Resources for New Transfer Students

Transfer Equivalency Tool - This tool is for prospective students to enter their transfer coursework, term taken, grade received, etc. as well as select their program of interest here at ISU. Once the information is entered, a prospective degree audit will be provided which will show how the transfer work will apply and what requirements are still left to be met.

Transfer Central -- for complete information about ISU's transfer process and procedures.

For Incoming Transfer Students: Transfer Student Orientation (orientation and advisement sessions).

For New Transfer Students: Adjusting to your new situation.

**Important Notice:** Students transferring to ISU may take advantage of ISU's new degree-audit system called "MySAM," available on the MyISU portal (go to the Student tab and select the link for Degree Audits). If you are are an incoming transfer student accessing MySAM before your admit term has begun, you may need to run a What-If audit for your admit major ("Program") and admit catalog year to ensure you're viewing up-to-date degree requirements. Check with your academic advisor if you have any questions, or you can view instructions for running a What-If MySAM audit on p. 16 of the MySAM Student Manual found here.

Equally important: Incoming transfer credit will not be posted to MySAM unless you have confirmed your intention to attend ISU with our Office of Admissions, or unless you have signed up for a Transfer New Student Orientation session (TNSO). If you have questions, please contact Admissions at 812 237 2121 or 812 GOTOISU.

Common questions

How do I get my transfer work to apply to my ISU degree? How does the transfer process work?
Transfer credits are evaluated and applied to your ISU degree through the following actions:

• You apply to ISU (link to Admissions)
• The application requires that you request official transcripts from all your previous institution(s) (regardless of courses taken) to be sent directly to ISU's Admissions Office.
• Once processed by Admissions, your transcripts are sent to Transfer Central to be entered into their database. Most courses have been evaluated already and their ISU equivalencies are automatically identified by the system.
• Credit will be assigned for all courses that meet eligibility requirements. Some transfer courses will be directly equivalent to an ISU course; others will be identified either as departmental or as open electives. You will be able to review your transfer evaluation on your ISU degree audit, which you can access through your MyISU portal.
• Only completed courses will be evaluated. If your transcript includes work in progress, you will need to submit an updated transcript to the Office of Admissions.

What transfer courses are acceptable for credit at ISU?
Courses acceptable for transfer evaluation include ONLY courses from an accredited institution in which you earned a letter grade of C or above (*C-* doesn't count!). There are limits on the kinds and number of courses for which you can receive ISU credit:

• Remedial classes are unacceptable
• College living, orientation, and/or study skills classes are generally unacceptable
• Non-credit or audited classes are unacceptable
• No more than 94 hours of total transfer credit can be accepted.

What do I do if I think one of my transfer courses should be evaluated differently than it has been?
You should review your transfer evaluation with your academic advisor. If you and your advisor believe a course should or could be evaluated differently, you need to submit a Request for Re-Evaluation of Transfer Credit (form).

What does it mean if a course is evaluated as "001," "002," or something other than a specific ISU course?
If a transfer course has been evaluated as "001" or "002," it means it does not have a specific ISU equivalency, but has been given elective credit at the 100/200-level ("001") or the 300/400-level ("002").  Other numbers ("011," "022," etc.) are used to identify non-equivalent courses that carry Foundational Studies status.  Your MySAM will explain more about these courses, and will show how they work toward your degree requirements.

Will changing majors at ISU affect my transfer credits?
Yes. If you change your major, your transfer credits will be re-evaluated by the Dean of the College that houses your new major. Some major changes result in significant changes in how transfer courses apply to degree requirements; rarely does the actual evaluation of a course change.

I didn't earn as high a grade as I'd like in one of my ISU classes. Can I retake this class over the summer at a local community college?  
Your local community college may offer a transfer equivalent for this course, but please be aware that ISU's course-repeat policy applies only to ISU courses. Transfer grades do not count in the calculation of your ISU GPA (see below for more information), and your original grade in this course will still count in your ISU GPA, even if you retake it at a community college and receive a higher grade. If you have any questions, please contact an advisor.

I've already earned a bachelor's degree from another accredited institution. What does that mean to my transfer evaluation?
Students seeking a second undergraduate degree are not generally required to complete the Foundational Studies program, but only the requirements for the major of the degree they seek and the minimum 30 ISU credit hours required for graduation.

How about an associate degree? Will I receive special Foundational Studies credit for that, too, as long as I earned it from an accredited institution?
Yes. As long as the transcript we receive shows a completed associate degree, you will receive a "block grant" for many of your Foundational Credit requirements on your ISU degree audit. A completed AA or AS degree receives a more substantial block grant than an AAS degree does; more information will be available on your degree audit and on the Foundational Studies website here.

• An AA or AS degree means that for our Foundational Studies program, you need to complete only three categories: Junior Composition, Ethics & Social Responsibility, and Upper-Division Integrated Electives. Before taking Junior Composition, you must also have completed its prerequisite of Freshman Writing II.

• An AAS degree means that for our Foundational Studies program, you need to complete only these categories: Junior Composition, Literary Studies, Fine & Performing Arts, Historical Studies, Global Studies & Cultural Diversity, Ethics & Social Responsibility, and Upper-Division Integrated Electives. Before taking Junior Composition, you must also have completed its prerequisite of Freshman Writing II.

How does my transfer work contribute to my ISU grade point average?
Your ISU GPA is separate from your transfer course GPA; no transfer grade counts in your ISU GPA. However, your transfer GPA will be used along with your ISU GPA in calculating honors' graduation. (To be eligible for honors, students also must have earned a minimum of 62 hours from ISU and satisfy other requirements detailed in the Undergraduate catalog in the "Graduation Honors" section.)

I'm almost ready to graduate, but I'll need to take a few classes at another institution to finish my degree requirements. How do I ensure that I register for the right transfer courses?
Finishing a degree with transfer classes requires careful planning and documentation on your part. 1) First, check your degree audit and talk with your advisor to make sure you understand your remaining degree requirements. 2) Use the transfer tool to find established transfer equivalents at your new institution that will fulfill your ISU degree requirements. 3) If a transfer equivalent has not yet been established on u.select for a specific ISU degree requirement, but you believe one should, please check with the College of Arts & Sciences at: ISU-ASCSAA@mail.indstate.edu. 4) Most important, contact the College office and speak with our graduation checkout specialist to make sure we know that your degree completion plans involve transfer credit. Doing this may allow us to delay your graduation checkout until the transcript from your other institution arrives.