Transfer Students

Applicants who have attended any other college or university after high school are considered for admission as transfer students. Applicants who have completed fewer than 12 semester credit hours (or 18 quarter hours) of college-level course work after high school graduation will be reviewed based on both high school and college performance. College level credits earned during high school are eligible for transfer credit, however grades in those courses do not count toward the transfer GPA that we use in our admissions decision or in the awarding of transfer scholarships.

Applicants are admitted in good standing if they have a 2.00 overall grade point average on a 4.00 scale for college-level courses taken at all post-secondary institutions attended after high school and are eligible to return to the last institution attended. Academic departments may have additional requirements for admission to specific programs.

Follow this link for information on Credit Transfer.

Application Instructions

1. Complete the undergraduate application for admission form. If you have previously applied, please notify the Admissions Office. We keep previous applications on file for one year. Students who are applying to be dually enrolled at NMU while still attending high school should also complete the dual enrollment-permission to enroll form available from the NMU Admissions Office.

   Canadian citizens may complete the online application for admission and the supplement for Canadian students.

2. Application Fee - Submit the $30 application fee. Students may mail a check or money order or can pay by credit card by calling 1-800-682-9797 or 1-906-227-2650. You may also pay online. To apply for a fee waiver, please provide a letter of request and reason. This could be from the applicant, parent, college official, or agency aware of the financial situation. 
3. Transcripts - Request your official college/university/trade school transcripts be sent to the Admissions Office. You must have an official transcript submitted directly from each institution you attended even if no credits were earned. .

   Transcripts from foreign institutions need to be sent to an external agency for evaluation, unless the school holds a U.S. regional accreditation. Transcripts not issued in English must be accompanied by a same format, word-for-word English translation.

   Electronic transcripts sent to NMU via Docufide and Escrip-safe are considered official. 

   Note: Non-degree applicants, transfer applicants who have completed more than 12 college-level credits after high school, and post-baccalaureate applicants are not required to submit high school transcripts. Re-entry applicants only need to supply transcripts from institutions attended since their last attendance at NMU.

4. Test Scores - ACT or SAT scores are not required for transfer students unless they have completed less than 12 college-level credits after high school.
5. Awarding Transfer Credit - Within a few weeks of being admitted to NMU, transfer applicants will receive an evaluation of their submitted transcripts detailing their transfer credit. Generally, college level courses with grades of a C- or better from regionally accredited institutions will transfer. Courses with grades of D+, D, D-, E or F will not be considered for transfer credit, nor will doctrinal religion courses.  Some departments require a minimum grade of C or better to count towards meeting degree requirements.  Students majoring in education who are completing the equivalent of NMU's EN 111, College Composition I, must earn a grade of C or better. Transfer students do not carry in their previous grade point average and will earn an NMU grade point average after the first semester of attendance.

   An extensive list of transfer guides are available as program summaries organized by your intended NMU major or as course-by-course equivalencies . In each case, start by picking the college you are transferring credit from to find the coordinating NMU major or course name. If your school is not listed, please request a customized guide.

What happens next?

Shortly after a transfer student receives a letter of acceptance, an official evaluation of transfer credits is provided. Most collegiate-level courses with passing grades are given very favorable consideration (see above).

How are courses evaluated for transfer to NMU? When the content of a transfer course is determined to be equivalent to a Northern course and the credits for the course are at least half that of the Northern course, the Northern course is awarded. If the transferable course has fewer credit hours than Northern's course, the lower amount is awarded.

In situations where students are seeking transfer credit for courses where there has not been an equivalency established or where there has been a significant lapse of time since Northern last evaluated the course, the student may be asked to provide additional information for use in determining the appropriate course equivalency.

Students transferring credit from two-year colleges may transfer a maximum of 64 semester credit hours and an additional 4 semester credit hours of physical education. In situations where more than 64 semester credit hours are completed at a two-year college level, the most applicable courses to a student's intended major are transferred. There is no maximum credit limit for four-year colleges or universities.*

* If the number of credits you will transfer exceeds the number of credits required to earn your NMU degree, please contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss any potential impact on your scholarship and/or financial aid eligibility.

Questions regarding a transfer course evaluation should be directed to an NMU transfer admissions counselor. Call 800-682-9797 or send an e-mail to transfer@nmu.edu.