Transfer Students

Transfer Students - Welcome and General Information

Welcome to the University of Oklahoma! We are thrilled to have you as a member of our Sooner family! This web site is designed to give you information specific to Transfer Students and to provide you with answers most often asked by our new transfer students.

I'm New -- Now What?

Transfer students come to the University of Oklahoma from varying schools and backgrounds -- some from two-year colleges and some from four-year universities; some from small towns and some from large cities. The one common factor is that all transfer students bring experience from another educational environment. Every new student comes with uncertainty about what the OU experience is going to offer. To help our transfer students acclimate to OU quickly, we have assembled some of the most frequently asked questions. If you do not find the answer to your question, or if you have a suggestion for this web page, please contact us by email at advising@ou.edu (and include your ID number) or call (405) 325-1596.

Who Is My Advisor?

As a new transfer student, your first priority is to meet with your college-level academic counselor. This meeting is critical, as your academic counselor will review your transcript with you to let you know how your transfer coursework applies to your degree program at the University of Oklahoma. Your academic counselor will also give you a brief orientation to OU and your college, as well as provide your initial advising. The Who-How-Where of Advising will provide you with information about your chosen college and how to contact the appropriate advisor.

How Do I Know if I need Math, English, Reading, or Language assessments?

Math Assessment is required for new transfer students who have never taken and passed a college-level General Education approved MATH course.

For new transfer students that have taken and passed MATH classes already, make sure your transfer work is submitted to OU Admissions and posted to your OU record, but we need more information to determine if you need to assess.

Check the major requirement for your major you want to pursue and compare the class(es) you have taken to what is required for your intended major. If they match, you do not need any more MATH, but if they do not match, you may need to assess. Some MATH classes are not meant to be used as a prerequisite for other classes (eg. MATH 1473, PHIL 1113, PSY 2003) but fulfill the general education requirement and other MATH classes are prerequisites to start the calculus sequencing.
OU has an entry-level MATH flowchart. OU has one calculus sequence for Business, Life, and Social Science majors (MATH 1743 to MATH 2123.) OU has two calculus sequences for Science, Engineering, and Math majors that are both 12 hours, either complete sequence can be used to satisfy the calculus requirements. One is divided into three calculus classes (MATH 1914 to MATH 2924 to MATH 2934) and the other is divided into four calculus classes (MATH 1823 to MATH 2423 to MATH 2433 to MATH 2443). For MATH 1823, you can take a MATH 1523 equivalent transfer course or assess into that course. For MATH 1914, assessment is the only means of placement into that course/sequence.
If you would like to be placed into a higher math course than your transfer course is a prerequisite for, you can assess with our ALEKS math assessment. The benefit of the ALEKS assessment is that you can gauge your skills and be appropriately placed. ALEKS allows for three attempts, so you can use their learning modules to refresh your math knowledge and then reassess. If you have questions about your math transfer course, the math assessment, AP/IB exams, or transfer courses, please consult with your academic advisor.
You will schedule your assessment by clicking on this link: iadvise.ou.edu/assess
The full list of MATH courses offered at OU with prerequisites and course descriptions can be found here. Please see our MATH FAQ for any questions you may have regarding the math assessment. You are allowed three attempts at taking the math assessment. For additional questions about math assessment, please email ucac@ou.edu or call 405-325-4336.

English Assessment is required for students who have never taken ENGL 1113 or have an English ACT of 18 or less/SAT 500 or less.

Reading Assessment is required for students who have never taken a reading intensive college course or have an English ACT of 18 or less/SAT 500 or less. Information is available on the links for each above.

Language Placement is required for students who studied language in high school and need to meet a degree requirement and want to continue to enroll in that same language. Those students could start a new language without having to take the placement. However, placement is not required for transfer students who have never studied a language, studied a language for less than 2 years, or studied a language, but at a time of more than 5 years ago. It is also not required for students who did take 2 years in high school and that fulfills their degree requirement. Placement establishes the student’s reading and writing competency level in the language. It also ensures that the student is placed in the most appropriate course for their skill level. The results of the placement test may satisfy some or all of the language requirement for your degree however, it does not provide academic credit. Please speak with your advisor to make the final decision about which course is right for you.

There is no cost for the Math, English, and Reading Assessments or Language Placement at OU.

How Do I Make An Appointment With My Advisor?

The University of Oklahoma uses the iAdvise appointment system. When you log in with your OUNetID or OU email address and password, the system will take you into your advsior appointment book to schedule an appointment.

How Do I Get Credit For My Transfer Courses?

two students studying near the the seed sower statue

Transfer credit can show on your transcript in several different ways:

equated to a specific OU course
not equated to an OU course, but carrying general education credit
not equated to an OU course and carrying no general education credit, in which case it generally carries elective credit and is desinated by the OU number 1999 or 3999 depending on if the course is lower or upper division at the school where it was completed

In your initial visit with your college-level academic counselor you will learn how the credit applies to your OU degree program. Your academic counselor also can provide in-depth information about the process of ensuring credit for transfer work.

The Transfer Equivalencies Database website provides an explanation of how to use the database as well as general information about transfer courses. In addition to being helpful for identifying equivalent courses from 'elsewhere,' the site is very helpful in identifying equivalent courses for students who might want to take courses at another institution to transfer back to OU. If a course is not listed in the database, an transfer equivalency specialist in the Academic Records office (405-325-5952); te@ou.edu is the best source for initial questions in getting help with this area.

How Do I Get Involved On Campus?

Transfer students sometimes feel like outsiders because they did not come to OU directly from high school. There is a course developed for transfer students that can help with this adjustment UCOL 3001.

The Oklahoma Association of Transfer Students was created with these students in mind, and their purpose is to help transfer students become full-fledged Sooners as quickly as possible. The board is composed of students who transferred to OU, and because they have walked the transfer student path, they are a great resource for help from someone who knows what you are dealing with.

The Student Life website also has information about how to get involved in campus organizations.