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ATTENTION STUDENTS WITH INTERNATIONAL COURSEWORK
International Credit Frequently Asked Questions
First of all, congratulations on your admission and welcome to the University of Maryland!
The following information is intended to help answer some questions you may have regarding the
evaluation of your transfer credits.
- How do I get my courses evaluated?
Before you arrive on campus at University of Maryland, you may notice that many of your international
courses appear "blank." International Education Services has deemed them credit-worthy, but they have
not been equated to anything specific. In order to evaluate your credit completely, University of
Maryland requires you to submit catalog descriptions or syllabi of your coursework.
Do not worry if your arrival on campus during Orientation will be your first chance to submit this
information. The University will work with your academic advisors to have your materials evaluated
for you. You may drop off course descriptions and syllabi at the front counter located on the 1st
floor of Mitchell any time though (even before Orientation if possible). You may also fax your information
to (301) 314-7915 at any time.
Course descriptions or syllabi must be translated into English. Be sure to include your name and student
ID number on any faxes.
If your institution has syllabi and/or a current catalog with course descriptions (in English) online,
you may send the website to tccinfo@deans.umd.edu to help us determine course equivalency. This option
is particularly useful for students coming from institutions on the semester system, in English-speaking
countries. Make a copy of everything you turn in for evaluation, keeping original documents for your
own records. The Transfer Credit Center cannot retain materials for you when your evaluation is finished.
- How long does the evaluation take once I submit course descriptions/syllabi? How may I check on the
status of my evaluations?
Since the Transfer Center must send your materials out to the various academic departments for evaluation,
it can sometimes take up to two to three weeks for us to hear back. If your advisor needs to hasten
your evaluation, you may note "time sensitive" on your materials and either hand-deliver (if you are on
campus already) or fax your information directly to the department in charge of evaluating your course.
Click here for a list of contact numbers of the various departments. If you wish to fax, use this list
to contact the department first in order to get the fax number.
You may check the status of any course evaluations you've requested online.
Remember, we are working with thousands of course descriptions, and we are proceeding as fast as
humanly possible. We want to ensure that your evaluation is as complete and precise as is necessary for
your Orientation and successful enrollment here.
- How may I appeal an evaluation on one of my courses?
If a course has already been evaluated once (meaning, it's not "blank" on your record), the only way
to appeal or change an evaluation is to submit a syllabus-or other additional documentation--to the
evaluating academic department. Be sure to mark "re-evaluation request" on the syllabi you are handing
in. See above for a list of departmental contact numbers.
- Who may I talk with to discuss my transfer credits and other questions?
You must direct all questions regarding your transfer credit to your
College academic advisor. The Transfer
Credit Center is merely the clearinghouse for transfer information and does not meet with students
directly.
- Why do I have less credit after transferring my courses to University of Maryland? Will I
be able to use these classes for CORE or major requirements?
As you look at your transcript, you may find that certain credits have been reduced from what you were
originally given at your previous institution. This happens whenever University of Maryland determines
that your previous institution awards more credit for the same amount of work than we do.
To adjust for the difference between your old institution's system of awarding credit and ours, the
International Education Services office (IES) makes its adjustments under the assumption that one
full-time semester of study should roughly equal 15 credits worth of work in the U.S. So, for example,
if you earned "30 credits" at your previous school for one semester of full-time study, each of your
courses will be reduced in order to bring your transcript in line with the U.S. system of granting about
15 credits per semester.
This sometimes means that some of your classes will not qualify for CORE or major requirements if they
did not require the U.S. equivalent of 3 semester hours worth of work. See your College advisor for
questions about this policy
- I have a question that is not on this list. Is there additional information I can get?
For additional info, check out our complete list of frequently asked questions or contact your
College advisor.
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