Transfer students with less than 24 transferable semester hours of earned credit (remedial credit excluded) follow first-year (freshmen) Admission Requirements listed in the previous section.

To apply for admission, transfer students must submit:

• A completed undergraduate Application for Admission
• A $35 non-refundable application fee
• Official college/university transcripts from all previous institutions. Emailed copies from students or faxed copies are not considered official.
• Student Health Records: (Not required for admission consideration)
  1. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Proof of immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella requires two doses of vaccine given no less than one month apart, or positive serologic tests.
  2. Students ages 21 and younger must provide documentation of immunity against meningococcal disease given at or after age 16.
  3. All students must complete the tuberculosis questionnaire.

To submit the required documentation, go to MinotStateU.edu/health/immunization.shtml. No student will be permitted to enroll in a subsequent term until immunization or documentation of a waiver is complete. 

Transfer applicants must present a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale with 24 or more completed, transferable semester credits. Transfer applicants transferring in less than 24 completed semester credits will be required to submit their official final high school transcript.

Failure to list all colleges, universities, and schools previously attended may result in denial of admission, dismissal, loss of credits, or other appropriate sanctions.

Upon receipt of all transcripts, the Registrar’s Office and the corresponding chairs determine course equivalencies, as well as credits that may be applied to the University’s General Education Requirements and the student’s major. This evaluation occurs when the student registers for their first term at Minot State University.  

For admitted students, MSU accepts and transcribes all courses from institutions recognized by the United States Department of Education from regionally accredited organizations or nationally recognized agencies. Minot State does not accept credits from non-accredited institutions. All credit hours are transcribed as semester hours, and all transcribed courses calculate as part of the student's cumulative grade point average. Plus or minus grades are not recorded. 

Students who have attended other regionally accredited or nationally recognized institutions are admitted without restriction to Minot State University if they left the last transfer institution in good academic standing and if their college/university cumulative grade point average meets the Academic Progress standards outlined in this catalog.

Academic Warning and Probation

If the transfer GPA is below the GPA average required for satisfactory academic progress, the student may be admitted on Academic Warning or Probation, and conditions may be placed on their registration until the minimum cumulative grade point average requirement has been achieved.

Academic Suspension

If a transfer GPA has resulted in the student’s academic suspension from another college or university, the student may be admitted on Academic Probation at Minot State, but only if the student has completed their previous institutional suspension policy or Minot State's suspension policy (whichever is greater).

New Student Orientation and Registration

New Minot State University students (freshmen and transfer) are required to complete a new student orientation. To facilitate the completion of this requirement, the campus will hold orientation events during the summer and before the spring semester. These events will introduce students to the University through information sessions, a campus tour, academic advising, and with the student registering for classes. Information about orientation events is sent electronically to all students who have been admitted to the University.

Students enrolling at Minot State University with the intention of transferring to another institution to complete their educational objectives are advised to work closely with the transfer campus as soon as possible to determine which courses will transfer most effectively.  

MSU accepts and transcribes all courses from institutions recognized by the United States Department of Education from regionally accredited organizations or nationally recognized agencies. Minot State does not accept credits from non-accredited institutions. Once a course is approved as equivalent, its equivalency is guaranteed for five years from when the course was approved and taken.

Courses are accepted in transfer in a combination of ways:

• Equal to a specific course at MSU
• Given general education credit
• Fulfilling a requirement towards the student's major, minor, or concentration
• As elective credit

Courses that have been equated to 100 with a general education letter code (i.e., 100HU = humanities) are considered to meet general education requirements but have no specific course equivalency. TRNSFR 100, 200, 300, and 400 courses are elective credits and coded as such because they either do not have an equivalency or it has not been evaluated. The corresponding department determines the course equivalent using the course description or syllabus. An evaluation of courses and MSU equivalents are available for students to review in their Transfer Credit Report through Campus Connection.

