We strongly encourage current JMU students to share their transfer plan with their academic advisor prior to enrolling in courses outside of JMU. For information about how transferred courses may apply to specific JMU programs/majors, please visit the Transfer Advising website.

• Students will not receive transfer credit for courses they have already completed at JMU with a passing grade (D- or higher).
• Transfer courses may not be used to repeat/forgive courses previously taken at JMU.
• Transfer credit will only be awarded for courses in which the student has earned a grade of “C” or better. A “C-“ will not transfer.
• If you're intending to transfer courses to meet General Education requirements, you must adhere to General Education policies.
• If you're intending to transfer courses to meet Major or Minor requirements, you should share your plan with your academic advisor prior to enrolling at the transfer institution. Some majors or degrees (such as the BBA) have restrictions on what courses can be transferred. 
• Students on academic probation or suspension must secure approval from the Dean of their College. If you are on probation or suspension, please complete the Transfer Credit Approval Form.
• Students completing coursework abroad must secure approval from the Center for Global Engagement. If you are completing coursework aboard, please complete the Transfer Credit Approval Form.
• Students are responsible for sending an official transcript to the Office of the Registrar upon completion of transfer courses.
• To earn a bachelor's degree, all JMU students must earn at least 50% of required hours through enrollment at JMU and/or accepted transfer credit from four-year institutions. At least 25% of required degree credit hours must be earned at JMU.
• Transfer credits are only accepted from institutions accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education (DOE) and/or The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
• Once your transcripts are evaluated, you may view your transfer credit evaluation through MyMadison. If you have questions about the evaluation of your transcripts, contact the Office of the Registrar at transfer_credit@jmu.edu.
• If you believe a OOO elective course on you transfer credit evaluation is equivalent to another course at JMU, please submit a Re-evaluation Request along with a course syllabus to the Office of the Registrar for consideration. Re-evaluation Forms that do not include a syllabus will be automatically denied.

General Education Transfer Policies

All currently enrolled students are expected to complete JMU’s General Education program with JMU courses. If students need to take courses elsewhere after matriculation, they should first read all University and General Education Transfer policies and then consult their academic advisors before using Transferology. 

During the transition to a new General Education program, the following policies apply and are effective Summer 2026:

• Current students may use transfer courses to satisfy up to three General Education program requirements. Previous exclusions, such as equivalencies for Wellness and Critical Thinking, are temporarily suspended. The “no more than one per area/cluster” limit is also suspended.
• Current students  may not  transfer in one course to satisfy a General Education requirement when JMU requires a two-course sequence as the equivalency (e.g. both ENG 111 and 112 are needed for WRTC 103). Please read Transferology carefully. If a student opts to take only one of the two courses, JMU will award elective credit only for it.

Discontinued or non-current students (e.g., suspension, leave of absence, medical withdrawal) are exempt from the restrictions applicable to current students while away from JMU, but should still submit a Transfer Credit Approval Form. DISC status will be verified during the approval process. Students on suspension should confer with their assigned advisors before enrolling elsewhere. Other discontinued students should consult with university offices before enrolling in courses elsewhere since there may be significant financial aid or academic progress consequences to consider. In both cases, Transferology will be used to award credit during re-entry.

Official transcripts* can be sent either via postal mail or by using a verified credential service.

If you're sending a transcript using a service such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse or Escrip, please select the JMU Office of the Registrar/Current Student option. You may also use the email transfer_credit@jmu.edu as the recipient.

JMU Office of the Registrar
Transfer Credit Services
738 S. Mason St. MSC 3528
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807

*Please note that transcripts in unsealed envelopes, emailed pdfs, and scanned copies will not accepted

Transferring Grades or Quality Points

You will earn credit for all transferable courses in which you have earned a grade of "C" or better, but your grade point average for those courses does not transfer to your JMU record. Your JMU cumulative grade point average is calculated only based on grades earned for course work completed at JMU.  Please review your undergraduate catalog for the year in which you first enrolled at JMU to see how transfer credit and corresponding grades apply to JMU graduation honors.

Transfer Credit towards total number of hours for standing

Students on academic probation should review the suspension threshold chart as the credit hours earned from transfer credit are included in the total number of hours for standing. This could negatively affect your academic standing at JMU. If you have questions regarding how transfer credit could affect your academic standing, contact either your Academic Dean or Academic Student Services.

Nontransferable Credits

The following courses are not transferable for credit:

• Courses graded as Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.
• Terminal courses that are generally technical and vocational in nature.
• Remedial, Developmental, and/or sub-college courses that are usually taken to remove a high school deficiency or to remedy inadequate preparation for college-level work in a specific discipline.
• Courses in which a comparable discipline is not available at JMU.
• Courses in which the transfer instutition granted departmental or school examination credit.
• Courses taken at an institution that is not accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Department of Education (DOE) and/or The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Incomplete Transcripts

If you attend an advising session with your academic adviser before all of your transcripts have been received by the Office of Admissions, you should list the courses that you have completed with a grade of "C" or better for your adviser and avoid taking courses required in that area until the entire transcript has been received and evaluated. It is your responsibility to ensure that all transcripts from former schools are forwarded to the Office of Admissions.

Maximum Credit Transfer Toward Graduation

Under university policy, there is no limit on the amount of credit that can be transferred to JMU. However, students must meet certain criteria to be eligible to graduate from JMU. Please see our Graduation Requirements page for details.

Credit for Service in the Armed Forces

James Madison University recognizes and values the experience of our students who have served and are currently serving in the U.S. military.

• The JMU Transfer Credit Equivalency Guide can be used to determine the credit you may receive based on your prior credit and military experience earned from the Joint Services Transcript (JST; listed under American Council on Education [ACE]) and Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). The Office of the Registrar will formally evaluate military training and experience for admitted and enrolled students who submit the official transcript directly to JMU.
• If a servicemember/Veteran does not have a JST or CCAF, they may provide their DD-214 for credit evaluation based on the length of their active duty service. 
  • Less than 1 year of active duty service = 3 credits of university elective
  • 1 year or more of active duty service = 6 credits of university elective
• For more information on types of accepted credit, please visit https://www.jmu.edu/registrar/veterans/transfercredit.shtml