Transfer-Degree and Program Information

Statewide Transfer Policy

Transfer of Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees. Effective for students who enter in the Fall 2003 semester, Colorado public four-year higher education institutions will honor the transfer of an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree and the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree earned at a Colorado community college. A student who earns an A.A. or A.S. degree at a Colorado public community college, including completing the state guaranteed general education courses, with a grade of C or better in all courses will transfer with junior standing into any arts and science degree program offered by a Colorado public four-year college. 

The credits earned in the associate degree program will apply at minimum to 35 credit hours of lower division general education and 25 credit hours additional graduation credits.

Since 1988, Colorado has had an operating two-plus-two transfer agreement that ensures a student who completes an AA or AS degree with a C or better in all courses will have junior standing, that is transfer 60 credit hours.

Because all liberal arts and sciences degrees are designed to be completed in 120 credit hours, a transfer student can complete a four-year degree in the same time as a native student, 120 hours. The receiving institution will evaluate credit for prior learning, Advanced Placement, and correspondence courses following its standard policy.

Transfer of General Education - Colorado’s state guaranteed general education courses are designed to allow students to begin their general education courses at one Colorado public higher education institution and later transfer to another without loss of general education credits. Colorado policy ensures that students who successfully complete a state guarantee general education course will receive transfer credits applied to graduation requirements in all majors at all public institutions unless a specific statewide articulation agreement exists.

The state's guaranteed general education curriculum is organized into five categories: communication, mathematics, fine arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and physical and life sciences.

To complete the Colorado state guaranteed general education core, students are required to take 35 to 37 semester credit hours and earn a C grade or better in each course. The guarantee is limited to the number of semester credit hours in each general education category.

All state guaranteed general education courses in communication, mathematics, arts and humanities, social and behavior science, and physical and life science shall be identified by a state-assigned common number.

When evaluating a transfer student's transcript, each Colorado public higher education institution will apply state guarantee general education credits to its general education graduation requirements. Institutions may require additional general education graduation requirements beyond the 35 semester credit hours of state guaranteed general education credits. If an institution requires less than 35 general education credits, the institution will accept in transfer the full 35 credits and apply these credits toward a student’s graduation requirements.

Four-Year College Or University Transfer Curricula

Transfer programs are offered to students planning to continue at a senior institution and earn the baccalaureate degree. Any student who expects to transfer to a senior college from Northeastern Junior College is advised to write to the registrar of the proposed college(s) or university(s) for specific information concerning course work to be taken while attending NJC. Students who desire to pursue academic programs other than those listed should consult a counselor or faculty advisor for assistance in planning an appropriate program of study. Final responsibility for choice of program and individual course selections, however, rests with the student.

Acceptance, number of transferable credits, and class standing are always at the discretion of the institution to which the student plans to transfer. Private and public four-year colleges and universities, as well as out-of-state institutions, reserve the right to handle each case individually and to evaluate all course work completed as it relates to their requirements.

The college reserves the right to substitute courses for those no longer offered, to modify course content at any time, to approve the substitution of one course for another in any program or degree, or to waive any course prerequisite or co-requisite.

Programs of Emphasis for University Transfer

Northeastern offers a variety of junior college courses necessary to prepare students for successful transfer.

Statewide Articulation Agreements

An Articulation Agreement is a statewide agreement among all Colorado community colleges and all four-year public institutions who offer a particular degree program.  It is most commonly used for undergraduate professional programs that have specific course requirements established by accrediting or external licensure boards.

Transfer Guides

Each institution is responsible for implementing a Transfer Guide for each CCHE approved baccalaureate degree program unless a statewide articulation agreement is in place. The Transfer Guide shall be designed so that a student can complete a baccalaureate program in no more than 120 credit hours unless there are additional graduation requirements recognized by the Commission. The transfer guide defines the 25 credit hours required beyond the state guaranteed general education credits and may include required courses in the major or prerequisite courses for admission into the degree program. The transfer guides are to be on file with CCHE. Institutional Transfer Guides | Higher Education (colorado.gov)