Transfer Credit Options

Quarters vs Semesters

OSU and all of Oregon’s public colleges and universities are on the quarter system. OSU offers four – 10 Week quarters each year with an 11th week being finals.  Most students do Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters.  We start in late September and go through the beginning of December.  Winter Quarter starts the first Monday in January and goes through the middle of March, we have spring break, and then begin Spring Quarter the last week of March and go through the middle of June.

Semesters are 15 weeks in length and semester credits are worth 1.5 quarter credits.  A 3 semester credit class is equivalent to 4.5 quarter credits. A BS degree at a semester school is usually 120 semester hours vs 180 quarter credits at a university on the Quarter System 120 semester hours X 1.5 = 180 quarter credits.  So you are doing the same amount of work – it is just divided up in a different way.

There are many ways to transfer credit into Oregon State University. Please see some of the options below and feel free to email [email protected]  or call 541-737-9472 if you have additional questions about any of these degree/coursework options. Students are NOT required to follow a program/degree option below and may simply opt to meet our transfer admissions requirements.

Oregon Transfer Students

Completion of an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree (AAOT) ensures completion of all lower division Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirements and junior standing for registration. It may be more efficient to use the OSU Baccalaureate Core list than completing the full AAOT.

Completion of an Associate of Science Oregon Transfer Degree- Business (ASOT- B) or the Associate of Science Oregon Transfer Degree- Computer Science (ASOT- CS) ensures completion of all lower division Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirements and junior standing for registration purposes. The ASOT- Business or ASOT- CS degree may include up to 12 approved professional-technical credits as electives.

The Associate of Science (AS) degree is designed for students planning to transfer credits to a baccalaureate degree program at a four-year institution. It allows more freedom in course selection than the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree, but does not guarantee that students will be accepted as having completed all lower division Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirements or junior standing for registration purposes.

 

A Linn-Benton Community College Associate of Science degree awarded after March 2001 ensures completion of all lower division Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirements at OSU.

Students may also pursue Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or Associate of General Studies (AGS) degree. While credits used to complete these degrees are eligible to transfer into OSU and fulfill Bachelor degree requirements, these Associates Degrees do not provide the same guarantees as the Oregon Transfer Degrees (AAOT, ASOT-B/CS, MTM).

The Core Transfer Maps guide students in course selection and support pursuit of a future degree in a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) or non-STEM (general) field. While the Core Transfer Maps are great starting points for students selecting courses, they are NOT complete first-year course plans and do not complete all lower division general education requirements.

  • Students who transfer a CTM to Oregon State University will be granted completion of the following Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirement areas:
    • OSU Skills Courses (OTM Foundational Skills)
      • Writing I (WR 121): College level composition course
      • Mathematics: College level mathematics
    • OSU Perspective Courses (OTM Introduction to the Disciplines)
      • Literature and the Arts
      • Western Culture
      • Cultural Diversity
      • Social Processes and Institutions
      • 2 of the 3 required Biological or Physical Science with Laboratory
    • Please note:  A course used to complete the CTM may ‘best fit’ to complete a major-specific requirement.

A Major Transfer Map is a course plan for a major that, when completed, will allow students to transfer credits from any Oregon community college to any Oregon public university, and count all of the credits identified on the MTM toward a bachelor’s degree in that specific major.

 

Not all MTMs are available at all Oregon Community Colleges. If interested, please check with your community college about the availability of the Major Transfer Maps at your college.

For more information on the Oregon Transfer Module, please visit our page that covers this specifically.

Transfer Students Outside of Oregon

OSU accepts the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) to satisfy lower division Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirements and junior standing for registration purposes. Students interested in the IGETC path to transfer are strongly advised to see an academic advisor prior to enrollment.

The Direct Transfer Associate (DTA) degree awarded by a regionally accredited community college in the state of Washington will satisfy lower division Baccalaureate Core (general education) requirements and junior standing for registration purposes. OSU will accept a maximum of 12 credits in professional, vocational, and technical courses.

The Degree Partnership Program

The Degree Partnership Program (DPP) allows undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's degree to be dually enrolled at both Oregon State University and any of our community college partner schools. This is a great way to complete your OSU degree quickly and affordably.

Visit the Degree Partnership Program page to learn more about the benefits of the program and requirements to apply.

  1. Just take classes at your partner school while having an active student status at OSU which comes with many benefits. You can do this for up to ten terms (about 2 years);
  2. Just take classes at OSU knowing you can take classes at your partner school should you need to; or
  3. You can "Dual Enroll" or take classes on both campuses during any given term (financial aid has the potential to count credits on both campuses towards your enrollment level).

With DPP, you can pursue whatever pathway works best for your situation.

There are many benefits of using DPP to transfer into OSU!

International Transfer Admissions

International transfer students wanting to enter OSU from either another US institution or an institution outside of the US are encouraged to review the international admissions requirements and contact the international admissions office.

Remember, a completed application includes all official transcripts from any college/university in which you have attempted credit.

Are you already admitted? Find out about next steps as an admitted OSU student.