UMD encourages applicants to seek AP credit where relevant. Credit may be awarded for exams offered by the College Board and is based on the year the exam was taken. All departments reserve the right to reevaluate the content of exams and to change the minimum required score, course equivalencies, and assignment of credits.

Students must have their scores sent directly to UMD from the College Board; the institution code for UMD is 5814.

To see how credits are awarded by UMD for AP exams, view the chart below that corresponds with the year the exam was taken:

• View AP Chart 2023-2025  to see how credit is awarded for exams taken in May 2023-May 2025
• View AP Chart 2021-2022  to see how credit is awarded for exams taken in May 2021-May 2022
• View AP Chart 2018-2020  to see how credit is awarded for exams taken between May 2018 and May 2020
• For information about exams taken prior to 2018, email Transfer Credit Services.

UMD awards credit to students for a broad array of IB exams. Credit is not awarded for all exams offered by IB and is based on departmental approval. All departments reserve the right to reevaluate the content of exams, and to change the minimum required score, course equivalencies, and the assignment of credit.

Students should have their scores sent directly to UMD from the International Baccalaureate Results Service. UMD’s code is 001417.

To see how credits are awarded by UMD for IB exams, view the chart below that corresponds with the date the exam was taken:

• View this IB Chart 2023-2025 for exams taken from November 2023 - May 2025
• View this IB Chart 2022-2023 for exams taken from November 2022 - May 2023
• View this IB Chart through May 2022 for exams taken through May 2022

UMD awards credit for A-Level/AS-Level exams taken through Cambridge International Exams (CIE) or other approved boards. Credit is not awarded for all exams offered and is based on departmental approval. All departments reserve the right to reevaluate the content of exams and to change the minimum required score, course equivalencies, and assignment of credit.

Official scores must be sent by CIE or the approved exam board to UMD.

To see how credits are awarded by UMD for A-Level/AS-Level exams, view the chart below that corresponds with the year the exam was taken:

• A/AS-Level Chart (exams from Spring 2023 - Present)
• A/AS-Level Chart (exams from Fall 2020 - Fall 2022)
• A/AS-Level Chart (exams from Fall 2012 - Summer 2020)
• For information about exams taken prior to 2012, email Transfer Credit Services.

CLEP recognizes college-level competence achieved outside of the college classroom. CLEP exams are administered by the College Board.  The type of credit awarded for CLEP General and Subject Examinations is based on departmental approval, certain restrictions may apply. All departments reserve the right to reevaluate the content of exams, and to change the minimum required score, course equivalencies, and assignment of credit.

Students currently enrolled at UMD must complete a Permission to Enroll form prior to signing up to take CLEP exams.

Students who would like to have their CLEP scores reviewed for credit must request their official score reports to be sent to UMD. The Score Recipient Code is 5814.

To see how credits are awarded by UMD for CLEP exams, view the chart below that corresponds with the year the exam was taken:

• View CLEP Chart 2023-2025 to see how credit is awarded for exams taken in 2023-2025.
• View CLEP Chart to see how credit is awarded for exams taken in 2022 and earlier.

Students who are currently on active duty or former service members in the United States Armed Forces are eligible to be awarded six credits of lower-level general elective credits. The credits are awarded for the completion of basic physical fitness and basic military science as part of basic military training for the United States Armed Forces.

To qualify, students must have been enrolled as an undergraduate student in the Fall 2013 semester or beyond, along with one of the following:

• Currently serving as an active duty member in the United States Armed Forces
• Currently serving as a member of a reserve or National Guard branch of the United States Armed Forces
• Has been Honorably Discharged from service in the United States Armed Forces
• Has been Honorably Discharged from a reserve or National Guard branch of the United States Armed Forces

Students interested in receiving the six credits of lower-level general elective credits for their service to the United States Armed Forces must provide appropriate documentation based on their current status:

• Active duty members of the United States Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy, including reserve and National Guard need to provide an official copy of their Joint Services Transcript (JST).
• Active duty members of the United States Air Force, including reserve and National Guard need to provide an official copy of their Community College of the Air Force transcript.
• Separated members of the United States Armed Forces need to provide a copy of their DD-214 Form stating they were Honorably Discharged.

