Prepare for Orientation
There's a lot to figure out as a transfer student. To make your transition as smooth as possible it helps to be organized. Here are some tips and links to information to help you pull everything together and get prepared for your new life at JMU.
Transcripts and Course Syllabi
Collect all of your most recent college transcripts and score reports (e.g SAT, A.P.) and neatly file them in a folder that you can bring with you to Transfer Orientation.
You should also bring syllabi from courses that still need to be evaluated by the JMU Office of the Registrar. If you received a Transfer Credit Information Sheet with your transfer credit evaluation this has details pertaining to which courses need to be evaluated by a specific academic department. For additional information about transfer credits click here.
Follow these links to get answers to frequently asked questions:
Academic Advising
At Transfer Orientation you will meet with your academic adviser. Your adviser will be a representative from the department in which you intend to major, or from Career and Academic Planning if you are undeclared.
Come prepared to your advising meeting:
- Consider your academic interests and goals
- Bring transcripts from your previous college and/or university
- Review the online JMU Undergraduate catalog to learn more about academic requirements in your major and for your degree (you will receive a copy of your catalog at Orientation)
For more information about academic advising at JMU consult the University Advising website.
During your Transfer Orientation advising session, your adviser will:
- Review your transfer credit evaluation
- Discuss with you those courses for which you will receive JMU credit. If you have taken courses that are not listed on your transcript, please bring a copy of the course descriptions with you
- Discuss your academic and career goals
- Work with you to develop an academic plan with course recommendations including appropriate courses in general education and in your intended major.
Advanced Placement Scores (AP)
If you took advanced placement tests in high school, you may be awarded AP credit for JMU courses depending upon your scores. Let your JMU academic advisor know if you have advanced placement test scores. Consult the JMU Admissions website for more specific information about AP scores and JMU course credit. You are responsible for having your AP scores sent to the JMU Office of the Registrar
Associate Degrees
If you have received or are planning to receive an associate degree from a Virginia Community College, it is important that you let your JMU academic advisor know. Some associate degrees waive all General Education requirements at JMU. For a list of JMU approved associate degrees that waive General Education requirements, check the JMU Admissions website
Bills
You can expect to receive your tuition and fees bill notification e-mail one to two weeks before the first day of the semester, depending upon your enrollment date. The e-mail will include a Web link that will take you immediately to your account. Your electronic student account will provide detailed information of your student account charges, payments, anticipated financial aid and installment payment credits. If you have not received your bill notification within this time frame, please contact the University Business Office immediately.
If your account is not paid by the due date-Friday of the first week of classes-your account will be placed on hold and you will be assessed a late payment fee. Delinquent accounts can result in your class registration being canceled. Go to http://www.jmu.edu/ubo for details on your financial account.
Block course
Block courses are classes that meet for only half the semester during the first and second eight week sessions. Block classes are regular courses that meet for the same amount of class time as full-semester classes but each class session is twice as long. First and second eight week sessions are offered both in the fall and spring semesters.
Transfer Credit Evaluation
Transfer students will receive a transfer credit evaluation several weeks after receiving their offer of admission. In addition to a "student transfer evaluation" which identifies how JMU has evaluated every college course a student has taken, students will also receive a General Education program evaluation. Finally, students may receive a Transfer Credit Information Sheet with your transfer credit evaluation. This details which courses the JMU Office of the Registrar cannot evaluate until receiving final grades, which courses need to be evaluated by a specific department and which courses do not have an equivalent at JMU, but count as elective credit. Check your Transfer One Book and the Registrar's web page for more information on the transfer credit evaluation process.
Course equivalents at JMU
Transfer credits are evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Credit will be awarded for those courses in which the student has earned a grade of "C" or better and which are equivalent to courses offered at JMU. Courses carrying a grade of "C-" and below are not transferable. After the student has been approved for admission, the Office of the Registrar will evaluate the transcript(s) of each transfer student to show the credits accepted by the University.
000 Credit
Transferable courses which cannot be equated to a particular JMU course will be listed as "000" -- a generic course number for elective credit or "001" for a generic course which meets a General Education Requirement. See Course Equivalents for more information.
How Do I Change the Elective Credit to a "Real" Course?
- Non-general education credit: Contact the department where the course equivalent is taught
- General education credit: Contact General Education.
When attempting to change elective credit to a "real" course you will need to show a course description or syllabus. Visit University Studies in Maury Hall room 104 or online University Studies Home Page.
Course Registration at JMU
When you attend Orientation, in consultation with your academic adviser, you will be registering for your classes. It is important that you become familiar with JMU's course registration system and policies. Consult the University Advising website on Course Registration for important information
Before you come to orientation, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the JMU E-Campus course registration system. An e-campus tutorial is available on the Office of the Registrar's website.
Course Adjustment
You should become familiar with JMU's guidelines on making course adjustments to your class schedule. You should follow your adviser's recommendations for classes to register for and consult with your adviser if you wish to drop or add a course as it can impact your progress toward graduation.
Visit the University Advising website to learn more.
Disability Services
JMU is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to fully access and participate in their educational experience at JMU.
The Office of Disability Services (ODS) is available to assist you in identifying your special needs, and providing and coordinating accommodations, support services and programs that will give you an equal opportunity and help you maximize your learning potential as you make the transition into, through, and out of the university.
