The receiving university decides whether earlier coursework transfers and whether it fulfills your new degree’s requirements. Online delivery alone does not settle either question. For a master’s degree, use the graduate school and program rules rather than an undergraduate transfer-credit calculator.
Start with the degree you want to finish. A course can appear on a transfer evaluation without replacing a required methods course, concentration requirement or capstone. Ask for a written explanation of how each approved course fits the proposed degree plan before estimating tuition savings or a shorter completion date.
Separate undergraduate and graduate decisions
A bachelor’s-level transfer agreement does not establish a master’s-level entitlement. At the University of Maryland, College Park, the undergraduate registrar distinguishes accepting transfer coursework from using it toward a degree. The university’s graduate catalog has a separate process: ordinarily, no more than six graduate credits from another institution transfer without special approval. Credit already used for another degree is excluded under that graduate policy.
Those are Maryland’s rules, not a universal six-credit limit. Its graduate policy also requires an official transcript, academic review and approval, and allows programs to impose stricter requirements. Read the receiving institution’s current catalog and the specific master’s program handbook together. Ask which rules apply to your intended entry term.
Build a course-by-course evidence file
- Identify the exact prior course, institution, completion term, grade, credit units and academic level. Keep the syllabus and catalog description from the term you took it.
- Ask whether the course was already applied to an awarded degree and whether the new program permits that use. A similar title does not prove equivalent graduate content.
- Find the recipient’s grade, course-age and accreditation requirements, transfer ceiling, and approval process. Ask how semester and quarter credits are evaluated if the systems differ.
- Request the official transcript through the issuing institution. Supply other evidence only through the receiving school’s specified process.
Ask who makes the final decision: an admissions office, registrar, graduate school or academic program may handle different steps. An informal estimate from a recruitment conversation is useful for planning, but obtain the formal evaluation required by the university. Admission to the institution and approval of transfer credit remain separate decisions.
Calculate the remaining degree, not just transferred credits
Consider a hypothetical student with nine prior graduate credits. If the new university approves only six, budget using those six rather than all nine. Then check where the remaining courses fall in the sequence. An annual required course or a prerequisite may still determine the finishing term. This example illustrates planning; it does not predict any school’s decision.
Also ask about the minimum coursework that must be completed through the degree-awarding institution. A policy’s academic residency requirement concerns where credits are earned; do not confuse it with state residency used for tuition. Confirm how accepted credits affect the program’s course sequence, billed credits and any minimum enrollment requirements.
Questions to resolve before taking another outside course
Get advance written permission if the receiving university requires it. Maryland’s undergraduate FAQ specifically tells current students to obtain permission before studying elsewhere; your graduate program may use a different process. Ask whether the approval names the course, degree requirement and term, and what evidence must follow after completion.
Finally, keep prior learning, professional credentials and work experience separate from ordinary course transfer. A university may have a distinct assessment or petition policy, with its own limits. Do not assume employment experience automatically becomes graduate credit. Compare the approved remaining study plan with starting fresh before paying another institution for a course intended to transfer.
Transcripts and Academic Records
Order the academic records the university specifies and distinguish application uploads from final official records. Check institutions attended, accepted delivery routes, translations and timing before paying for documents.
ExploreSources and checks
Official sources checked November 2, 2026. University examples describe those institutions’ policies; check the rules for your own program.