Please send the appropriate required documentation to the following:
Records and Registration Services
University of Maryland
7999 Regents Drive
College Park, MD 20742

Credits will be posted to qualified student records as follows:

Please direct any questions you have regarding the Basic Military Training policy or receipt of the credits to registrar-help@umd.edu.

Credit-by-Exam at UMD is comparable to a comprehensive final examination in a course. Although the mathematics department receives the most applications for Credit-by-Exam, many departments will provide opportunities for certain courses. Initial inquiry on the availability of an examination for a specific course should be directed to the academic department offering that course.

Eligibility for Credit-by-Exam

In order to be considered for Credit-by-Exam, a student must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. A minimum of 12 (twelve) credit hours completed at the University of Maryland*;
2. A minimum grade point average of 2.0*;
3. Completion of all prerequisite courses or the approval of the department chairperson (or, in non-departmentalized units, the dean) and the Senior Vice President and Provost.

*Requirements 1 and 2 may be waived for students in their first semester at UMD by the department chairperson and the dean.

Taking a Credit-by-Exam

1. If an examination for a course is available, the department will provide information regarding the time and location of the exam, the type of examination, and material which might be helpful in preparing for the examination.
2. After making arrangements with the department, students must apply through the Division of Letters and Sciences, 1117 Hornbake Library, 301-314-8418. Applications for examinations shall be approved on an individual course basis.

Credit-by-Exam Grading

1. A student may cancel application for credit-by-exam at any time prior to the completion of the examination with no entry on the permanent record.
2. The examination instructor shall make the grade available to the student prior to the formal submission of the grade.
3. A grade of C- or better must be obtained to establish credit-by-exam.
4. If a student elects not to have the grade posted, a grade of W will be recorded. No course may be attempted more than once using credit-by-exam.
5. Grades earned using credit-by-exam will be posted on the transcript as resident credit in the semester the examination was taken and used in computing semester and cumulative grade point averages. Such grades shall be accompanied by the notation “By examination” as applicable.
6. The instructor must certify on the report of examination that copies of the examination questions and the student's answers shall be retained in accordance with the University of Maryland’s Records and Retention and Disposal Schedule.

There are some instances of prior learning/competency-based education for which the University of Maryland generally does not award credit. These include, but are not limited to: American Council on Education (ACE), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI), Sophia Learning, StraighterLine, Coursera, Outlier, departmental credit-by-exam from institutions other than Maryland public institutions of higher education, and life experiences.

Students may contact the Office of the University Registrar to appeal the acceptance of prior learning experiences. For prior learning credit to be awarded during an appeal, the student must provide evidence that the prior learning experience falls within the level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes of courses offered at the University of Maryland. The determination of the Office of the University Registrar will be final.

1. Official transcripts are submitted. Students are responsible for submitting all final official transcripts detailing their entire academic record prior to enrolling at UMD. Transfer courses will post to a student's UMD record only from official transcripts received from the institution at which the credit was earned.
   • Admitted or currently enrolled students should send electronic transcripts to registrar-help@umd.edu, and printed transcripts to: 
     University of Maryland
     Office of the University Registrar
     1113 Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Building
     College Park, MD 20742
   • Prospective students not yet admitted to UMD should consult the Office of Undergraduate Admissions instructions for submitting a transcript.

2. Transfer courses are evaluated. Students may refer to the Transfer Course Database to see a library of transfer courses that have already gone through the evaluation process. Generally, college-level courses completed at regionally-accredited institutions will transfer to UMD, provided the course is similar in level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes to courses offered at UMD, and a grade of C- or higher is earned (grades of D- or higher are accepted for courses completed at Maryland public institutions). A course that is considered accepted for transfer to UMD will receive one of the following types of evaluations:

   • direct equivalency to a UMD course (whether within or outside the major),
   • no direct equivalency, but satisfies general education requirement, or
   • no direct equivalency, but is accepted as a general elective. 

