Confused or need more information about the transfer process? Our glossary describes common phrases you may encounter and how they apply to transfer admissions.
These are formal agreements that specify, in terms of credit value and academic requirements, how courses from Oregon community colleges will transfer to bachelor’s degree programs at participating Alliance member institutions.
These established relationships form the foundation for our Transfer Pathways Initiative, ensuring continuity for students pursuing Transfer Degrees and Major Transfer Maps.
An associate degree is a two-year credential consisting of roughly 90 quarter hours (60 semester hours). Community colleges and other two-year institutions are the primary granters of associate degrees, although four-year colleges and universities may selectively include this pathway.
Oregon community colleges offer two general types of associate degrees. Transfer Degrees and Major Transfer Maps align with introductory and select major requirements for partnering institutions’ bachelor’s degree programs. This includes AAOT, AAT, AGS, AS, ASOT, and AST degrees.
The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) is a 90-quarter-hour technical degree that provides job-ready skills and preparation for industry certifications for students seeking careers in business, healthcare, education, culinary arts, and the trades. Courses will not transfer as a block to a bachelor’s program at a partnering college or university.
Non-traditional students are a growing undergraduate segment that fits one or more of the following characteristics:
Non-traditional students fall across a broad age range and generally benefit from the flexibility of online, weekend, and evening classes.
A bachelor’s degree is typically a four-year, 180-quarter-hour (120-semester-hour) program that confers a credential focused on a major. The curriculum typically includes general education requirements for broad preparation and major courses offering disciplinary preparation for related careers or advanced studies.
A transferable associate degree may be used to partially cover these requirements. In this case, the associate credits fulfill lower-level courses and select major requirements, and the student will complete the remainder to earn a bachelor’s credential.
This document lists how courses from a community college will transfer to all partnering schools. It may include subject-to-subject equivalencies with credit values or groups of courses for general education requirements.
A Major Transfer Map, a type of transfer equivalency guide developed by Alliance institutions and our partners, shows how a major-specific sequence of community college courses will transfer toward an assigned bachelor’s degree program.
A cumulative GPA is the average of all final course grades taken at the college level. This figure will also include retaken courses, failing grades, incomplete grades, and dual-enrollment courses. Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and exam-based scores generally do not influence a student’s cumulative GPA.
Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to take college-level classes on campus, online, or at their high school with an approved instructor.
A growing number of students are pursuing dual enrollment to complete college general education requirements before they finish high school. They either continue their studies until they earn an associate degree or transfer all completed courses to a bachelor’s program at a four-year college.
General education requirements are the introductory courses students take as they begin their studies. They impart breadth across the sciences, humanities, mathematics, and communication, encouraging students to think about concepts in different contexts, solve problems, and effectively express ideas in both oral and written forms.
While general education requirements are typically flexible, certain majors may assign prerequisite courses to this sequence. Students who successfully complete these prerequisites then become eligible to enroll in the major.
For many colleges, “lower-division classes” is interchangeable with “general education requirements” or “core requirements.” Both describe the introductory courses a student takes during their freshman and sophomore years before starting their major.
A major is a specialized area of study that focuses on related concepts and skills and is generally designed to help a student begin a career or to pursue an advanced or professional degree.
While it’s common for a transfer student to declare their major while beginning their bachelor’s studies, a growing number do so in community college. A Major Transfer Map or a Transfer Degree with prerequisites offers a smoother transition for students approaching their education in this manner.
Prerequisites are introductory courses that cover broad theories and concepts relevant to a student’s major. Not every major includes prerequisites, but for those that do, program leaders will review a transfer student’s academic performance before officially admitting them into the major.
A transcript is a document that lists all courses completed at a higher-education institution, the final grades earned, and the student’s cumulative GPA.
An official transcript is a certified and sealed record issued by the college’s registrar to the recipient specified in the student’s request. Most transfer applications list an official transcript among the documents a student and their community college advisor must compile in advance. It serves to confirm the student’s GPA and course attainment and will be evaluated for course equivalencies relative to major requirements.
An unofficial transcript is essentially a preliminary document. Often accessed and printed through a student portal, it may be sufficient for an application, but an official transcript will be required once a college or university confirms its admissions decision.
These established relationships form the foundation for our Transfer Pathway Initiative, ensuring continuity for students pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees.
Students taking prerequisites for a major are often given “pre-major” status before being officially admitted into the program.
A reverse transfer assigns community college credit for courses a student completed at a four-year college or university, often helping fulfill associate degree requirements.
This process benefits students who transfer into a bachelor’s degree program before earning 90 quarter hours (60 semester hours) but still seek a community college transcript showing the completion of this credential.
“Transferable courses” refers to subjects with course equivalencies at partnering institutions. Applying these courses can fulfill select degree requirements in terms of subject area and credit value.
Non-transferable courses are typically:
Upper-division classes generally include major requirements completed during a student’s junior and senior years.
If integrated into a transferable associate degree, any upper-division requirements earned at a community college will be evaluated and applied toward a student’s bachelor’s degree program on a course-by-course basis.
Increasing awareness of these pathways starts on campus, with counselors advising students on course selections and transfer requirements.
Interested in learning more? Contact a transfer counselor from any of our institutions for additional information or to arrange a transfer event for students.
