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. 

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

1. Transferring students must provide official transcripts reflecting all previous post-secondary coursework.
2. An evaluation of transfer credit will be prepared by the Transfer Officer for each accepted transfer student and will be available in the student’s MaineStreet Student Center. The transfer student should meet with a Professional Academic Advisor at the receiving university to review how the transfer credit will be applied toward the student’s degree program. Transfer evaluations will be prepared based on the following principles:
   • Within the University of Maine System: Undergraduate courses completed with a C- or higher, including P grades, will transfer from one UMS university to another. Grades will be recorded on the student’s transcript but not computed into the cumulative GPA.
   • Outside the University of Maine System: Credit earned with a C- or higher in courses from regionally accredited colleges/universities outside the UMS will be considered for transfer. Pass-fail courses taken outside the UMS must have a “pass” defined as a C- or higher in order to transfer.
   • Course grades do not transfer from one college/university to another. Semester and cumulative GPAs reflect only those courses taken at the home university. Students in cooperative degree programs should inquire about any exceptions that may apply.
   • Coursework defined as developmental by the University to which the student is transferring will not be awarded degree credit. Developmental courses are considered preparatory to college-level work and will not count towards a degree.
   • Courses from colleges and universities outside the United States will be accepted for transfer consistent with established university policies and practices.
3. Credit may be awarded for high school Advanced Placement (AP) exams, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, or college-level knowledge gained through life experience (e.g., Credit for Prior Learning, such as military or other training) when validated through the approved campus processes.
4. UMPI may accept transfer credits from institutions that are not regionally accredited. Students who have completed courses or training at such institutions should first investigate whether the courses completed are recommended for transfer credit by the American Council on Education. If not, students may initiate the evaluation process by contacting their professional academic advisor. Students will be required to provide a description of the training/course, contact hours, instructor credentials, and a syllabus or training outline as supporting documents. The Provost must approve transfer credit from non-regionally accredited institutions. In no case will the transferability of such courses be guaranteed. The documentation requirement will be waived if an evaluation of the course or training has already been completed and credit transfer approved within the last 5 years, provided that there have been no major changes to the training or course. Transfer credit will generally only be granted where a grade of C- or better (or equivalent) has been earned.
5. If a student has concerns about the transfer evaluation, the student may appeal through the academic appeals process at the receiving university.
6. Transfer students should consult the University’s catalog and/or meet with an appropriate advisor to determine requirements regarding the number and distribution of credits that must be completed at the university to earn the desired degree.
7. Students must meet the established requirements of the academic program or college into which they are transferring. Transfer credits do not necessarily count towards these requirements.
8. Students may also confer with their Professional Academic Advisor regarding possible flexibility in the application of their credits to their program, through approved campus processes.
9. Current UMS students who plan to take courses at another university, inside or outside of the UMS, are strongly encouraged to seek prior approval of their plans from the university where they are matriculated.