Student's general education requirements will be considered met if they meet one of the following:

• Successful completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited degree-granting institution or the equivalent of a four-year bachelor's degree as confirmed by a credential evaluator for international institutions.
• Successful completion of an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree from an accredited degree-granting institution or the equivalent of a two-year associate degree as confirmed by a credential evaluator for international institutions.
• Successful completion of general education requirements at any North Dakota University System institution or tribal college under the North Dakota General Education Transfer Agreement (GERTA).

North Dakota General Education Transfer Agreement (GERTA)

The North Dakota General Education Transfer Agreement was developed to assist students who transfer within the 11 NDUS campuses and tribal colleges in North Dakota. Students who have completed the General Education Requirements (GER) at one campus are deemed to have completed them at another. Students who have not completed GER prior to transfer will find that their General Education coursework taken at one campus will be acceptable as General Education course work at another, although some redistribution of courses may result.

Students transferring into Minot State University should contact the Registrar at the former campus to have verification of GER completion forwarded to the Registrar’s Office at Minot State University. Students transferring out of Minot State University should either complete the Minot State University GER or take courses in the Minot State University General Education inventory that are marked for transfer (e.g., ND:ENGL, ND:HUM, ND:LABSC). Please direct questions about the Transfer Agreement to the Registrar’s Office.

Under the terms of the NDUS Transfer Agreement, the Minot State GER contains the following components. Credits taken elsewhere and coded as indicated will help to complete the Minot State GER:

1. Communication (9 credits minimum: 6 credits of English and 3 credits of speech). Any NDUS course marked ND:ENGL may apply to the 6-credit English requirement, and any marked ND:COMM may apply to the speech requirement.
2. Fine Arts, Humanities, and History (6 credits). Any NDUS course marked ND:FA, ND:HUM, ND:HIST. Must complete two different prefixes.
3. Quantitative Reasoning: Mathematics (Minimum 3 credits). Any NDUS course marked ND:MATH, which is at the level of college algebra or higher.
4. Natural Sciences and Technology (6 credits). Any NDUS course marked ND: LABSC, ND:SCI, ND:COMPSC. One course must be a science with a lab, and the second course must have a different prefix to complete this requirement. 
5. Social Science (6 credits).  Any course marked ND:SS with two different prefixes. (eg: POLS 115, SOC 110).
6. Choice (6 credits). Any course marked ND: ENGL, ND: DGTL, NDCOMM, ND:MATH, ND:FA, ND:HUM, ND:HIST, ND:LABSC, ND:SCI, ND:COMPSC, ND:SS. Any general education course not already taken in the other categories. Please consult with your advisor to ensure you have met the general education requirements.
7. First-Year Experience (2 credits). UNIV 110 First Year Seminar is required for students transferring less than 24 credits, excluding credits earned by examination and early entry or dual credit coursework.

For students who have not completed the general education requirements in transfer, the Minot State Registrar’s Office will determine those credits which may be applied to the University’s General Education Requirements. 

Limitations on Transfer Credit

Graduate Credit

A student may not apply transfer graduate credit toward requirements for an associate or baccalaureate degree at Minot State University.

Military Credit

All military credit is evaluated using the most recent Military GERTA Guide and ACE Guide recommendations. Military work experience will not be accepted.

Religion Course Credit

No more than six semester credits in doctrinal religion will be accepted in transfer. Doctrinal religion courses that are accepted can be used as electives only.

Credit From Two-Year Institutions

Credit typically transfers from two-year institutions to Minot State University. The Registrar’s Office may work with department chairs to determine applicability of courses in transfer to the degree program and transferability of courses that fulfill General Education requirements. To be awarded a baccalaureate degree, a student must complete a minimum of 60 semester hours at a four-year institution, of which 30 semester hours must be earned through Minot State University.

Remedial Credit

Transfer credit earned at the remedial level will be transcribed. However, credit(s) will not count toward earned credit with Minot State University or be calculated in a student’s GPA.

Institutional Credit

Credit is evaluated on the basis by which the credit was initially awarded by the sending institution. Minot State accepts credits earned via a nationally standardized examination as per NDUS policy. Credit by examination, credit awarded via placement, or life experience credit awarded by another institution is not accepted in transfer credits.