Transfer Credit

Academic and University Policies  

ACE Recommendations

Coursework at Other Institutions

Credit for Prior Learning

Guide to Test Scores & Placement  

Seal of Biliteracy Credit Table

Test Credit Table  

Credit for Prior Learning at UMPI

When you bring previous knowledge and skills to the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI), we ensure you get the credit you deserve. Through our Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program, we offer flexible options to help you save time and money on your path to a degree.

How to Earn Credit for Prior Learning

Our CPL process evaluates your prior learning through several methods, allowing you to receive credit for your hard-earned knowledge.

• ACE [American Council on Education] - Courses recognized by the American Council on Education, though taught by non-accredited training organizations, can receive UMPI credit.
• Challenge Exams - This involves faculty developing examinations that may be administered to students wishing to demonstrate mastery of course subject material in order to earn equivalent credit.
• CLEP and AP - The University supports nationally accredited and recognized examination options such as the College Level Examination Program [CLEP] and the Advanced Placement  Examination Program (AP), both offered by the College Board
• DANTES - Referred to as military CLEP and guided by ACE.
• Non-regionally Accredited Institutions - The University may assess the transfer of credit from non-regionally accredited institutions on a case-by-case basis.
• Portfolio Assessment - Students compile a body of evidence to demonstrate their learning and/or mastery of a particular subject. UMPI charges $50 per credit hour for assessment and processing costs.

Turning your Credit for Prior Learning into college credits ensures that you can start your college career with us focused on the classes you’re ready to tackle, and complete your degree as quickly and affordably as possible. Please peruse our CPL webspace for more details about how this process works. And if you have questions, please contact our Office of Student Records at 207-768-9686 or email umpireg@maine.edu.

How the Credit for Prior Learning Process Works

The University of Maine at Presque Isle offers several options through which a student’s previously acquired information and skills could be incorporated into their overall college program. Pertinent documentation is assembled for review by college officials and will be evaluated as quickly as possible, but may take up to several weeks.

1. Students must be matriculated into an Associate or Bachelor’s degree program to be eligible for Credit for Prior Learning. Non-degree students and students enrolled in certificate programs of fewer than 30 credits must receive permission from the Registrar in order to be eligible for Credit for Prior Learning.
2. Students in Associate degree programs may earn a maximum of 15 credits through Credit for Prior Learning. Students in Bachelor’s degree programs may earn a maximum of 30 credits. In other words, the combination of all forms of Credit for Prior Learning cannot exceed a total of 15 credits of an Associate’s degree and 30 credits of a Bachelor’s degree.

Students must utilize test options such as CLEP, DANTES or Challenge Exams when available. When no test option is available, students may request PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT of their Credit for Prior Learning. Portfolio Assessment may also allow students to provide evidence of successfully completing a MOOC program.

Seal of Biliteracy and Transfer Opportunities

The University maintains articulation agreements with several institutions and entities in an effort to provide greater educational access and learning opportunities for students. These include:

Beal College - Criminal Justice degree pathway

Caribou Regional Technology Center - Criminal Justice class

Husson University - 4+1 agreements, Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, MBA

Jatindera Greenfield School - cooperative agreement

Lertlah Schools - Education students complete teacher certification in Thailand

Maine Community College System - Block Transfer, General Education Block approval

Maine Department of Labor - cooperative agreement

Maine School of Science and Mathematics - early college classes

Phoenix Education Co. - cooperative agreements

Public high schools in Aroostook County - Professional Development Schools

Public high schools in Maine - Seal of Biliteracy

University of Maine System institutions - Maine Engineering Pathway Program,  MLT Program of Maine, History program, Masters program in Education, 3+3 Law degree

TRANSFER EQUIVALENCY CHANGES AS OF MAY 1, 2025

UMPI recently updated how we accept transfer credits from Sophia and Study. While we continue to accept many courses from both platforms, a few course equivalencies have changed to better align with UMPI’s academic standards and degree requirements.

We want to reassure you:

• If your transfer credit report has already been finalized, your transferred courses will not change. Your existing credits remain as evaluated.
• Students who began Sophia or Study courses before May 1, 2025, will still be considered under the previous transfer rules. If your transfer evaluation does not reflect this and you believe it should, please contact your assigned Professional Academic Advisor, YourPace Academic Success Coach, or YourPace New Student Enrollment Specialist. PLEASE NOTE: This equivalency ends on Friday, September 26, 2025.

To help you navigate future course planning, please refer to the Transfer Equivalency Tool in your student center, which shows how Sophia and Study courses may transfer into your degree. Please note that equivalencies can change, so we encourage checking the tool before starting any new courses.