   Students work with an academic advisor to understand how transfer courses satisfy degree requirements:

   • Students who have been admitted to UMD should contact their advising college for assistance.
   • Students who have not been admitted to UMD should contact the Pre-Transfer Advising Program for assistance.
   • Transfer Credit Services does not provide advising services.

   Questions regarding the posting of these courses should be directed to Records and Registration Services at registrar-help@umd.edu.

3. Course evaluation request is submitted. Students who would like to request an evaluation of a course for transfer to UMD will need to provide a detailed syllabus from the semester/term when the course was taken. The syllabus must be in digital format, either .pdf or .docx. Students should send the course syllabus via email. If sending multiple course syllabi, group the courses by subject or related course (i.e. send a separate email for mathematics, history, music, etc.). Each course in the request should include a course ID, full title of the course, and term the course was taken.

   Please format the evaluation request email as shown in the example below:

   Email Field	Sample Text
   To:	[See departmental evaluators list]
   Subject:	Transfer Course Eval Request - [insert institution name]
   Attachment:	Attach a detailed syllabus in .pdf or .docx format from the semester/term the course was taken.
   Email Body:	Hello, My name is [insert full name] and my UID is [insert 9-digit UID]. Could you please have the following attached courses reviewed for acceptability? Institution: [insert institution name] Course ID: MATH157 Course Title: Statistics Term: Spring 2016 Course ID: MATH165 Course Title: Precalculus Term: Summer 2017 Thank you,

   Students may submit their evaluation request directly to the academic department or to Transfer Credit Services (TCS). In many cases the processing time is faster when a student goes directly to the department to request an evaluation.

   • Email the Academic Department: Transfer course evaluation requests may be sent directly to most academic departments. The procedure and processing times for course evaluations vary between departments. Evaluations must be communicated to TCS directly by the approved departmental evaluator; evaluations forwarded from the student to TCS are not accepted.
   • Email Transfer Credit Services: Once TCS receives the request and attached detailed syllabus, it will be forwarded to the appropriate departmental evaluator for review. When the evaluation has been completed and returned to TCS, the student will be notified via email of the evaluation. Students are asked to remain patient while waiting for an evaluation to be completed.

1. Official credential evaluation is submitted to UMD. All degree-seeking undergraduate applicants for admission to UMD are required to submit an official credential evaluation for all international post-secondary transcripts from one of the two evaluators:
   • ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators) - The ECE third party evaluation provides a comprehensive review of the official transcript, which includes: credit and grade conversions, grade point calculation, and upper division course designations. Students should select the "Course by Course" report option for ECE.
   • Josef Silny & Associates Application Form - The JSA third party evaluation provides a comprehensive review of the official transcript, which includes: credit and grade conversions, grade point calculation, and upper division course designations for students with more than 1 year of post-secondary/university education completed. Students should select the "Post-Secondary/University Course-by-Course + GPA" option, and the "Upper Division Course Identification" if applicable.
2. Official transcripts are submitted to UMD. To ensure all completed transfer courses are posted to the UMD record, a final official transcript in the original-language and a literal (exact) certified English translation must be submitted to UMD after all coursework has been completed.
   • Electronic international transcripts should be sent to applymaryland@umd.edu
   • All other international transcripts should be sent to:
     University of Maryland
     Office of Undergraduate Admissions
     Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Building
     College Park, MD 20742
3. UMD grants admission as a degree-seeking student. Students must apply for admission and be admitted as a degree-seeking student before international transfer courses can be evaluated. The timeline for newly admitted students with international transfer courses to obtain access to their transfer credit evaluation can depend on the institution previously attended. It may take several weeks after the receipt of the admission letter before any courses are available for viewing.
4. International transfer courses are evaluated. UMD awards transfer credit for courses taken at international post-secondary educational institutions recognized by the ministry of education in the respective country. Generally, for transfer credit to be awarded, transfer courses must be similar in level, scope, content and expected learning outcomes to courses offered at UMD, and a grade of C- or higher (based on United States grade equivalent) must have been earned. A full syllabus with a certified English translation is required for evaluation. Students work with an academic advisor in their advising college to understand how transfer courses satisfy degree requirements. This is typically completed during orientation, but may require a follow-up advising appointment. Transfer Credit Services does not provide advising services.
5. Acceptable transfer courses are posted to the UMD record. International transfer courses will be posted with one of the following three grades:
   • A grade of P for Pass will display for courses that are accepted for transfer and awarded credit
   • A grade of F for Fail will display for a course that has an equivalent grade that is below a C- (based on the United States grade equivalent)
   • A grade of NC for No Credit will display for a course that is not acceptable for transfer and is awarded zero credits by UMD
   Questions regarding the posting of international transfer courses should be directed to Transfer Credit Services.

