Estimating how your credits may transfer
Before applying to UW, you can use our Pre-Transfer Credit Evaluation resources to estimate how coursework from a Wyoming community college, an out-of-state institution or other prior learning may transfer. These tools are designed to help you plan your academic path, but they are unofficial and do not represent a final transfer credit decision.
Yes! Wyoming community colleges use a common course numbering system, so most courses transfer directly to UW with the same course equivalency and University Studies Program (USP) credit. If a course doesn’t have a direct equivalent, it may transfer as general elective credit. Advisors can also approve substitutions when appropriate.
UW accepts credits from regionally accredited two-year institutions. Courses are reviewed individually, and some may transfer as direct equivalents to UW courses, general electives, or USP credits. However, vocational-technical and developmental courses typically do not transfer. Students can also petition for USP credit consideration.
Yes! Credits from regionally accredited four-year institutions are reviewed on a course-by-course basis. Lower-division courses may transfer as direct equivalents, general electives, or USP credits. Upper-division courses are initially given elective credit, but department faculty can determine if they fulfill major requirements.
Yes, but international transcripts require additional steps. If your school’s catalog is not online, you must provide course descriptions and/or syllabi for faculty review. If documents are not in English, a certified translation is required. UW’s Admissions Office will conduct an initial review before sending courses to faculty for evaluation.
UW only accepts credit from regionally accredited institutions. If your school meets this standard, eligible coursework will be reviewed individually. Vocational-technical or developmental courses generally do not transfer.
UW follows national credit conversion standards. Since quarter-system credits are worth 2/3 of semester credits, a three-course sequence in a quarter system may only equal two semester courses at UW.
Yes! UW reviews American Council on Education (ACE) military transcripts and may grant credit for formal training courses related to UW subjects. However, credit is not awarded for on-the-job training or short courses. Accredited military schools like service academies, the Defense Language Institute, or the Community College of the Air Force are reviewed like any other college.
Your transfer GPA is used to determine admission eligibility and scholarship consideration at the University of Wyoming. Once you enroll, however, only coursework completed at UW is included in your official UW GPA. Transfer coursework appears on your academic record and may apply toward degree requirements, but it does not factor into your UW grade point average.
Understanding official Transfer Credit Evaluations
Once you've been admitted to the University of Wyoming and we've received all of your official transcripts, the Office of the Registrar will complete your official transfer credit evaluation. You'll be notified through your UW email when your evaluation is complete and can review how your transfer credits apply toward your degree.
Transfer credit evaluations are completed after all required official transcripts are received.
Processing times may vary depending on:
- the number of transcripts submitted
- the complexity of your coursework
- whether additional review is required
Be sure to check your UW email for updates.
Transfer credit is evaluated after the Office of Admissions receives official transcripts from all previously attended institutions. Once received, the Office of the Registrar reviews your coursework to determine how it transfers to the University of Wyoming.
Courses are evaluated in one of two ways:
- Direct equivalency to UW courses
- Elective credit (such as ELEC 1000 or ELEC 2000)
Some coursework—particularly upper-division courses—may also require additional review by academic departments or faculty.
Not all transfer courses will match a specific UW course. When a direct equivalent is not available, the course may be awarded elective credit. This means the course has transferred, but it may not immediately apply to a specific degree requirement.
How your transferred credits apply toward your degree depends on your major, program requirements and academic advising. While transfer credit determines what comes into UW, degree applicability determines how those credits are used toward graduation requirements. A course may transfer successfully but not apply directly to your program of study.
Some transfer courses may require additional review before a final credit decision can be made. This is more common for upper-division coursework, courses without clear UW equivalents or specialized or discipline-specific classes.
If you believe a course should be evaluated differently, you may request a Transfer Credit Review. This process allows you to request equivalency to a specific UW course, request that a course fulfill a degree requirement or submit additional materials such as a syllabus for evaluation.
Final decisions regarding transfer credit are made by the Office of the Registrar and UW faculty.
Students who complete a qualifying Associate Degree satisfy most lower-division University Studies Program (USP) general education requirements at UW. Students transferring to UW with an Associates of Applied Science will have their Qualitative Reasoning (Q), COM1 and First Year Seminar (FYS) waived.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.