Frequently Asked Questions - Transfer Students

The transfer process can be confusing, but don't worry. Below you will find questions that many students have throughout the process. 

• What are Cincinnati's admission requirements?
• Can I change my major preferences after I've already applied?
• Does my current college or university have an articulation agreement with the University of Cincinnati?
• Will credits I've already earned transfer to Cincinnati?
• How does my Advanced Placement (AP) credit transfer to Cincinnati?
• Can I appeal a decision about my transfer credits?
• Will my financial aid transfer to Cincinnati?
• How do I transfer my financial aid to Cincinnati?
• What is a transfer module?
• What are my responsibilities as a transfer student during my admissions process?
• How do I access my UC email and Catalyst?
• How do I get into contact with my academic advisor?
• Do I need to send transcript(s) to UC?
• How do I send my transcript(s) to UC?
• How do I find housing at UC?
• When should I apply to UC?
• What should I do after I’m accepted to UC?

The University of Cincinnati offers more than 300 undergraduate programs, with varying admission requirements, depending on which of Cincinnati's colleges offers the program. Your actual transfer requirements may differ based on how much post-high school education you have and on the program you wish to enter. In addition to course requirements, transfer students must be in good academic and financial standing at previously attended colleges or universities.

If you have already submitted your application but have yet to enroll in your classes, the Office of Admissions can help you change your major preferences. Please contact your admissions counselor and they will walk you through the steps necessary to change your preferred major.

An "Articulation Agreement" defines a relationship between two institutions of higher education that enables students to more easily transfer from their former institution to the University of Cincinnati. Cincinnati has articulation agreements with several colleges across the country and each agreement is outlined below. Consult the list of agreements below or ask your current academic advisor if your school has an articulation agreement with the University of Cincinnati. If they do have that agreement, you can count on your credits transferring to the University of Cincinnati.

If your current institution does not have an articulation agreement, you can still transfer to the University of Cincinnati.

Articulation agreements are at the discretion of the colleges and are subject to change.

To view a list of the University of Cincinnati's current articulation agreements, please visit the Office of Advising and Academic Services website.

The College Credit Services Credit Evaluation Team evaluates how your credits translate to credit at the University of Cincinnati. They only evaluate your overall transfer credit, not how your credits will be applied to the specific program you are applying to. The Cincinnati college which offers the program you wish to enter will determine how accepted transfer credits are applied toward degree requirements. That determination is made after you are admitted to an academic program.

For transfer credit to be granted, the institutions you have attended must be accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies: The Higher Learning Commision, Middle States Comission on Higher Education, New England Commision on Higher Education, Northwest Commision on Colleges and Universities, Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Comission, and Western Association of Colleges and Schools. You can check your school's accreditation online at www.chea.org.

• General education requirements such as math, english, history and so on, will usually transfer to a direct equivalent.
• You must have earned a "D" or better grade for credits to transfer, unless the course was part of a transfer module or a degree you have completed.
• Your GPA from other institutions does not transfer to Cincinnati. Your University of Cincinnati GPA is based only on coursework completed at Cincinnati.
• Although you have already earned credits from another institution, you will need to meet the University of Cincinnati's residency requirements in order to be awarded a University of Cincinnati degree. Programs require at least 30 semester hours be earned at Cincinnati. Students are also expected to meet other degree requirements. For specific information about your degree, check individual program requirements.
• Students transferring from foreign universities must submit a course-by-course credit evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Transfer & Transition Advising Center at (513) 556-9000 or transfer@uc.edu. You can also view the Transfer Equivalency Database here.

Yes. Please read the University of Cincinnati Policy for Appealing the Application of Transfer Credit.

Credit for Advanced Placement examinations (AP) is granted, in most cases, for scores of 3 or higher. To find AP equivalencies, consult the AP key. Send your original AP scores to the Undergraduate Office of Admissions. AP credit cannot be granted based on other college's transcripts.

You can "transfer" your aid when you come to the University of Cincinnati, but the nature of your aid may change when you change schools. Here are some factors that affect how your financial aid transfers to the University of Cincinnati:

• If you are eligible for aid at one school, your eligibility transfers with you. However, your aid must be re-awarded at the new school. Cincinnati will make the award for an incoming transfer student based on the terms remaining and the amount of federal and state aid that has already been used at the other school.
• If your current school begins its academic year in the summer, funds already awarded for summer will be counted when reviewing your funding-to-date.
• Federal Stafford Loan annual limits are based on class level. Therefore, some transfer students' loans will show as freshman-level loans until our system shows that you have been given advanced standing that puts you at a higher class level. Usually, any increase can be retroactive to the point you started at the University of Cincinnati.
• Institutional aid does not transfer. The University of Cincinnati will not be able to match or replicate scholarships or grants specific to your previous school or type of school (private school Ohio Choice Grant). Also, some federal programs are exhaustive, and we would not be able to give Federal SEOG or Federal Perkins Loan to a mid-year arrival.

To receive aid at the University of Cincinnati, you will need to add Cincinnati to the list of schools for which you are requesting aid. Below are a few ways to complete this.

