Transfer Applicant Requirements

Admission to the University of Maryland is competitive. The number of students seeking admission exceeds the number who can be accommodated. In accordance with Maryland Higher Education Commission and Board of Regents transfer polices, certain applicants from Maryland public institutions are given special consideration and are admitted when space is available. Students are expected to have completed English Composition (the equivalent of UMD’s ENGL 101 course) and college-level mathematics (the equivalent of UMD’s Math 107 course or equivalent to the general education fundamental mathematics requirement).

We will consider your academic record and grades received in all college-level courses. Students who have completed fewer than 30 semester or 45 quarter hours after high school graduation (or after completion of high school equivalency) at the time of application are expected to submit high school records and standardized test scores (optional) for review. If you’ve attended more than one institution, we’ll calculate a cumulative average for all previous college work. Be sure to review our application checklist for a list of all required materials for a complete application.

The Admissions Committee considers 26 unique factors as part of our holistic review. This process considers all aspects of each applicant’s qualifications and offers admission to the most competitive applicants in order to build a vibrant class of transfer students. When a decision is available, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will send an email to the applicant notifying them that their admission decision can be viewed online. Information on financial aid and merit scholarships will be released at a later date.

Applications are considered complete when the online application and all required documents have been submitted. All materials must be postmarked by the appropriate deadline for consideration. Please note that it may take up to five business days after submission for you to be able to view the status of your application and any submitted documents online. It is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm receipt of all application materials.

When you apply to UMD, your preferred major is not considered in whether or not you are admissible to the university. You cannot indicate double-major preferences or minors at the time of application; after you are admitted, you can work with the academic advisor in your college to declare these preferences.

Certain majors are very popular and require a limit on the number of students they can accommodate. These majors are known as Limited Enrollment Programs (LEP). Admitted students who selected a Limited Enrollment Program as their major are then reviewed by the specific program to determine admission to that major. While the majority of students are admitted to their preferred major, some LEP applicants may not be. Students who are admitted to Maryland but not their preferred LEP major are placed in Letters & Sciences, where they will work with an advisor to meet the gateway requirements to earn admission to that major. Admitted students who did not select an LEP major are admitted directly to the major indicated on their application. All major decisions are included in the applicant’s admission decision letter.

The Maryland Transfer Advantage Program (MTAP) provides a pathway for students at participating community colleges to earn a bachelor’s degree at UMD. Students participate in MTAP while taking courses at one of the participating community colleges before officially transferring to UMD.

The Pre-Transfer Advising program provides support to prospective transfer students from two-year and four-year schools before they apply to UMD to complete an undergraduate degree. Prior to submitting an application, you are encouraged to use Pre-Transfer Advising services to assess your readiness to transfer and estimate your time to degree completion. You can also review 4-Year Plans for information about the major and graduation requirements for specific programs.

The advisors from your Maryland community college can work closely with pre-transfer advisors for issues related to transfer credits and major options. Pre-Transfer advisors help you determine how previous coursework will apply to your UMD degree, identify remaining general education and major requirements, and locate specific resources for additional assistance.

Transfer Credit Services facilitates the evaluation of credit for new students who have earned college credit or successfully completed Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), A/AS level examinations, or certain other standard exams. It also provides information and assistance to transfer advisors and prospective students. Students and advisors work together to decide how courses fit into a student’s individual program, while the center provides course equivalencies, credit reports and articulation tables.

If you have earned college credit in the U.S. and submitted official transcripts, you may access your preliminary transfer credit evaluation online within three weeks of receiving your letter of admission. Please note that this is a preliminary and ongoing evaluation; every effort will be made to provide a comprehensive evaluation before you register for classes at Orientation. To ensure you have an updated record on file at UMD, submit a final official transcript that includes grades for any course work in progress at the time of your original application.

Be sure to review the criteria for transferable credits. Your official college transcripts will be evaluated after you have been admitted to UMD, and final determination of course transferability and applicability will be made by your academic department. To begin your credit evaluation, please mail your transfer credit documents to the address below:

Office of the Registrar
University of Maryland
1113 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742