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 Foundational Core requirements and junior standing for registration. It may be more efficient to use the Core Education list, or work towards completion of a Core Transfer Map (CTM), rather than completing the full AAOT. More information regarding how this program meets general education requirements is found on the Core Education Transfer Credit page.

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 Foundational Core (Core 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. More information regarding how this program meets general education requirements is found on the Core Education Transfer Credit page.

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 provide the same guarantees as the Oregon Transfer Degrees (AAOT, ASOT-B/CS, MTM).

A Linn-Benton Community College Associate of Science degree awarded after March 2001 ensures completion of all lower division Foundational Core (Core Education) requirements at OSU. More information regarding how this program meets general education requirements is found on the Core Education Transfer Credit page.

Students may also pursue an 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’s degree requirements, these associate’s 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. These maps are great starting points for students selecting courses but they are NOT complete first-year course plans. They do meet all Foundational Core (Core Education) Requirements except for our Difference, Power, and Oppression: Foundations course requirement. More information regarding how this program meets general education requirements is found on the Major Transfer Maps page.

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. Oregon State University accepts all Major Transfer Maps that are available.  Please review OSU’s Major Transfer Map page to see how these MTMs prepare students for specific majors at OSU.

The Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) is a group of general education courses equal to about one year of college (three academic quarters). It’s designed to help students transfer credits more smoothly between Oregon colleges and universities. The OTM can be a useful starting point for students who haven’t chosen a major yet, who change majors early on, or who take college-level courses in high school. For students completing only the OTM, transfer courses that satisfy OTM requirements will be evaluated and applied to OSU degrees on a course-by-course basis. Completion of the OTM does not guarantee any specific categories or fulfillment of general education requirements at Oregon State University.

Students should work closely with an academic advisor to ensure selection of appropriate course work.

Upon transfer, students will be required to complete additional course work in general education. You can see more information on how the OTM transfers to OSU on the Core Education Transfer Credit page.

Transfer Students Outside of Oregon

OSU accepts the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) to satisfy the Foundational 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. OSU accepts three California Programs: IGETC, Cal-GETC, and the CSU GE Breadth (Fall 21-Sum 25) or CSU GE (Fall 25+). All three complete the Foundational Core requirements for Core Education.

The Direct Transfer Associate (DTA) degree awarded by regionally accredited community colleges in Washington will allow junior standing for registration purposes and fulfill all lower division requirements in OSU's Foundational Core except for our Difference, Power, and Oppression: Foundations course requirement. More information on how this degree is articulated at OSU can be found here. 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.