Transfer Timeline
Is it time to transfer?
How do you know when you've arrived at the best time to transfer to the U? Should you
finish your Associates Degree or transfer earlier? These are important questions for all
potential transfer students. Here are some options open to transfer students
considering transferring to the U.
Completing an Associates Degree
Most Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degrees require close to 60
hours of semester credit and consist of two basic parts. Half of the total hours needed
for the degree (30+ hours) are met by taking general education courses. The other half
are met by taking courses for your emphasis area or major along with a few electives.
In the case of a General Studies AA or AS, a variety of approved courses fill these
hours.
30 HRS GENERAL ED + 30 HRS MAJOR/ELECTIVES = AA/AS DEGREE
An AA or AS degree from a Utah state school will automatically clear your lower level
general education requirements at the U of U.
A full AA or AS degree is not necessarily the best path for all students interested in a
Bachelors Degree at the U of U.
Receiving a Letter of Completion
By completing only the general education requirements for your Associates degree
(roughly 30 credit hours) at your Utah State school, you can get something called a
"Letter of Completion" which will also clear you of the lower-level general education
requirements at the U. You will want to work with the academic advisors at your school
to determine which classes to take to receive the Letter of Completion.
Once you are close to completing your general education at your two-year school, you
should investigate whether it is more productive to continue on for the full Associates
or whether transferring with just a Letter of Completion makes more sense for you.
Transferring without an Associates or Letter of Completion
Students do not need to have completed either of the first two options to transfer to
the U. If you do not have one of the above "packages" then your credits will be
evaluated individually and credit will be given for general education, major
requirements etc based on the content of the courses you took.
What's Your U of U Major Going to Be?
The answer to this question is probably the biggest factor in determining when to
transfer.
Some majors at the U. have identified classes at institutions across the state that can
clear requirements for their major. This process is called "articulation." If the major you
are interested in at the U is articulated at your school, then that means you will be able
to take some major classes as part of your AA or AS degree.
Other U of U majors have few or no classes that are articulated at other Utah schools.
This means that a student cannot be working effectively toward their major at the U
while finishing up their AA or AS degree. A transfer student interested in these majors
who wants to be really efficient should consider transferring to the U. with a Letter of
Completion (or even sooner for some majors).
Besides articulation of major courses another factor to consider when deciding when to
transfer is the length of your major. U of U majors vary in the number of credit hours
they require to fill major requirements. Some professional programs like Business,
Engineering, Pharmacy and Education require over 90 credit hours of major
requirements while other majors like Psychology, Political Science, and English require
40 credit hours or less to fill major requirements. If the major you are interested in at
the U. is relatively short, it may not matter if the major requirements are articulated at
your current school. You can wait to begin taking major requirements until you
transfer to the U and still graduate in a timely manner.
Learn more about transferring credits from other Utah colleges and universities.
You can also browse through a list of majors offered at the University of Utah.
Let Us Help You!
The transfer advisors at the Transfer Center are some of your best resources to help
you decide when it will be best for you to transfer to the U. Begin working with us early
in your academic career; we should see you in your first or second semester of college
to begin discussing your future at the University of Utah.