If you require special accommodations during orientation, please notify us at orientation@jmu.edu or (540) 568-1787 at least two weeks prior to your orientation date.
e-campus
Through the e-campus student center, you can access your class schedule, billing information, and all of your JMU academic records including your transfer credit evaluation, your unofficial transcript, test scores and more. To learn more about the information available to you, visit the University Advising website University Advising website
Foreign Language
Foreign language is required for all Bachelor of Arts degree programs, majors in international affairs and international business, foreign language minor programs, and some study abroad programs. For a list of majors that award the Bachelor of Arts degree Click Here
Credit will not be given for introductory (101-102 level) foreign language courses taken at another university or college if the student studied that language in high school for two or more years. Also, if the student took two or more years of foreign language in high school, he/she may not enroll and earn introductory level credit in the same language at JMU.
For more information Click Here
Foreign Language Placement Exam
If the student plans to continue studying the same foreign language at JMU that they studied in high school or at a previous institution, he/she must either take a foreign language exam in the language he/she has already studied, or begin a new foreign language unless the student has SAT II scores in that language.
For more information about the foreign language placement exam consult the Foreign Language website
General Education
If you are not transferring from a Virginia Community College with an approved associate's degree, it is likely that you will have to complete some GenEd requirements at JMU. It's not just you-JMU requires this liberal arts foundation of every studentClick here to learn more.
Transfer students with an appropriate Virginia Community College Associate Degree will have fulfilled their General Education requirements. Students transferring from a Virginia Community College but will not be earning an appropriate Associate's Degree should review the Virginia Community College Guide for important information. For all other transfer students, please click here for additional information
Grades/Grade point
Letter grades earned for transfer course work will not appear on the JMU transcript nor will they be included in the JMU cumulative grade point average. The grades will, however, be included in the grade point average used to determine graduation honors.
Graduation, how many credits
Students must:
- Meet all major, minor, general education, and degree course requirements
- Earn at least 30 credits from JMU
- Earn at least 60 credits from a four-year institution
- Complete a minimum of 120 credit hours overall
See Graduation requirements for more information.
Graduation requirements
The total number of credit hours needed to graduate from JMU is a minimum of 120. All academic major, minor, pre-professional, and degree course requirements must be completed in order to earn a bachelor's degree. For information about graduation requirements go to the University Advising website
Honor code
Do you know what constitutes cheating at JMU? It is time to learn. As a JMU student you are expected to know and abide by the Honor Code. Honor is taken seriously in every educational setting, and JMU is no exception. Cheating, copying, plagiarizing, improper citations, and buying papers written by someone else are just a few examples of Honor Code violations that have potential to jeopardize your status as a student. You could be suspended or expelled for violating the Honor Code. Visit the Honor Council web site for more information.
- Honor Council Mission Statement: The James Madison University Honor Council is committed to instilling, promoting, and upholding individual and collective academic integrity.
- After enrollment, each JMU student is automatically subject to the provisions of the Honor System. Each student is responsible for becoming familiar with the provisions of the Honor Code and the Honor System procedures. Ignorance of what constitutes an honor code violation cannot be used as a defense in an honor hearing.
- All academic dishonesty is a violation of the honor code. Often students are surprised at what constitutes "cheating" at college. Cheating at college often has more serious consequences that it does in many high schools.
- It is the responsibility of each student to read and understand the provisions of the honor system. If there are questions, please contact the Honor Council office (568-6383 or 568-6275). More information about the Honor System may be found on the Honor System web site. The Honor Council offices are located at Chandler Hall Room 133.
- In a university community there can be no doubt that honor and the pursuit of knowledge are intertwined. True knowledge can be gained only through honorable means. It is because of this belief that an Honor System exists here at James Madison University, and an Honor Council enforces its provisions.
International Baccalaureate
JMU recognizes the International Baccalaureate diploma and individual IB courses by awarding credit on IB higher-level examinations in essentially the same manner in which credit is allowed for Advanced Placement courses. Typically, credit hours will be awarded for each higher-level examination on which a score of five, six, or seven has been earned. Please refer to the International Baccalaureate course equivalent charts for more information.
Quarter system
All transfer credits are awarded in semester hours. Check the following conversion table. To see how quarters convert to semesters:
1 QH = 0 SH
2 QH = 1 SH
3 QH = 2 SH
4 QH = 2 SH
5 QH = 3 SH
6 QH = 4 SH
7 QH = 4 SH
8 QH = 5 SH
9 QH = 6 SH
10 QH = 6 SH
11 QH = 7 SH
12 QH = 8 SH
While one quarter (3 QH) of a particular course will transfer to JMU as two semester hours, it may not fulfill a requirement for general education or major studies since most of the courses offered and requirements listed at JMU call for three semester hours of credit. Two quarters (6 QH) of a sequential course will meet a one-semester requirement.
Schedule
A normal class load is 15 credits each semester. You must take 12 credits to be considered a full-time student.
Transcripts
- Come prepared to your advising meeting by bringing copies of your transcripts from your previous college(s) and/or university(ies).
- Send your final transcript from your current college or university to: JMU Admissions Office (MSC 0101, Harrisonburg, VA 22807).
- Posting of transfer credits on the JMU transcript is provisional until the final transcript is received. It is the student's responsibility to request the official transcript from the former institution(s).
Transfer Springboard
This one-day program is designed to get you ready for your first semester at JMU. This is a full day (8am-5pm) of opportunities for you and your family to discover everything that JMU offers. It's also when you register for your first semester courses!
Undergraduate catalog
You'll receive your very own 2008-2009 copy at Transfer Orientation, however in the meantime check out our on-line catalog.
Virginia Community College Guide
Applicants earning a transferable Virginia Community College Associate Degree will have fulfilled their General Education requirements. Please refer to our Transfer Guide for Virginia Community College credits to JMU.