AUCC Package – Transfer Credits/Students
Financing college and finishing the All-University Core
Curriculum are issues that face many students at CSU.
While some students follow the standard procedures for finishing
their requirements, others seek alternative means to satisfy the
credit requirements.
According to the CSU Transfer Equivalency Source, CSU will
accept up to 64 semester hours from two-year institutions, while no
such limit applies to four-year institutions. After a student is
admitted, CSU officials evaluate the official transcripts and a C-
minimum requirement is required for credits to be accepted.
Junior Matt Armstrong found attending Otero Junior College (OJC)
in La Junta before CSU this semester was financially
beneficial.
“It was basically free because I got an academic scholarship to
go to (OJC) because I got a 3.5 GPA in high school,” Armstrong
said. “I think I spent a total of $1,400 for 70 credits there, and
I got my associate degree of science and core curriculum.”
Armstrong said CSU accepted all but four of his credits, which
came from a political science class he took.
“My degree also satisfies all the core curriculum requirements
here,” Armstrong said. “So I only have to take courses in my
major.”
Although Armstrong found the transfer experience successful, he
advises students to not put off transferring to the last minute. He
said it took four months from the time he sent his transcripts to
CSU to hear which credits would be accepted.
Bill Haid, executive director of Enrollment Services, said that
although not all credits can be accepted, sometimes credits will be
given even if CSU doesn’t have the exact class.
“Some students come from private schools that offer classes we
don’t offer, like religion,” Haid said. “Sometimes departments will
grant general credit for a course though, even if they don’t have
it.”
Haid said CSU is currently working with the Colorado Commission
on Higher Education to implement its guaranteed transfer program.
This program is a collaboration between all higher education
institutions in the state to create a list of courses that will
transfer throughout the state.
Another institution that transfers a lot of students to and from
CSU is Front Range Community College’s Larimer County campus.
Jason Conrose is currently enrolled at Front Range after moving
to Fort Collins from Rochester, N.Y.
“I’m at Front Range basically because CSU is pretty expensive,
especially for out-of-state,” Conrose said. “I think it’s a good
school though, because class sizes are probably a little smaller,
and I know a lot of teachers at CSU teach here, too.”
Though Conrose is uncertain of his future academic plans, he
said his roommate is currently attending Front Range with the
intention of gaining core credits there and eventually transferring
to CSU.
Rita Kratky, a counselor at Front Range, said it is not uncommon
for students in Fort Collins to have a shared education between
Front Range and CSU.
“There are two things we do to help transferring students,”
Kratky said. “One is to abide by the state’s transfer articulation
agreements, and we have courses outside of the agreements that CSU
accepts as transfer credits.”
On top of providing courses that transfer, Kratky believes
students have different motives for going to either Front Range or
CSU.
“I think students come here from CSU for a variety of reasons,”
Kratky said. “Things like weekend, night and hybrid classes, as
well as our tuition being cheaper than CSU is enticing to some
students.”
Hybrid courses are those that split time between class and the
Internet.
Kratky said that Front Range enrolls a variety of students, from
those who attend CSU full time and supplement their schedules with
Front Range classes to students who are part-time on both
campuses.
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