General Transfer Policies

• Courses with a grade of "P+" from Spring semester 2020 will be accepted for transfer credit from Virginia Community Colleges and Richard Bland College.
• Transfer credits are only accepted from institutions accredited by a regional accrediting body. You can view regional accrediation using the CHEA website. 
• Only courses completed with a grade of “C” or better will be accepted.
• Students will not receive credit for courses they have already completed at JMU with a passing grade (D- or higher)
• Students can find currently accepted courses in the Transfer Credit Equivalency Guide. 
• 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.
• Current JMU students wishing to take courses at an outside insitution must submit an Intent to Transfer Credit Form unless:
  • You are taking courses through a Study Aboard experience
  • You are not in good academic standing. Dean approval is required.
  • You want to take courses that are not listed in the Transfer Credit Equivalency Guide above
  • *If any of the three above scenarios apply to you, please submit a Transfer Credit Approval Form directly to the Office of the Registrar at transfer_credit@jmu.edu
• Students seeking approval for a course not listed in the Transfer Credit Eqiuvalency Guide should submit the Transfer Credit Approval Form along with a syllabus or course objective list.
• If you believe a OOO elective course on you transfer credit evaluation is equivalent to another course at JMU, please submit a Transfer Credit Re-evaluation Form 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

• Current students are expected to complete JMU’s General Education program at JMU.
• Current students may transfer in a total of three general education courses with each being from a different area.
• Current students may not transfer in credit for the following courses and areas due to their distinct qualities:
  • Madison Foundations, Critical Thinking (BUS 160, HIST 150, SMAD 150, ISAT 160, PHIL 120, PHIL 150)
  • American and Global Perspectives, The American Experience (HIST 225, JUST 225 and POSC 225)
  • Sociocultural and Wellness, Wellness (HTH 100, KIN 100)
• Current students may not transfer in one course in a two-course sequence that equates to a single JMU course (e.g. WRTC 103 = both ENG 111 and 112). Elective credit will be granted if only one course is completed in the sequence, which will not meet area requirements.
• Exceptions to these policies may be requested due to rare and unusual circumstances.
• Discontinued or non-current students (e.g., suspension, leave of absence, medical withdrawal) are exempt from the above General Education restrictions while away from JMU. Discontinued (DISC) status will be verified during the approval process.

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 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.
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) courses, departmental and school examinations for credit.

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.
• Six hours of university elective credits may be awarded for a servicemember or Veteran with at least one year of active duty service listed on their DD-214.
• For more information on types of accepted credit, please visit https://www.jmu.edu/registrar/veterans/transfercredit.shtml