Transfer Credit Policy

Evaluation of Transfer Credit

The Office of Admissions is responsible for awarding undergraduate transfer credit and completes course-by-course transfer credit evaluations for all new transfer students. Evaluations are available to new transfers approximately one-week after the release of the admission decision. Admission to Mason is contingent upon receipt of all official, final transcripts. Official transcripts must be transmitted directly from the Registrar at your previous institution(s) to:

George Mason University
Office of Admissions
4400 University Drive, MSN 3A4
Fairfax VA 22030

or electronically to ugtrans@gmu.edu.

Re-admitted students receive an updated transfer credit evaluation based upon the current transfer credit policy and their updated catalog year. The university reserves the right to revise a transfer credit evaluation at any time.  Transfer credit is not evaluated for non-degree seeking students.

Applicants to the University who have attempted college courses at other institutions are required to disclose their complete academic enrollment history in the admission application. George Mason University reserves the right to revoke admission, withhold the award of credit, or disenroll students who fail to indicate all previous institutions attended on the admission application. Course work from institutions not included in the admission application will not be eligible for transfer credit.

Criteria for Assessing Transfer Credits

The following criteria will assist you in understanding your transfer credit evaluation:

• All coursework must be earned at institutions accredited by a Mason-recognized U.S. institutional accrediting agency or international equivalent.
• A maximum of 90 total undergraduate transfer credits will be accepted. No more than 75 credits may be transferred in as lower-level credit (typically 100 and 200-level courses and credit-by-exam such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Joint Service Transcript).
• Each college-level course must be graded with a "C" or better to be considered for transfer. Courses graded on a Pass/Satisfactory basis will not be considered for transfer. Developmental coursework, college algebra, and career and technical courses do not transfer.  NOTE: The University amended transfer policy to accept courses graded on a Pass/Fail system for the Spring 2020 to Spring 2021 terms.   Pass courses completed in the Spring and Summer 2020 terms, that are equivalent to a C (2.0) grade or higher, will be considered for transfer.  Non-letter courses completed in the Fall 2020 forward, that are equivalent to a C (2.0) grade or higher and designated as a pandemic-specific grade will be considered for transfer.
• Regardless of course content, courses completed as lower-level (typically designated as 100 and 200) will transfer to Mason as lower-level. Courses completed as upper-level (typically designated as 300 and 400 level courses) will transfer to Mason as upper-level. All Mason students must complete 45 hours of upper-level coursework to fulfill bachelor's degree requirements.
• Transfer credit is not awarded for any business, computer science, engineering, or information technology courses completed more than ten years prior to Mason enrollment.
• Virginia Community College System (VCCS) courses completed to satisfy the requirements for an associate degree generally can be applied toward Mason bachelor's degree programs. A few exceptions exist, such as MTH 161/163.
• Associate of Applied Science coursework generally does not transfer to Mason to apply to BA, BS, or BFA degrees. Select courses to apply toward the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) programs.
• Credit from institutions operating on a quarter system calendar are transferred by multiplying the quarter credit hours by two thirds.
• Transfer credit is not awarded for any English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

Patriot Transfer Explorer

Patriot Transfer Explorer is a convenient self-service tool that allows you to self-articulate your coursework.  Patriot Transfer Explorer provides greater clarity to you, such that you know exactly where you stand in meeting course and degree requirements at Mason.

Transfer Credit Matrix

This database contains courses that have been evaluated to offer transfer equivalency at the University, including all courses from the Virginia Community College System. Use this to look-up course equivalencies for transfer credit.

• Transfer Credit Matrix

Academic Credit by Exam

Students may accelerate their graduation by the award of transfer credit from any of the following exams. Official transcripts from the testing agency should be sent to the Office of Admissions during the application process.

Additional Information

Transfer Credit Inquiry and Appeal

• Transfer Credit Inquiry Form (PDF). Use this form if you are missing any transfer credit from your evaluation. This includes credit by exam such as AP, IB or CLEP. Before submitting this form be sure you have requested official final transcripts to be sent from the Registrar at your previous institution to Mason’s Office of Admissions or electronically to ugtrans@gmu.edu and have read and understood the criteria for credit acceptance policies.
• Transfer Credit Re-Evaluation Appeal Form (PDF). Use this form if you were awarded elective credit for a course and wish to have it re-evaluated as equivalent to a specific Mason course.