Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Staff
Faculty, counselors, academic advisors, navigators, and coaches at colleges and universities play a critical role in transfer student success.
Mitransfer.org is the new site for the Michigan Transfer Network which was developed and maintained by the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO). With support from the state of Michigan, MACRAO partnered with the Michigan Community College Association, the Michigan Association of State Universities, and the Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities to create MiTransfer. In addition to providing information about course equivalencies, MiTransfer shares information about the Michigan Transfer Agreement, MiTransfer Pathways, institutional profiles, and additional information about transfer.
You can find information about personnel who have access to update information on mitransfer.org on the institutions' profile page.
Participating colleges and universities are responsible for updating information on mitransfer.org. You can view the people who have access to update the site on the institutions' profile page along with the last date that course equivalencies were updated.
The Michigan Transfer Network was retired in Spring 2019 and was replaced with this site.
Information about the new MiTransfer Pathways is available on the Technical Resources page of MiTransfer.org.
Articulation is the process that facilitates the transition from one educational institution to another, or from one level of education to the next, with minimum duplication of coursework.
An Articulation Agreement is a formal, written document agreed upon by two or more institutions that provide a value?added component to a traditional transfer program by allowing additional transfer credits, enhancing the number and quality of learning options or by providing unique student-centered options (preferred admission, student support, financial assistance, etc.).
A credit hour is an academic unit of measure used for completion of courses.
Distribution Requirements are a set of categories of academic disciplines from which students select from a list of courses to satisfy the requirements.
Double count refers to the use of a limited number of credit hours towards satisfying multiple graduation requirements.
Equivalency is the determination that courses from different institutions are equal to each other; either course may be used to meet a requirement at one institution
General education is the program of liberal arts requirements that is included in all degree programs at an institution. It may have differentiation based on a degree or major, but general education coursework typically includes core skills and introduction to a variety of disciplines, such as social science, humanities, and natural science.
MACRAO is the acronym for the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, which is the Michigan regional member of AACRAO, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
The MACRAO Agreement is a Michigan statewide agreement, developed by MACRAO, that is designed to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from participating community colleges to participating four?year colleges and universities. Participating four-year institutions could opt not to fully participate in the MACRAO Agreement by stipulating limitations through provisos.
The MACRAO stamp refers to an indicator on a transcript identifying that a student has successfully completed the course requirements to satisfy the MACRAO Agreement.
The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a Michigan statewide agreement modeled from the original MACRAO Agreement and is designed to facilitate the transfer of general education requirements from participating community colleges to participating four-year colleges and universities. Four-year institutions cannot stipulate provisos under the MTA. This agreement was developed by the State of Michigan’s Committee on the Transferability of Core College Courses and maintained and updated from time to time by MACRAO.
Michigan Transfer Network (MTN)
Michigan Transfer Steering Committee (TSC)
MiTransfer Pathways
MTA endorsement refers to a transcript indicator identifying a student has successfully completed the course requirements to satisfy the MTA.
Occupational (vocational) courses are those classes devoted to educating based on occupation or employment in preparing students for specific trades, crafts, and careers. These courses typically teach job-specific skills and training that are not generally accepted as part of a liberal arts education. Examples of occupational courses include office administration, apprenticeships, etc. Occupational courses cannot be considered in fulfilling MTA distribution requirements.
Receiving institutions refers to MTA participating four-year colleges and universities.
Reverse transfer refers to the transfer of credits back to a sending institution after a student has already transferred in order to complete a degree, certificate, or the MTA.
Sending institution refers to MTA participating community colleges.
Studio and performing arts courses include classes that are more applied and pragmatic in nature, as opposed to courses devoted to a broad survey of the arts designed to sensitize students to the variety of art forms and their importance in contemporary civilization. Examples of studio and performing arts courses include drawing, sculpture, acting, etc. Studio and performing arts courses cannot be considered in fulfilling MTA distribution requirements.
Swirling refers to a student who has attended multiple institutions without successfully completing a credential.
A transcript is a document issued by an institution that contains all essential data such as: dates of attendance, courses taken, grades and credits awarded, degrees received. It may also contain the student’s current status at the institution. An official transcript is one that has been received directly from the issuing institution. It must bear an institutional validation (such as seal, logo, letterhead), date, and appropriate signature. Transcripts received that do not meet these requirements should not be considered official.
Transcript evaluation refers to the review of a student’s transcript from another college to determine coursework equivalencies and credit to be accepted at the receiving institution.
A transfer guide is a guide that lists courses which, if completed at one college, will meet specific requirements (such as program or major requirements) at another college.