one semester provisionally (See “Provisional Admission” below) to allow time to receive official, required credentials in order to be granted regular admission status and to be eligible to receive financial aid, applicants must submit:

  • Completed application for admission ($40 non-refundable application fee required),
  • Official, sealed transcripts from ALL postsecondary institutions attended (e.g. universities, colleges, community or junior college, technical or professional schools).
  • Proof of two MMR immunizations (required of all applicants born after January 1, 1957).
  • Freshman transfer students are those who have previously attended another institution of higher learning and have less than 12 transferable college credit hours. These students intend to earn an academic degree at UALR, but have not completed the equivalent of one, full-time semester’s enrollment at another college or university, so they must meet and submit all of the admission requirements for entering freshmen, as follows:
    • Final High School transcript showing cumulative g.p.a. of at least 2.5.
    • Minimum ACT composite score of 21 (or equivalent combined critical reading and math SAT I score of 900) based on scores earned within the last five years.
  • Proof of two MMR immunizations (required of all applicants born after January 1, 1957).
  • Official, sealed transcripts from ALL postsecondary institutions you have attended (e.g. universities, colleges, community or junior college, technical or professional schools).

Transient students are those who previously and/or currently attend(ed) another institution of higher learning and are planning to transfer credits earned at UALR back to that college or university to apply toward a certificate or degree. These students must submit a letter of good standing from the institution in which they are enrolled to the Office of Admissions at UALR. Transient status is limited to one semester or two summer terms. Further enrollment in this status is not permitted unless the student has returned to his or her original institution or has attended another institution before reapplying. Students in this category are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Provisional Admission

Transfer students who have not submitted all credentials necessary for admission by the application deadline may be admitted provisionally. In such cases, the student is admitted with the provision that s/he submit the missing admission credentials by the end of the term during which provisional admission was granted. The credentials will be evaluated upon receipt, and the student will be admitted and placed in the appropriate student status, or deferred admission.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although official policy states that transfer students may be provisionally admitted as long as missing admission credentials are submitted within the term of admission, UALR cannot accurately evaluate transfer hours, advise, release financial aid funding for which students may be eligible, or guarantee registration in degree appropriate courses until ALL admission credentials have been received and processed by the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Transfer students cannot be fully admitted or receive financial aid funding until all admissions credentials have been received, processed, and all financial aid requirements have been met.

If evaluation of the records shows that the student does not meet UALR’s minimum admission requirements, the student may be required to reduce the number of courses for which he or she is currently enrolled. For example, the student may be limited to no more than seven credit hours of enrollment. Such reductions may occur after the semester has already begun, in which case the student may be required to withdraw from some courses.

Transferring Credit to UALR

Credit can be transferred to UALR in a variety of ways. Some involve earning credit before enrolling at UALR (matriculating) and some afterwards. UALR does not accept the following types of credits:

  • Remedial/developmental/study skill courses (these course are indicated on the transcript but no credit hours are transferred)
  • Courses marked “in progress”
  • Courses from institutions of higher learning which do not have accredited or candidacy status in a regional accrediting association (See section on Transferring Credit Before Matriculation for details)
  • Courses designated as credit/no credit, pass/fail, audit or satisfactory
  • Earlier attempts of a course repeated at a transfer college or university. Only the latest attempt of a course’s credit hours will transfer
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Transferring Credit before Matriculation

UALR recognizes academic credits earned at other regionally accredited postsecondary institutions. Regionally accredited means that an institution of higher learning is accredited by one of the six regionally stipulated accreditation agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education accreditation (CHEA), including: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Higher Education, New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and Western Association of Colleges and Schools Accrediting Commission.

Final transcript will occur only after all required admissions’ credentials have been received. Students interested in receiving an unofficial evaluation of transfer credits prior to admitting to UALR, may request an unofficial evaluation from the Office of Transfer Students Services (OTSS) by completing and submitting a “”Transfer Credit Evaluation Request” Please note that an unofficial evaluation will require submission of transcripts to OTSS.

Transcripts from institutions not accredited by the regional accrediting associations will be handled at the discretion of the Registrar. Students presenting such transcripts may be given provisional credit subject to the satisfactory completion of further work at UALR in subjects for which they are asking advanced standing and a satisfactory grade point average. However, such transcripts may be refused altogether.

Only official transcripts will be accepted for evaluation. They must include complete records of the courses taken at all other institutions and be sent to UALR by the institutions. The director may also request that a course description or syllabus be presented.

Only credit hours earned at other institutions will transfer; grades and GPA do not transfer and are not calculated in the student’s GPA earned at UALR. However, all grades from all Universities are calculated for the purpose of awarding graduation honors.

