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.