Transferring Credit to Montana State
MSU accepts Advanced Placement and International Baccaluareate exams with qualifying
scores, as well as Dual- Enrollment college-level coursework from a regionally-accredited
college or university. Explore your options below!
Advanced Placement
Below, you will find a list of Advanced Placement courses and their counterparts at Montana State University. Most exams require a score of 3 or better to count toward college credit. Please note that some courses require a score of 4 or better. In addition, more credit may be earned in some cases for higher exam scores. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected].
International Baccalaureate
Below, you will find a list of International Baccalaureate courses and their counterparts
at Montana State University. Most exams require a score of 4 or better to count toward college credit. Please note that some courses may be brought in at
the "Standard Level" (SL) while others require the "High Level" (HL) exam. In addition, more credit may be earned in some cases for higher exam scores.
If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected].
Dual Enrollment
Montana State University can count college-level coursework from any regionally-accredited
college or university toward a student's degree. To explore what you may receive credit
for, please use our transfer equivalency guide. Please note that courses you have taken may not show up on the transfer equivalency
guide; this means that we have not previously seen a student transfer in to Montana
State with those courses. Remember to send an official copy of your transcript to our office to receive official credit for your coursework. If you have questions,
please contact us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
Before Credit Evaluation
Before your transfer credits can be evaluated, the Office of Admissions must receive all of your official transcripts. Your credits will be evaluated after you have been admitted to MSU and you register for orientation.
Please request official transcripts to be sent directly from all institutions you have attended.
Official transcripts must be requested and sent either by mail or by a secure electronic transcript service (Parchment, National Student Clearing house, etc.). Transcripts are NOT official if sent by email.
If you choose to send by mail, use the following address:
MSU Office of Admissions
201 Strand Union Building (SUB)
P.O. Box 172190
Bozeman, MT 59717-2190
Please note that all faxed or emailed out-of-state transcripts are considered unofficial. However, those faxed directly from another Montana University System in-state institution with a macrao-fax stamp are accepted as official.
•All undergraduate college-level credits from regionally accredited institutions.
•Dual-enrollment credits earned and posted on a college (not high school) transcript.
•Credits earned from Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB)
scores, which must be sent directly from the testing agency.
•Credits that apply to an AAS degree (maximum of 30 elective credits).
•Military credits (maximum of 30 elective credits).
Eligible credits will transfer as direct equivalents to MSU courses or as elective
credit with or without CORE. A course must be at least two semester credits and have
a grade of C- or higher (with no pass/fail grading) to count for MSU CORE. For more
information, please visit our CORE curriculum website.
To see how courses have previously transferred to MSU, go to MyInfo, then choose “Transfer Equivalencies” and the relevant state and institution. If
a course is not listed, it will be evaluated directly from your transcript.
•For AP credit, see our AP equivalency guide.
•For IB credit, see our IB equivalency guide.
A course-by-course evaluation will not be done. MSU CORE requirements are considered complete.
Any student who has attempted 12 or more college-level credits from a regionally accredited
institution after graduating from high school is classified as a transfer student.
Freshman and transfer students should submit all official transcripts/scores to MSU
for evaluation.
After Credit Evaluation
After your credits are evaluated, you will receive a Transfer Equivalency Worksheet in the mail. You can also view your transfer credit evaluation online.
•Go to our MyInfo student portal.
•From the list, choose “Log into MyInfo”. Follow the Login Instructions.
•Click on the “Student Services” tab.
•Click on the “DegreeWorks” link. Here you will see how your transfer credits apply
to the degree program you wish to pursue at MSU.
Your Academic Advisor will use DegreeWorks to help you select courses during Orientation/Class Registration. Questions about your transfer credit should be directed to your Admissions Evaluator,
to your Academic Advisor, or to the department through which a possible equivalent
course is offered. Academic advisors and departments are authorized to substitute
transfer courses for curriculum requirements.
•Appeals regarding transfer credit are handled by the Core Equivalency Review Committee
(CERC) and the Graduation and Admission Requirements Committee (GARC). For more information,
please visit the Registrar's Office website.
CORE courses are specific, general education categories that every major at MSU must fulfill. The ten categories are listed below. If the MSU course number listed above includes an abbreviation, it may satisfy a CORE course! Your academic advisor will be able to provide additional information and guidance during your advising sessions. Often times, Advanced Placement, International Bacclaureatte or Dual Enrollment can count toward CORE courses at Montana State.
Core Categories:
CS: Contemporary Issues in Science
IA: Inquiry Arts
IN: Inquiry Natural Science
Q: Quantitative
US: University Seminar
D: Diversity Diversity
IH: Inquiry Humanities
IS: Inquiry Social Science
R: Research & Creative Experience
•Go to your Admissions Checklist by logging in to MyInfo.
*If you see a checkmark, we have received your final, official transcript.
*If you do not see a checkmark, we will still need your final, official transcript.
We may have your transcript showing work in progress.
•Contact the MSU Office of Admissions: [email protected] or 406-994-2452.