Only courses with grades of C or greater will transfer automatically; however, a student may request to transfer as many as 6 credit hours with a grade of D from any regionally accredited college or university. Credit for the hours will be accepted as transfer credit if the course satisfies a degree program requirement and if a student would be allowed to earn a grade of D if the class were offered at UALR. A student may take advantage of this policy at any time prior to the awarding of an undergraduate degree. For more information on the transfer of D grades, please see UALR Policy 501.10.

There is no limit on the amount of credits that a student may transfer to UALR, but students graduating with four-year degrees (baccalaureate) must earn 30 hours in residence at UALR. Students graduating with two-year degrees (associate) must earn 15 hours of credit in residence at UALR. Please note that some degree programs may have restrictions on the number of upper-level courses that may be used to satisfy major or minor program requirements.

For certain degree programs, some credits may be non-applicable due due to course content changes over time.

Transferring Core or General Education Courses

As a public, state institution, UALR participates in the State Minimum Core Curriculum, which allows students to transfer up to 35 hours of general education or core courses among Arkansas institutions. Students transferring to or from UALR and another publicly supported Arkansas college or university are encouraged to check with their advisors and the Office of Transfer Student Services to assure proper transfer of core or general education courses.

The Arkansas Course Transfer System (ACTS) contains information about the transferability of lower level (freshman and sophomore) courses within Arkansas public colleges and universities. Students are guaranteed the transfer of applicable credits indicated in ACTS and equitable treatment in the application of credits for admissions and degree requirements. Students may complete specified General Education courses anywhere in the public system as well as many courses in the degree/major that have been pre-identified for transfer.

Transferring Associate Degrees
In-State Public Associate Degrees Designated for Transfer under ACT 182 of 2009

Students entering the University with an associate of arts, associate of science, or associate of arts in teaching degree that is from an Arkansas college or university, earned after January 2010 and designated for transfer in accordance with ACT 182 of 2009 meet the UALR core requirements, effective Summer semester 2010. Students transferring to UALR with such degrees are not required to take additional lower-level general education courses except under the following conditions:

  • As a prerequisite for courses in the transfer student’s baccalaureate degree program,
  • A discipline-specific course that is required by the transfer student’s baccalaureate degree program and the student has not completed at the two-year public institution of higher education that is comparable to the discipline-specific course at the four-year public institution of higher education,
  • A requirement of an independent licensing or accrediting body.

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Students entering UALR with an associate of arts or associate of science degree from a public Arkansas college or university that is not designated for transfer in accordance with ACT 182 of 2009 and students transferring associate of arts or associate of science degrees from in-state private and/or out-of-state colleges or universities are subject to the transfer policy indicated in the following section (Transferring All Other Associate Degrees). Students with questions about the transferability of previously earned associate’s degrees are invited to contact the Office of Transfer Student Services for clarification.

Associate of Applied Science Degrees

Associate of applied science degrees are handled on a course-by-course basis for applicability.

Transferring all other Associate Degrees

Students entering the University with an associate degree that is not designated as a transferable degree under Act 182 (see section In-State Public Associate Degrees Designated for Transfer under ACT 182 of 2009 above) and that is not an associate of applied science (see section Associate of Applied Science Degrees above) will demonstrate their degree came from a regionally accredited college or university and includes the following:

    3 hours of college algebra or college mathematics, or higher mathematics course
    6 hours of English composition
    9 to 15 hours of social science including a 3-hour course on U.S. history or U.S. government
    8 hours of lab science
    6 to 12 hours of arts and humanities, and
    0 to 3 hours of speech

Such a degree will satisfy UALR’s core requirements. Students who have an associate degree of at least 60 hours and are missing some of this distribution of courses will be required only to add the courses they are missing. Students with questions about the transferability of previously earned associate’s degrees are invited to contact the Office of Transfer Student Services for clarification.

Special Transfer Credit

Transferring Credit by Examination

Students who take CLEP, AP, DANTES, International Baccalaureate, and Excelsior College Examinations must have official score reports sent directly to the UALR Office of Testing Services for evaluation. Credit obtained through examination is recorded as approved hours on the student’s official transcript without grade or grade points after the student has been enrolled at UALR for one semester. Additional information may be obtained from Testing Services by calling (501) 569-3198 or on their website.
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Transferring Military Service Credit

In 2008, the Faculty Senate by unanimous vote approved accepting military credit certified by ACE as equivalent to college level courses for transfer to UALR. Official transcripts must be provided for evaluation and should be requested based on the branch of service (DD Form 295, or ARRTS, SMARTS, etc.). Military transcripts should be submitted to UALR’s Office of Admissions, which after document imaging will forward on to Ms. Kathy Oliverio, military ombudsman, to evaluate for the awarding of potential academic credit. For additional information concerning this process, please contact Ms. Kathy Oliverio at kmoliverio@ualr.edu or (501) 569-3204.

