Transfer Admission
A transfer student is any undergraduate who has attempted more than 6 credit hours, excluding "0-level" courses and pre-college work, such as concurrent hours earned in high school.
To transfer to USAO from another Oklahoma State System Institution, a student must fulfill one of the following criteria:
- Originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met USAO’s high school curricular and performance requirements and earned at least an overall retention/graduation GPA of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) on all college coursework elsewhere; or
- Originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met USAO’s high school curricular requirements but not the performance requirements and earned at least an overall retention/graduation GPA of 2.00 on at least 24 attempted term credit hours of regularly graded (A, B, C, D, F) college work; or
- Originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met USAO’s performance requirements but not the curricular requirements, have earned (on high school coursework) an overall GPA equal to a 2.00 (on a 4-point scale), and have satisfactorily completed Science and Arts’ high school curricular requirements before transferring; or
- Originally (prior to beginning college anywhere) have met neither USAO’s curricular nor performance requirements but have earned an overall 2.00 GPA on at least 24 attempted term credit hours of regularly graded (A, B, C, D, F) college work, and completed USAO's curricular requirements before transferring.
Depending on the status of the individual student, other requirements may be pertinent. All transfer students should consult the Admissions Office for information.
A student transferring from another college or university must be in good standing at that institution. If a student has earned fewer than 24 credit hours, he or she must present a high school transcript or GED, and ACT scores.
Non-Native Speakers of English
Transfer students who are non-native speakers of English must meet the same transfer admission standards as outlined above, dependent upon their educational background or have attended a college or university where English is the primary teaching language in a country where English is a primary language and that is recognized by professional organizations in the U.S. involved in admissions and international education for a minimum of 24 semester credit hours with passing grades, including courses equivalent to USAO’s IDS-1113 and IDS-1213, and also meet other transfer requirements.
Students with less than 24 hours from a college or university where English is the primary teaching language in a country where English is a primary language and that is recognized by professional organizations in the U.S. involved in admissions and international education must meet the language requirements (TOEFL or IELTS) for first-time undergraduate students (see paragraph 9 below).
Transfer on Probation
Students who do not meet the academic criteria above, but have not been formally suspended, may be admitted as transfer probation students. These students must maintain a 2.00 GPA each term while on probation until they raise their retention/graduation GPA to a 2.00 level. Any transfer student with curriculum deficiencies must remove the deficiencies within the first 12 hours of enrollment.
Reinstatement of Suspended Students at System Institutions
Research indicates that many times students suspended from one institution may succeed in a new academic environment if given the opportunity. Such students, therefore, may, at the discretion of the receiving institution, be admitted and such admission would be probationary.
Transfer of Course Credit
Transcripts of record from colleges or universities accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) will be given full value. Transcripts of record from degree-granting institutions accredited by organizations other than the HLC and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for the purpose of accrediting institutions of higher education may be accepted in transfer when appropriate to the student’s degree program and when Science and Arts has had an opportunity to validate the courses or programs. Credits from some technical and professional schools may not be applicable toward degree requirements at USAO due to the highly technical or specialized nature of the coursework.
Transfer work is counted as lower-division or upper-division credit, depending on the level at which it was offered at the institution where it was earned. Two-year college work is accepted only as lower-division credit.
To make course transfer decisions easier, students will want to consult the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education website and look at the course transfer matrix that outlines courses which will transfer among Oklahoma’s public colleges and universities. To do this use www.okhighered.org, click on “Students,” then “Transfer Students,” then “Course Transfer.” Students can select the discipline under which the course falls for the school year desired, then the equivalent courses will be displayed. For independent (private) colleges and universities, transfer guidelines vary from institution to institution. A student will need to check with the institution he or she wishes to attend for additional information. For transfer courses to count toward the major or general education core a grade of at least a “C” must be earned. A currently enrolled student must have prior approval from his/her advisor and the Registrar's Office before courses will be accepted in transfer and applied to the student's degree program.
A maximum of 61 credit hours of junior college coursework may count toward the baccalaureate degree at USAO. Students who hold associate in arts, associate in science, or baccalaureate degrees and who transfer from accredited junior colleges or four-year colleges or universities of Oklahoma will be considered by USAO as having met general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree from USAO. In addition to the general education requirements, specific programs or fields may call for particular GPAs. Students transferring to USAO without an associate degree in arts/science or baccalaureate degrees must meet the same general education requirements as first-time entering freshmen.
State System Articulation Policy
In accordance with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, USAO fully participates in the articulation policy for the transfer of students among Oklahoma public institutions. A student transferring to USAO with an associate of arts or an associate of science degree from any state system institution will be considered to have met general education requirements of the baccalaureate degree. Some students may have to take additional courses in general education to meet minimum professional certification requirements as defined by the state.
Teacher education candidates may need to take additional courses in general education to meet the minimum certification requirements as defined by the State of Oklahoma, including health and physical education, geography, mathematics, science, or similar additional requirements of other professional fields.
General education credit earned with a grade of “C” or better by the transferring student at accredited colleges within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education will apply toward baccalaureate degrees in the same way the credit would apply at the institution at which the credit was earned. General education credit earned at non-state institutions will be reviewed for acceptance by the Registrar.