Transfer Credits and the USM Core

Transfer Students and the USM Core

USM is committed to the success of our large and diverse transfer population by awarding credit for students’ prior learning while helping them successfully make the transition to USM’s upper level Core requirements.

Credit for prior course work

Students transferring 24 or more credit hours are exempted from completing the Entry Year Experience requirement.

Students may meet any of their USM Core requirements through transfer.  The University of Maine System maintains a list of all transfer equivalencies.  This list is available at the Maine Street Log in Page, under Quick Links. 

USM accepts hundreds of courses from our community college and other transfer partners for Core credit.  These courses transfer directly to satisfy USM’s College Writing, Quantitative Decision Making, Socio-cultural Analysis, Creative Expression, Cultural Interpretation, Science Exploration, International, and Diversity requirements.

Advanced transfer students with 84 or more transfer credits may submit an appropriate (intermediate level or above) transfer course to satisfy their Ethical Inquiry, Social Responsibility, and Citizenship requirement, USM’s transfer transition course. 

Students complete their Capstone as part of their major, usually in their senior year and as part of their residency requirement.

USM is in the process of identifying transfer equivalents for our new Thematic Clusters.  Thematic Cluster courses are at the intermediate to advanced level; because there are few pre-existing transfer equivalents for these courses we don't yet have as many equivalent courses for the clusters as we hope to have.  If you think you took an equivalent course at another institution, contact the Core office at 780-4755 for help.

Transfer equivalents from Maine Community Colleges

Central Maine, Southern Maine,  and York County Community Colleges offer a wide variety of courses which satisfy USM Core requirements.Once each semester equivalencies from our Community College partners will be provided in PDF form here.  These lists are only updated once a semester, and may not include the most recent transfer equivalents.

USM Core/Central Maine Community College Equivalents

USM Core/Southern Maine Community College Equivalents

USM Core/York County Community College Equivalents

The most up-to-date information on transferring credits to USM is available on Maine Street in the Transfer Course Equivalencies list. To use this list:

 1. click on the Transfer Course Equivalencies button under quick links.

2. click on Transfer courses or test credit to the Univ. of Maine System. 

3. Select USM from the menu. 

4. Click on the letter that corresponds to the first letter of the institution from which you are transferring credit (e.g., "S" for Southern Maine Community College).

5. Find the transfer-from institution on the list and click on it.  A list will come up with  courses and their transfer equivalence to USM courses and requirements. Core equivalents are listed in the far right column.

If you need more information about how your credits will transfer to meet USM's Core requirements, call 207-780-4755 or e-mail smcwilms@usm.maine.edu.  Or you may contact USM's Office of Transfer Admission at (207) 780-5340 or transfer@usm.maine.edu

Waivers and Petitions:

Instructions on requesting a waiver or petitioning for a substitution.