Other Transfer Options
Who is a MassTransfer student?
MassTransfer is a statewide agreement for students transferring within the Massachusetts Public Higher Education System. The System schools are comprised of the 15 community colleges, state universities, the four UMass campuses, the Massachusetts College of Art & Design (MassArt) and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MassMaritime). With MassTransfer, students who complete the Gen Ed Foundation will have the benefit of satisfying the general education/distribution/core requirements at any other public higher education institution. Students who complete an A2B Degree receive the full transfer of credit, guaranteed admission, and a discount based on your final GPA.
Reverse Transfer
Students who transferred from a community college prior to completing their associate degree may apply to have credits transferred back to the community college from the state university or UMass campus. Doing so would allow students to retroactively earn their associate degree while continuing their progress on bachelor’s degree completion.
What are my other options?
Course Equivalency Database
If you are not following one of the MassTransfer A2B pathways, you can use the Course Equivalency Database to search for equivalencies between our community colleges, state universities, and UMass campuses.
Please note that the Course Equivalency Database is meant to assist with transfer planning, but the information presented here is subject to change and verification by the institution to which you are applying for transfer. Please meet regularly with your academic advisor to discuss equivalency and transfer information and to carefully plan your progress.
Campus Equivalency Guides
Many community colleges have additional transfer agreements with public and private colleges and universities that do not fall under the MassTransfer policy. Review individual campus equivalency guides, talk to your academic advisor, and reach out to the school you'd like to transfer to for more information. You may also want to consider these tips:
- If you don’t know where you want to transfer, completing the general education requirements of your current institution is a great place to start. Taking courses that are more likely to transfer widely will help keep your options open. Most of the courses that satisfy general education requirements are widely transferable.
- Even though a course may be accepted as transfer credit, it may not be accepted as credit toward the major but instead would be considered an elective. Electives aren't bad! Most bachelor's degrees have room for several electives that do count towards degree completion. Make sure to collaborate with your academic advisor to carefully plan the courses that you take.
- Transferred courses may be subject to minimum grade requirements. Typically, a state university or UMass campus will accept equivalent college-level coursework from regionally accredited institutions with a grade of "C-" or better. However, higher grades may be required for progress in particular majors or for admission into selective programs.
Massachusetts Independent College Transfer Guarantee
The Massachusetts Independent College Transfer Guarantee (MA-Guarantee) is a partnership agreement between Massachusetts community colleges and numerous private colleges and universities. Modeled upon the MassTransfer A2B program, Massachusetts community college graduates are able to expand their transfer options while staying on track to complete their degree.