All currently enrolled UMD students who take courses outside the US, must go through Education Abroad to obtain approval prior to departing on their abroad experience. This process ensures that:

• Potential transfer courses have been evaluated by the relevant department
• The minimum grade required has been determined
• The conversion of international credits to UMD semester credits has been determined

To request an evaluation of a study abroad course on an approved study abroad program:

1. Approval from the Education Abroad office is obtained prior to departing on the abroad experience.
   • A student who did not obtain permission through the Education Abroad Office prior to departing on an abroad experience must appeal to receive a retroactive approval. Without the appropriate approval, transfer credit cannot be awarded by UMD.
2. The Study Abroad Course Database (SACD) or Transfer Course Database (for courses reviewed prior to September 2019) is consulted to see if the study abroad course has already been evaluated for UMD credit. Engineering majors should first consult the Clark School's SACD. 
3. If the course is not listed in the SACD or the Transfer Course Database, an EA Transfer Credit Evaluation Request is submitted for each course needing evaluation. A full syllabus with a certified English translation is required for evaluation.
4. Transfer Credit Services routes the request to the appropriate UMD academic department.
5. Student receives an email when the evaluation is complete. Evaluations usually take 2-3 weeks.
6. Education Abroad will update the SACD to reflect the outcome of the evaluation.
7. Students should consult with an academic advisor about how the course will apply to degree requirements.
8. Upon completion of the study abroad experience, students are responsible for submitting all final official transcripts. Transfer courses will post to a student's UMD record only from official transcripts received from the institution at which the credit was earned.
   • Official sealed transcripts should be sent to Education Abroad:
     University of Maryland
     Education Abroad
     1118 H.J. Patterson Hall
     4065 Campus Drive
     College Park, MD 20742

Please direct questions regarding education abroad to educationabroad@umd.edu.

Newly admitted students with transfer courses from domestic institutions can obtain access to their preliminary transfer credit evaluation starting usually 2-3 weeks after the receipt of their admission letter.

The preliminary transfer credit evaluation can be reviewed via the student's UMD unofficial transcript in Testudo. An initial review of transfer credit will occur automatically upon admission to UMD. Newly admitted students should continually monitor their unofficial transcript to ensure:

• All completed transfer courses are listed
• The course title for each transfer course reflects the course title from the sending institution
• The grade listed for each transfer course reflects the grade earned
• Students do not register for a course at UMD similar in content to a transfer course that is pending evaluation