Again, if you have questions or need help reviewing your transfer credits, don’t hesitate to contact your assigned Professional Academic Advisor, YourPace Academic Success Coach, or YourPace New Student Enrollment Specialist.

Transfer Credit Policies at the University of Maine at Presque Isle

Board of Trustees transfer policies provide the maximum opportunity for transfer both into and within the University of Maine System (UMS).  The following transfer practices are endorsed and followed by the UMS.

Transfer Credit within the UMS

1. All undergraduate courses successfully completed with a grade of C- or higher, including P grades, will transfer from one UMS institution to another. Grades will be recorded on the student’s transcript but not computed into the Grade Point Average (GPA). Semester and cumulative grade point averages reflect only those courses taken at UMPI. Students who are enrolled in multi-university degree programs should inquire about any exceptions that may apply.

2. Students who have completed the UMS General Education Transfer Block at one UMS institution will be regarded as having completed their general education requirements at every other UMS institution, with the exception of up to 11 credits of general education coursework specified by the receiving institution. Students who are interested should contact the Office of Student Records/Registrar’s Office at the institution where the general education requirements were completed in order to have the block certification verified and added to their academic record.

3. Additional grade or credit requirements may exist at the institution or program level at UMPI.

Transfer Credit from External Institutions

1. Transfer students must request that official transcripts be sent directly from all previous institutions to the UMS Shared Processing Center.  Electronic transcripts may be sent to edocs@maine.edu or paper copies may be sent to Application Processing, University of Maine System, P.O. Box 412, Bangor, ME 04402-0412.

2. To qualify for transfer credit within the UMS, courses must be successfully completed with a grade of C- or higher at an accredited institution of higher learning that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE), or the American Council on Education (ACE).  The student’s transfer credits will not be computed into the Grade Point Average (GPA).

3. Courses taken under a P, S, or CR grade at an institution external to the UMS must have the “Passing” grade defined as being equal to a grade of C- or higher to qualify for transfer within the UMS. 

4. Course credit originating from international institutions may qualify for transfer consistent with established institutional policies.

5. Transfer students are required to satisfy residency requirements at UMPI.

6. Students transferring from the Maine Community College System (MCCS) into the UMS, who have completed the General Education Transfer Block (as noted on their MCCS institution’s official transcript), will be regarded as having completed the UMS general education requirements, with the exception of up to 11 credits of general education coursework to be specified by the receiving institution.

Transfer Evaluations

1. Transfer credit evaluations will be completed for admitted students and will be available to view within the Student Center in MaineStreet.  Transfer students should meet with either their Professional Academic Advisor/New Student Enrollment Specialist/YourPace Academic Success Coach to review how the awarded credits may be applied toward their degree plan.

2. Students with coursework from schools which are not recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE) as being accredited (either nationally or regionally) institutions of higher learning may inquire into the possibility of validating some or all of their learning through testing and/or approved institutional Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) processes.

3. Coursework defined as developmental or remedial by UMPI is considered preparatory to college-level work and will not be awarded transfer credit.

4. Transfer students will be expected to meet the established requirements of the academic program, college and/or degree plan into which they are transferring.  Students should consult UMPI’s catalog and/or meet with an appropriate advisor to determine requirements regarding the number and distribution of credits that must be completed to earn the desired degree. Students should meet with their assigned advisor to review their Degree Progress Report (DPR) generated in MaineStreet.

5. Students may confer with their assigned advisor about the transfer credit evaluation process. This process may entail a request for a re-evaluation through the appropriate channels. The appropriate application of transfer credit is the responsibility of the relevant academic unit (college or department). If a student disagrees with the transfer credit re-evaluation after completing this process, the student then goes to the Academic Appeals Board.   
6. Current UMS semester-based students who plan to take courses at another institution, inside or outside of the UMS, are strongly encouraged to seek prior approval of their plans by completing a Domestic or International Study Away Form at the institution where they are matriculated.
7. Repeat to replace regarding transfer credit. Students may elect to repeat a previously taken course. Upon review of the student’s Degree Progress Report, their Professional Academic Advisor/New Student Enrollment Specialist/YourPace Academic Success Coach will either register the student for the repeated UMPI course or approve the outside transfer credit. Coursework completed at another institution may be used to replace a UMPI course grade, provided that the transfer course is deemed equivalent in content to the UMPI course. In such cases, the original UMPI grade will be excluded from GPA calculations, and no new grade will be factored in. Neither grade will be counted in the term or cumulative GPA.