Please note that UALR does not automatically transfer military credits based on evaluations by other universities.

Transferring Technical and/or Vocational Credit

UALR does not automatically transfer technical and/or vocational credits from other universities. Students with technical and/or vocational credits who would like this credit considered for application toward a specific degree program may consult with their departmental advisor after officially declaring a major. Any transfer of technical and/or vocational credit requires the signature of a departmental advisor on a Request to Receive Credit for Technical and/or Military Credit form to be submitted to the Office of Records and Registration for processing.

Transferring International Credit

Students who have earned college level credit at an international college or university should submit official transcripts from these institutions of higher learning with an English translation of these documents (if applicable) to the Office of International Services. International transfer students must meet additional admission requirements as detailed in the “Office of International Service” portion of this catalog. Any applicant for whom English is not the first language must furnish or demonstrate proof of English language proficiency before starting classes at UALR. For detailed information concerning these requirements, please contact the Office of International Services at (501) 683-7566.

After the Office of International Services verifies and posts international transfer credits to an entering transfer student’s UALR transcript, and once all admissions’ credentials have been received and processed, the student’s file will be forwarded to the Office of Transfer Student Services to evaluate the application of transfer credits toward core curriculum requirements in the student’s academic major (or intended major). In order for international transfer credits to be articulated, the student must provide English translations of course descriptions to the Office of International Services or Office of Transfer Student Services. Since the evaluation and articulation (process of applying credit towards UALR degree requirements) of international transfer credit generally takes 3-4 weeks at minimum, it is strongly recommended that students with international transfer credit submit all required documentation as early as possible.

Transferring Occupational Programs Credit

UALR will accept up to 16 hours of lower level undesignated elective credit for occupational programs from accredited institutions. Students to whom this might apply should have their transcripts evaluated by the Office of Records and Registration (501) 569-3110. An evaluation of credit will not be made until after a student is enrolled at UALR.

Transferring Credit after Matriculation

UALR students may choose to enroll at another regionally accredited academic institution while attending or intending to return to UALR as a degree-seeking student. In order to assure that the credit received elsewhere meets UALR degree program requirements, students are strongly advised to consult with their academic advisor (if declared majors) or if they intend to take core curriculum courses at another college or university before the declaration of a major, students should consult with the Office of Transfer Student Services at (501) 682-1183.
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Articulation of Transfer Credit

If you are a transfer student, you are strongly urged to seek advising before you register for classes. Final transfer credit articulation (the process of determining course equivalencies and/or application of transferred courses toward meeting degree program requirements) will only occur after students are fully admitted to UALR and their transfer credits have been posted to the UALR transcript. Because transfer credit articulation impacts course placement and registration, transfer students with an incomplete admissions’ status may need registration overrides into core, major, or minor courses during the first semester on campus.

The transfer credit equivalency guide for Arkansas and regional schools is available on the OTSS website and includes upper level (junior and senior) course that are not part of the Arkansas Course Transfer System.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a particular institution of higher learning does not appear in this guide, it does not mean that UALR will not accept course work from that institution. Also, if an institution appears in the guide, but the particular course you are seeking is only listed as being accepted for general elective credit, please consult further with your academic advisor.

All transfer students are initially admitted into University College. After you have decided on a major, ask the department chairperson or the dean of the college in that area to evaluate your transfer work. One often misunderstood point is that a given course may be accepted toward the total hours required for a degree at UALR, but may not be accepted as meeting a specific course requirement for the core curriculum or for a major or minor. The process of transfer credit articulation may take several weeks at minimum to process after a student has been fully admitted to UALR.

Transfer Students and Undergraduate Catalog Choice

Transfer Students may choose to follow requirements of an older undergraduate catalog of requirements at UALR. A student transferring to UALR from regionally accredited four-year institutions, community colleges, or junior colleges with 13 or more hours of accepted credit may graduate under the provisions of a UALR Undergraduate Catalog in effect during any semester of the previous five years in which they were enrolled at the other institution. Note: At no time may a student follow the provisions of a UALR Undergraduate Catalog that is more than five years old at the time of the student’s entry into UALR.

Transfer Students and the First-year Composition Requirement

Students transferring 60 or more hours to UALR who have met the first-year composition requirement at the higher learning institution(s) previously attended may be exempted from UALR’s first-year composition requirement. The decision to exempt a student from this requirement is made by the student’s major department chairperson when the student files a degree plan.
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