1. Consult the intended recipient about the preferred transcript format. Electronic PDF transcripts are not accepted by all recipients and the university will not reissue transcript orders or provide a refund for orders once they are processed.
2. If applicable, have your application service ID/account number ready (e.g., AMCAS, LSAC, Common App). Forms are no longer necessary when sending a transcript using your application service account number.
3. If applicable, prepare agency-required forms that must be included with your transcript. Documents or forms that cannot be authenticated by the Office of the University Registrar will be removed from your transcript request. Examples of documents that will not be accepted as attachments include: unofficial or official transcripts, diplomas, letters or correspondence, copies of identity documents (e.g. passports, driver's license).
4. Have your credit or debit card ready. The University of Maryland charges $12.00 for each official transcript. Note: National Student Clearinghouse charges additional processing and shipping and handling fees based on your selections.
5. You will need your 9-digit University ID (UID) number to request a transcript.
   • How do I obtain my UID? 
     Using your directory ID and password, login to Testudo to obtain your UID. You can find your UID beneath your name on the Profile page.
   • How do I obtain my directory ID and password?
     Visit Former Student Identity Verification to obtain your directory ID and password (on this page you may select UID or select last 5 digits of SSN from the dropdown box). For additional instructions, review this IT Support Article.

You will be notified during the transcript ordering process if a hold exists on your record. Your transcript order cannot be processed until the hold is removed. Once the hold is resolved, your transcript will be released. Your credit card will not be charged until your order is completed. 

• Judicial Hold: Contact the Office of Student Conduct at 301-314-8204 or studentconduct@umd.edu to resolve the hold on your student record.
• Administrative Hold: Contact the Office of the University Registrar at 301-314-8240 or registrar-help@umd.edu to resolve the hold on your student record.
• No Record Found: Please refer to the FAQs below for a list of reasons why your transcript is unable to be processed. If you believe you received this message in error, contact the Office of the University Registrar at 301-314-8240 or registrar-help@umd.edu to resolve this issue.
• Archived Record Hold: No action necessary. Please allow an additional 3-5 business days for your record to be processed.

• Electronic PDF transcripts are generally processed the same business day. Once the electronic PDF transcript is sent, the recipient will receive two email notifications — one with a secure 30-day link and another with a password to access the transcript. No refund will be provided if the recipient fails to retrieve the electronic PDF transcript within 30 days.
• Paper transcripts are processed within 1-2 business days after receipt of your order and are subject to domestic and international shipping. Certified mail and express shipping options are available for selection during the transcript ordering process.
• GPAs and Degrees for Current Students and Recent Graduates: Prior to placing your order, review your unofficial transcript to confirm that your GPA and/or degree have posted to your record. No refund will be provided if your order is fulfilled before GPAs and/or degrees appear on your transcript. GPA and degree posting dates can be found on the transcript ordering site.
• Processing Delays may occur for the following reasons:
  • Holds: Holds on your record will delay transcript processing. Consult the Holds on Your Record section above for details.
  • Attachments: You have the ability to upload documents that must accompany your official transcript. Your attachment will be reviewed and is subject to approval. This may cause a slight delay in processing.

You should not submit a transcript request through the National Student Clearinghouse if you are part of a group listed below.

• Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA): Students requesting an official transcript of coursework completed through IAA must submit a transcript request via the Institute of Applied Agriculture Transcript Request option on Testudo.
• Veterinary Medicine: Students must submit a transcript request to Virginia Tech, Office of the University Registrar.
• Inter-Institutional, DC Consortium, BigTen Course Share, or Crosstown ROTC: Students must contact their home institution to obtain an official transcript.
• Last date of attendance at UMD was prior to 1982: Students must contact the Office of the University Registrar at 301-314-8240 or registrar-help@umd.edu to obtain your transcript.

No, all transcript orders must be placed online through National Student Clearinghouse.

Electronic PDF transcripts are generally processed the same business day. For paper transcripts, National Student Clearinghouse offers several domestic and international shipping options for expedited service.

Students can view or print their unofficial transcripts on Testudo.

You cannot submit a transcript request through National Student Clearinghouse. Please see the Applied Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Visiting, and Former Students section above for details.

If you attached a document that the Office of the University Registrar cannot authenticate or is not appropriate to be included with an official transcript, we will remove the uploaded document and proceed with processing your transcript order.