Current Students

Currently enrolled UM students interested in taking courses at other institutions must complete the Transfer Credit Evaluation Process for credit to be awarded by the University of Miami.*

This process will:

• ensure that a uniform process is followed for awarding outside work credit toward a UM degree.
• ensure that the student is aware of and following all residency rules.
• confirm that courses taken at the outside institution will transfer back to UM correctly. The Transfer Credit Evaluation Form must be submitted before taking the course. Courses taken outside of UM without preapproval are at risk of not being accepted for transfer credit.
• ensure that decisions to award credit for transfer work are made only by qualified faculty.

Transfer credits fall into two categories: those which serve as equivalents for a numbered course at UM ("equivalencies"), and those which do not ("elective credit"). Both sorts of approved transfer courses count toward completion of the credits required for graduation. Equivalencies may also count toward completion of specific courses in majors, minors, and cognates, or which serve to fulfill other degree or General Education proficiency requirements. All courses that have been accepted from another institution as either an equivalency or for elective credit are considered transfer credits.

• Equivalencies must be approved by the appropriate UM department.
• Only credit bearing courses from Regionally Accredited Institutions will be awarded transfer credits.
• Transfer credit will not be granted for coursework taken at another institution during the same term the student is enrolled at UM. Summer intersessions and sessions A, B, and C constitute a single term. Therefore, for example, a student enrolled at UM in any summer term will not receive transfer credit from another institution completed during the same summer.
• International credits and/or half or quarter semester credits from any institution, including domestic universities and colleges, may not be awarded full units of UM transfer credit. For example, a course earning 5 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits, if approved, is awarded 2.5 transfer credits at UM. Similarly, a four-credit course taken at a domestic institution on a "quarter" system may only be approved for 2.67 hours of UM transfer credit.

1. Access MATES Form: Log in to the MATES form, located here.

2. Enter Coursework: Input the coursework you plan to take at the outside institution into the form along with your syllabus and any other documentation that you may have. Submitting incorrect documents at this stage of the process can delay your evaluation.

3. Submit MATES Form: Classes that have already been evaluated and approved will not go through the review process and you will be given a decision at that point. Classes that do need to be reviewed will then be sent to a faculty evaluator who will review and determine the course equivalency.

4. Faculty Evaluation: The faculty evaluator will carefully review the course material and make a determination on whether the course(s) are approved for transfer credit. This process ensures that all courses are evaluated thoroughly.

5. Notification of Decision: You will receive notification from the faculty evaluator regarding the approval status of the course(s). The decision will be one of the following: accepted with a direct equivalent, accepted without a direct equivalent, more documentation required, or not accepted.

6. Final Steps: If the course(s) are approved, you will need to ensure that official transcripts are sent to the University of Miami upon completion of the course(s). The credits will then be added to your record.

Upon completion of your review, you will receive a response from the faculty member informing you of their decision. The decisions are as follows:

• Accepted With a Direct Equivalent – the class will be accepted and has a direct equivalent at the University of Miami *Official transcripts will be required upon completion of the class*
  
  
• Accepted Without a Direct Equivalent – the class will be accepted but it does not have a direct equivalent and will therefore only satisfy a general elective requirement *Official transcripts will be required upon completion of the class*
  
  
• More Documentation Required – The faculty member has found that the documents provided did not have enough information to determine if the class should be accepted or not.
  
  
• Not Accepted – The faculty find that the class and the material will not be accepted as a direct equivalent or elective.  Your email response from the faculty member will provide more specific details.

Writing Studies

• English Composition/first-year writing courses should be assessed by the Writing Studies Department (WRS). Courses that focus primarily on literary texts, such as poetry and fiction, should be assessed by the English Department (ENG).

Math

• All Calculus courses must have prior approval from the department to receive equivalencies.
• Math courses completed online will not be accepted, without prior approval.

Physics

• Physics courses must have prior approval from the department to receive equivalencies.

English

• Courses that focus primarily on literary texts, such as poetry and fiction, should be assessed by the English Department (ENG).
• English courses completed online will not be accepted without prior approval from the department.
• Students need to submit syllabi that include specific reading requirements and writing assignments for the semester.

History

• History courses completed online will not be accepted without prior approval from the department.

Miami Herbert Business School

• After being admitted to UM, students must complete all business coursework in residence, including coursework required by the Business Core and specific coursework for the business major and minor areas of specialization. 
• This policy applies equally to non-business students.
• No business coursework outside Miami Herbert Business School will be approved for equivalency or elective credit at UM.
• Any appeal for an exception to this policy must be submitted in writing to the Office of Undergraduate Business Education, prior to completion of the course.

Modern Languages

• Please be advised that no equivalency will be granted for asynchronous online courses. The equivalencies are for courses taken in person, hybrid, or online in synchronous format (Zoom).
• Florida Public Institutions
  • UM has standing equivalencies for the following courses taught face to face or synchronous at Florida state institutions (e.g.:  Miami Dade College, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, etc.). Please note that Modern Languages and Literatures does not give transfer equivalency for asynchronous online courses.
    • SPA1120=SPA101 
    • SPA1121=SPA102
    • SPN 1130=SPA101 
    • SPN 1131=SPA102
    • SPA2340=SPA107
• For these courses at Florida’s public institutions, you do not need an equivalency evaluation.  It is sufficient to take the course and have the transcript sent to the UM registrar.  Nonetheless, as with all equivalencies, the MLL Dept. cannot guarantee that these courses will prepare you well for the subsequent course in the sequence at UM.
• For an elementary or intermediate language course to be equivalent to a UM language course it must be conducted entirely in the target language and cover the 4 language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
• UM's 201:  If you are looking for a course that might be equivalent to UM's 201, typically such a course will have a title similar to "Intermediate French/German/Spanish I," "Third Semester French/German/Spanish," or “French/German/Spanish 3.”  Please note, however, that the course must be taught entirely in the language of study using a communicative method and must include oral and written exams and compositions to be a candidate for equivalency with UM’s 201.
• No equivalency is granted for asynchronous online courses. Hybrid courses with 25% or less of contact hours occurring virtually/in a language lab are acceptable. In other words, the equivalent course must be at least 75% in person or synchronous.