At the University of Southern Maine (USM), you can choose from a wide spectrum of affordable, flexible degree programs, including six that you can achieve fully online. Our transfer process makes it possible to continue on your current academic path or explore new directions.

If you attended one or more colleges or universities before the first autumn following your high school graduation or high school equivalency credential completion, we consider you a transfer student.

Visit our apply page to review our requirements.

We consider transfer credit if you received a grade of C– or higher for your completed coursework at a regionally accredited college and/or university.

We accept grades of P, S, and CR when a transcript indicates that the equivalent grade is a C– or higher.

We operate on a semester system and will convert any credits transferred from schools with quarter or unit systems to semester credit hours.

After you are admitted, our Transfer Affairs staff in the Office of Admissions will complete an official Transfer Credit Evaluation of your completed college coursework from other institutions. This process usually takes several weeks and you will receive an email notification when your report is available in MaineStreet.

You can use the following tools to estimate how your earned credits could transfer to USM before you apply — or before your official Transfer Credit Evaluation is ready:

  • Transfer Course Equivalencies
    • If you don’t have a maine.edu account:
      • Visit MaineStreet 
      • You do not need to sign in to use this tool
      • Look for the “Transfer Course Equivalencies” link below the User ID and Password fields
    • If you have a maine.edu account:
      • Log in to MaineStreet
      • Select Student Center
      • Look for the “Transfer Equivalencies” section toward the bottom of the page and select View Transfer Equivalencies
      • Follow the prompts to discover how your existing credits from other colleges and universities transfer to academic programs in the University of Maine System
      • Contact our Help Desk if you need assistance
  • Transfer Guides for Maine colleges and universities
    • The University of Maine System developed a series of transfer guides that explain how coursework at other Maine colleges and universities may fit into one of our degree programs.

If your college, university, or specific course is not available in either tool or if you have questions regarding the Transfer Credit Evaluation process, send us an email or call 207-780-5340.

While all of our bachelor’s degree programs require a minimum of 120 credits, you must complete at least 30 of your final 45 credits at USM to earn your bachelor’s degree with transfer credit.

NOTE: We do not include your transfer credits from past institutions in your overall grade point average (GPA) calculation at USM. However, grades from other colleges and universities do appear on your USM transcript.

Your official Transfer Credit Report will indicate if any of your transferred coursework satisfies any of our core curriculum requirements (look for the “Core Requirements” column in your report).

For students who currently hold a 2- or 4-year degree

We will waive core curriculum requirements — except for the capstone — if you hold one or more of the following degrees from a regionally accredited institution:

  • An Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts
  • An Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies
  • A bachelor’s degree
    • We evaluate courses applicable to your new degree and/or prerequisites for transfer credit
    • Any extra courses are grouped into a block of additional credits

Our Credit for Prior Learning Office can help you get college credit for work, life, and military experience through standardized exams, credential review, and/or portfolio assessment.

With the help of the Maine Community College System, we mapped out paths from many of their associate degree programs to our bachelor’s degree programs. If your degree is not listed, you still have the opportunity to transfer your earned credits — see the “How can I find out if my credits will transfer?” section on this page.

If you’re currently completing coursework for your associate degree from a Maine community college, we urge you to do the following:

  1. Review our Transfer Agreements and/or our transfer guides
    • Make sure you’re fulfilling your community college requirements and
    • Make sure you’re fulfilling the outlined requirements for the USM degree program in which you want to enroll.
  2. Complete your associate degree at your community college

ConnectED Pathways

We nurture an innovative partnership with the following schools to streamline your transfer paperwork for programs with Transfer Agreements:

  • Southern Maine Community College (SMCC)
  • Central Maine Community College (CMCC)
  • York County Community College (YCCC)
Learn about ConnectED Pathways

If you transfer to a four-year institution before completing your associate degree, you may be able to get your previous achievements recognized through a Reverse Transfer Agreement.

This process transmits academic credits for coursework you complete as a transfer student at a four-year institution back to the community college you initially attended to satisfy the requirements to earn an associate degree.

All University of Maine System institutions hold Reverse Transfer Agreements with all Maine Community College System (MCCS) institutions. Under these agreements, you could be granted an associate degree by combining credits you earn as a transfer student at USM with credits you earned previously from an MCCS institution.

An admissions counselor can help you navigate the transfer process or grant you an instant admissions decision* during a 30-minute appointment.
Learn about Transfer Talks

*Provided you submit your application and all supporting materials at least five business days before your scheduled appointment.