Student course work of comparable content and scope to that of CU Denver curriculum will be considered for transfer credit if it was completed at a college or university with regional accreditation. If coursework was completed at an institution not regionally accredited, the student may specifically request that credit be considered in transfer by initiating a review process that begins with the student’s academic advisor and is approved by the dean responsible for the student's curriculum. Only courses in which a grade of C- or better (1.700) was earned are considered for transfer. Courses in which a grade of Pass (P) was earned are considered for transfer only if a grade of Pass at the sending institution is defined as a C- or better. Courses identified on transcripts as State of Colorado guaranteed transfer courses (gtPathways) are always accepted in transfer (with C- or better grades) and applied to degree requirements per gtPathways guidelines.

Undergraduate transfer credit older than 10 years will not be initially transferred. Credit older than 10 years will be reviewed for applicability to degree requirements by the academic department. To review the policy in full, please click here and search policy number 7006.

Credit Hour Conversion

The University of Colorado Denver is on a 16-week fall and spring semester system. Summer terms, study abroad programs, and independent learning vary in length but are reported in semester hours. Students who transfer from a quarter-based institution will receive the following conversion:

1 quarter hour = 0.67 semester hours
Example: 4 quarter hours = 2.7 semester hours

Maximum Number of Transfer Credit Hours Accepted

School/College Specific Policy

Business School

The Business School generally limits its applicability of business course credits to those that are comparable to lower-division business courses at CU Denver. Students who have taken upper-division business courses from an Association for Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited business program may request review of these courses for possible transfer by contacting the Business School advising office. All courses taken in their major must be completed at CU Denver.

For students newly admitted to the Business School and former business students readmitted to the school after an absence of three semesters, applicable credits up to eight years old will be counted toward business degree requirements. Courses more than eight years old will be evaluated individually for their current relevance to the degree program. Students may be required to update their knowledge by taking additional courses when past courses are outdated; in such cases, credit will be given for both courses.

College of Architecture and Planning

For students newly admitted to the College of Architecture and Planning degree programs and former students readmitted to a program after an absence of three semesters, applicable major-specific credits up to ten years old will be counted toward degree requirements. Major-specific courses that are more than ten years old will be evaluated individually for their current relevance to the degree program. Students may be required to update their knowledge by taking additional courses when past courses are outdated.

College of Arts & Media

College of Arts & Media (CAM) degree programs involve carefully structured sequences of course work, designed to build student knowledge, skills and dispositions toward academic, artistic and professional outcomes. Students interested in transferring to pursue a CAM degree should contact CAM advising in advance at CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu to plan out their transfer credits and subsequent University of Colorado Denver course work. As part of this discussion, CAM advisors can help students determine the best semester in which to transfer, taking into consideration each student’s desired timeline toward graduation and program requirements.

College of Engineering, Design and Computing

The College of Engineering, Design and Computing, in general, requires that engineering course transfer credit must come from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited engineering program to be acceptable for degree purposes. Engineering technology courses are not considered equivalent to engineering courses.

Transfer Credit Level Determination

School/College Specific Policy

College of Arts & Media

College of Arts & Media (CAM) degree programs involve carefully structured sequences of course work, designed to build student knowledge, skills and dispositions toward academic, artistic and professional outcomes. Students interested in transferring to pursue a CAM degree should contact CAM advising in advance at CAMadvising@ucdenver.edu to plan out their transfer credits and subsequent University of Colorado Denver coursework. As part of this discussion, CAM advisors can help students determine the best semester in which to transfer, taking into consideration each student’s desired timeline toward graduation and program requirements.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Additional information regarding the applicability of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) discipline transfer courses, including the transfer course evaluation process can be found in the CLAS Policy section of the catalog under Transfer Credit Information.