Transfer Credit Policy

Credits earned at another regional accredited institution are accepted as recorded on the official transcript. However, because of differences in institutional degree requirements and course content, some credits transferred may not apply toward satisfying degree requirements at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. 

All grades including F’s, for all academic credit courses will be articulated to the academic transcript. Remedial/developmental courses will not be entered and will not be used in the admissions decision.  Only the most recent attempt of a repeated course will be included in the calculation of the GPA.  

The Registrar’s Office will evaluate all credit the student transfers to the university in terms of equivalency in content, credit hours, and level. The chosen degree program, in cooperation with the Registrar's Office and the student's faculty advisor, will determine the applicability of this credit toward degree requirements.

Regardless of the number of hours transferred to the university, students must successfully complete a minimum of 25 percent of the credit hours required for the degree chosen through instruction offered by Texas A&M University-Texarkana. The university will specify the minimum number of resident credit hours on the student’s official degree plan.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana determines applicability of transferred courses to requirements for specific degree programs.

Applicants must request transfer credit from accredited schools. The university will calculate all transferred regular academic credit the student attempts in the overall grade-point average.

Students may not enroll off campus during the semester they expect to graduate. The Registrar must record final grades from all courses the students has taken at another university on the student’s Texas A&M University-Texarkana transcript prior to the last semester of enrollment before graduation.

Accredited Institutions

The university will not accept credit from an institution that a regional accrediting association (North Central, Southern, New England, Middle States, etc.) has not accredited by. The university limits courses a student took at an institution that has only national, professional, or specialized accreditation to the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree program, and the credit will not apply to other degrees. The Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) must recognize accreditation bodies.

An accredited evaluation service, such as World Education Services, must evaluate all credits a student transfers from an international college or university. For more information, contact the A&M-Texarkana
Registrar’s Office at 903-334-6601 or registrar@tamut.edu.

Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS)

The Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) has been designed for the purpose of aiding students in the transfer of general academic courses between colleges and universities throughout Texas. Common courses are freshman and sophomore academic credit courses that have been identified as common by institutions that are members of the common course numbering system. The system ensures that if the student takes the courses the receiving institution designates as common, then the courses will be accepted in transfer and the credit will be treated as if the courses had actually been taken on the receiving institution’s campus.  Students may view what courses Texas A&M University-Texarkana has identified as common and their TCCNS equivalents by visiting the Texas Common Course Numbering System website.

Transfer of Lower Level Government Courses

Per the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Lower Division Course Guide Manual, students are required to complete six hours of Government which must include Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the States, with special emphasis on Texas.  The acceptable combinations are:

If a student takes GOVT 2305 and PSCI 2302 or GOVT 2306 and PSCI 2302, one of the following courses must be completed to satisfy the Government requirement:

Transcripting Credit from Vocational Schools

The registrar's office will post to transcripts vocational courses only if the community college which awarded the credit has converted the courses to academic credit or the credit is a completed Applied Associates degree transferred into the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) program. The university will not apply credit for vocational courses to other degrees.

A regional accrediting agency or by an agency approved by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) must accredit the vocational school. The university will not award credit for the vocational courses if it determines that the student used the vocational courses for a high-school diploma.

Clock hours will equal semester hours on the ratio of 30:1. Thirty clock hours equal one semester hour unless the issuing institution recommends otherwise. The university will transfer quarter hours and semester hours on the vocational transcript in the same manner as academic credit. Quarter hours times 2/3 equals the number of credit hours. The registrar’s office will use grades for vocational courses to compute the overall GPA.

Transcripting Credit from Foreign Schools

A student must submit course work from a foreign institution through a recognized foreign-transcript-evaluation service.  If the service determines that the course work is equivalent to baccalaureate-level course work in the United States, the university will add the course work to the student’s academic history. However, the university will exclude the course work from GPA calculations. In most instances, foreign course work does not meet any specific course equivalent; therefore, the student cannot apply the work to degree-plan requirements.

Core-Complete Status for Undergraduate Students

The university shall accept as core complete students who complete the approved core curriculum at any Texas public institution of higher education prior to enrollment at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.

The requirements to meet this status are as follows:

  • The official transcript on file within the student’s initial semester of enrollment must indicate “Core Complete” by the deadline indicated for that semester. Core complete status is not retroactive. Unofficial transcripts or verbal confirmation from the student will not meet this requirement.
Fall October 1st
Spring March 1st
Summer I June 1st
Summer II July 1st
  • The university cannot accept core-complete status from schools outside of Texas.  Although other states may have an approved statewide core curriculum, the university cannot grant core-complete status in Texas based upon core status from an out-of-state institution.
  • The university cannot accept core-complete status from private institutions of higher education in the state of Texas. This rule only applies to students whom Texas public institutions of higher education indicate are core complete.
  • Having an Associate’s degree does not confirm a core-complete status. A student may have earned an Associate’s degree from a Texas public institution of higher education and NOT be core complete.  An example of this instance is an Applied Associate’s degree.  These students have the degree but have not completed an approved core.

The university will not require students who are legitimately core complete at the required time indicated above to complete ANY additional core-curriculum requirements at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. The university will require students who are not core complete to complete all approved core for Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Once they have completed the required A&M-Texarkana core, the university will indicate that they are core complete on any official transcript the university produces and that status will transfer to any other public institution of higher education in Texas.

Guidelines for Resolution of Transfer Disputes

Transfer disputes may arise when a Texas institution refuses to accept a lower-division course for credit. Officials must follow the following procedures in the resolution of lower-division, credit-transfer disputes:

  1. If an institution of higher education does not accept course credit a student earns at another institution of higher education, the receiving institution shall give written notice to the student and to the sending institution that transfer of the course credit is denied and shall include in that notice the reasons for denying the credit. Attached to the written notice shall be the procedures for resolution of transfer disputes for lower-division courses as outlined in this section, accompanied by clear instructions outlining the procedure for appealing the decision to the Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).
  2. A student who receives notice as specified in paragraph 1 may dispute the denial of credit by contacting a designated official at either the sending or the receiving institution.
  3. The two institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit in accordance with THECB rules and guidelines.
  4. If the student or sending institution cannot satisfactorily resolve the transfer dispute within 45 days after issuance of the student’s denial notice, the  institution requesting transfer-dispute resolution and the institution denying course credit for the transfer will notify the commissioner in writing of the request and the reasons for its denial.
  5. The commissioner or the commissioner’s designee shall make the final determination about a dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and give written notice of the determination to the involved student and institutions.
  6. If a receiving institution has cause to believe that a course a student presents for transfer from another school is not of an acceptable level or quality, the receiving institution would first contact the sending institution and attempt to resolve the problem. In the event that the two institutions are unable to come to a satisfactory resolution, the receiving institution may notify the commissioner, who may investigate the course.