Graduate Transfer Credit

The Graduate School allows students to transfer credits for previous graduate-level coursework under the conditions detailed below. Any prior coursework accepted for transfer must meet the expectations of graduate work for the graduate degree (master’s or doctoral degree) or academic product (certificate or microcredential, see Faculty Documents 3206R3 or 3393R1, respectively). 

Credit toward a graduate degree does not transfer automatically. Individual programs may apply more stringent requirements. 

A form for Graduate Transfer Credit Evaluation is available at the UW-Milwaukee Graduate School website.  

1. Transfer credit eligibility.
   To qualify for transfer, graduate credits must meet the following minimum criteria:*
   • Coursework must have been completed at a nationally- or internationally- accredited institution. 
   • Coursework must appear on an official transcript. 
   • Coursework must fulfill a requirement for the student’s UW-Milwaukee graduate degree. 
   • Coursework must be at the graduate-level. 
   • Transfer credits must have been earned within five years of admission to the UW-Milwaukee graduate degree. 
   • Grade of B or better for graduate-level courses completed at external universities. 
   • Grade of C- or better for graduate-level courses completed at UW-Milwaukee. 
   • Students must be in good standing at UW-Milwaukee and at the institutions at which the transferable credits were earned.  
   • Coursework must be approved by the student’s UW-Milwaukee graduate program. 
     
     * NOTE:  Individual programs have the autonomy to apply more stringent requirements. 
2. Limitations or restrictions on use of graduate credit(s) toward a UW-Milwaukee graduate degree.
   • Coursework cannot have been used toward another master’s or doctoral degree. 
   • Credit/no-credit or Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades are not eligible for transfer. 
   • Thesis/research hours from another institution are not eligible for transfer. 
   • Grades from external transfer credits will NOT count towards the graduate career GPA. 
   • Transfer credits cannot be used to satisfy any residency requirements. 
   • Some programs may require more rigorous credit requirements than the Graduate School’s minimum requirements, which may impact transferability of credits. (Students should contact their graduate program representative for further information.) 
   • Credits from external institutions do NOT count toward a UW-Milwaukee graduate microcredential. 

3. Transfer credit maximums.
   The number of transfer credit hours that may be transferred is determined on an individual basis, up to the limits identified.  Individual programs may apply more stringent requirements; transfer credits are not guaranteed.
   
   The total/sum of (transfer credits + prior learning credits) cannot exceed the limit for transfer credits as identified below. The use of Prior Learning Credits, will thus reduce the number of transfer credits allowable. See policy for Prior Learning Assessment (Fac Doc 3320). 

Transfer Credits To

4. Required documentation for evaluation of transfer credits. 
   1. UW-Milwaukee coursework/credits do NOT require transcript submission. 
   2. Coursework/credits from external institutions DO require an official transcript(s). Applicants should arrange to have these sent directly to the UW-Milwaukee Graduate School.  Unofficial transcripts are NOT accepted.   
   3. Credits earned more than five years prior to admission to a master’s degree or doctoral degree are not eligible for transfer. 
5. Graduate-level credits that DO require evaluation for transfer. 
   1. Graduate credits earned as a UW-Milwaukee graduate degree student. 
   2. Graduate credits earned with non-degree status at UW-Milwaukee. 
      If approved, these credits will be noted on the graduate transcript as transfer credits, but the courses remain as non-degree status. 
   3. Graduate credits earned through a UW-Milwaukee certificate (not completed concurrent with the graduate degree). 
   4. Graduate credits earned through a UW-Milwaukee microcredential (not completed concurrent with the graduate degree). 
   5. Graduate credits earned at external, nationally-accredited institutions.  
   6. Graduate credits earned for formal military service school graduate-level courses that have received positive recommendation by the Commission on Accreditation for Service Experiences of the American Council on Education as stated in the ACE’s “Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services”.  Transfer of military coursework must meet all other criteria for transfer credit, and are reviewed similarly to credit from external universities. 
   7. Graduate credits earned at an accredited international university. 
   8. Undergraduate credits earned at UW-Milwaukee or at other institutions. 
      A student’s graduate program may decide to transfer up to six graduate-level credits that were completed as an undergraduate student at UW–Milwaukee or an external, nationally-accredited institution. Transfer credits from external institutions must be equivalent to the rigor of graduate-level UW-Milwaukee courses. The credits are noted on the transcript in the graduate career as transfer credits, but the courses remain on the undergraduate transcript if taken at UW-Milwaukee. 
6. Graduate-level credits that do NOT require evaluation for transfer. 
   For students admitted to a PhD program with a master’s degree, graduate credits achieved as part of the master’s degree program may be counted toward the doctoral program with the approval of the doctoral program. These credits are not transferred to the student’s UW-Milwaukee graduate transcript.