University of Cincinnati's school code: 003125.

If requesting by phone, have a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR) with you. If you do not have a copy of the form, you will need to request a duplicate by mail. After you receive it, you can call back and add Cincinnati to your report.

For information on scholarships for transfer students at UC, visit our transfer scholarships page.

The Ohio Board of Regents has established the Transfer Module, which is a specific set of courses from a college or university's general education requirements. The Transfer Module contains 36-40 semester hours of course credits in:

• English Composition
• Mathematics
• Fine Arts
• Humanities
• Social Science
• Behavioral Science
• Natural Science
• Physical Science
• Interdisciplinary Courses

A Transfer Module completed at one Ohio public college or university will automatically meet the requirements of the Transfer Module at the receiving institution, after the student has been accepted. Students may be required to meet additional general education requirements that are not included in the Transfer Module. Since private colleges and universities in Ohio may or may not be participating in the Transfer Module policy, students are encouraged to check with the college of their choice regarding their transfer agreements.

To transfer with maximum applicability of transfer credit, prospective transfer students must plan a course of action to meet the requirements (both academic and non-academic) of the institution into which they wish to transfer. Planning for transfer should begin as early as possible. Delays in developing and following an appropriate plan or changing one's plan (e.g. changing majors) may reduce the applicability of transfer credit to the degree program ultimately selected.

Prospective transfer students should:

• Contact the the Transfer Center to gain program/degree and transfer information and work with an advisor to assist in preparing a course of study to meet the academic requirements for the intended program/degree. When possible, courses should be selected which satisfy requirements at the receiving institution to maximize applicability of transfer credit. (Articulation agreements between schools facilitate transferring.)
  
• Be aware that remedial and developmental courses generally are not applicable to any degree program.
• Be aware that changes in course of study (e.g., change of major) will most likely reduce the number of credits which are applicable to the program ultimately selected at both the sending and receiving institutions.
• Understand the policies and procedures of the institutions to which they are applying, including application fees, transfer admission, course transfer, financial aid, scholarship, and housing. This includes being aware of deadlines, restrictions, and other criteria, such as the policies on deposits required prior to enrollment and the dates when refunds of those deposits are available (if refundable).
• Complete all material required for application and submit the application on or before deadlines.
• Request your transcripts to be sent to the University of Cincinnati. University of Cincinnati staff cannot request transcripts from another college or university on a student's behalf.
• Notify each college or university where they are offered admission, whether they are accepting or rejecting the offer, as soon as they have heard from all the institutions, or by the deadline date set by the respective institution.
• Confirm their intention to enroll and submit a deposit to only one college or university by its required notification date.

You should receive an email within 2-3 business days of confirming your admission to UC with instructions on accessing your UC email and Catalyst. Once you have obtained your username, new students will need to set up your profile using the initial password: Uc!MMDDYYYY (where MMDDYYYY is your full date of birth). If you have difficulty with your login, click here for self-service information on recovering your username and password.

You should receive an email from your admitted college 4 to 6 weeks prior to the start of classes with instructions on how to schedule an appointment with your advisor. This message will be sent to your UC email, so it is important you have access to and regularly check your UC email. For questions on accessing your UC email, refer to the FAQ above. 

You are required to send an official transcript from every college or university you have attended besides the University of Cincinnati regardless of the number of credits you received.

You are only required to send an official high school transcript if you received fewer than 24 college credit hours after graduating from high school. 

The preferred method to send transcripts to UC is to use one of the following electronic upload services:

Parchment, E-Script/Credentials, National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), Articulation & Transfer Clearinghouse (ATC), SCOIR, Overgrad, and Scribbles. **If an email address is required by one of these services, please have them sent to admissions@uc.edu.**​​

If you cannot access these services, please have your institution send the document to us via mail to the address below:

University of Cincinnati

Office of Admissions

PO Box 210091

Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0091

Attn: Processing

Please note, UC cannot accept transcripts sent directly from a student. We are also unable to accept transcripts sent via email, regardless of the sender (e.g., school official). 

If you wish to live on-campus, you will need to apply for university housing after you have confirmed your admission to UC. Please go to the University Housing Website for additional information on how and when to apply for housing. Transfer students follow the same process as first-year students when applying for university housing.

If you are looking to live off-campus, UC’s Off-Campus Housing Website is a great resource to look for roommates and find housing near UC.

**Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) programs have a March 1 application deadline and June 1 confirmation deadline for fall semester. Late applications will be reviewed on a space available basis. Applicants to Architecture, Communication Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, and Interior Design are pooled and reviewed, and decisions are typically made in April and May. Applications to all other DAAP programs are reviewed on a rolling admission basis

First, you will need to confirm your admission to UC. After confirming you will be able to enroll as a UC student and register for classes.  For instructions on confirming your admission, consult the following guide:

 How to Fill out the Confirmation Admission Form

After confirming your admission, there are additional steps you should take to ensure you are ready to begin your journey at UC. Follow the Transfer & Transition Advising Center’s Transfer Checklist to prepare for your first semester as a Bearcat.