Arizona State University Online Transfer Credits Guide — ACE & NCCRS Course Equivalency

Yes, ASU Online does review ACE and NCCRS-recommended credits. The registrar evaluates them along with CLEP and military training to see whether they fit as elective, lower-division, or general education credit. A UPI Study course in composition or math, for example, may count differently depending on the degree you’re pursuing. A business major and a liberal arts major won’t always get the same result.

ASU can accept a lot of outside credit, but the exact cap depends on the degree program and how the credits fit the plan. Many bachelor’s degrees allow up to 64 community college credits and a larger total from all sources, but upper-division and major requirements still have to be met at ASU. Some colleges are stricter than others. Extra credits usually land as electives if they don’t match a requirement.

ASU has strong transfer pathways with Arizona community colleges, especially the Maricopa Community Colleges system. Courses that match ASU’s transfer guides usually move cleanly into gen-ed or major prep. UPI Study credits are different because they’re ACE/NCCRS-recommended, so they’re reviewed individually rather than through a standard course-to-course agreement. That’s why a transcript review matters.

First, request your transcript from UPI Study after you finish the course. Then send it to ASU’s admissions or registrar office for evaluation, and they’ll determine whether the credit posts to your record. In many cases, the review happens after admission and can take a few weeks. If you want to know how a course might count before enrolling, ask for a pre-enrollment review or degree-planning check.

ASU Online undergraduate tuition is about $561 per credit hour for many online programs. Thirty credits at that rate would be about $16,830. UPI Study’s $499/year plan is much cheaper if you’re knocking out general education or elective credits first. The savings are biggest when those credits replace courses you would’ve paid for at ASU.

ASU Online is known for business through W. P. Carey, engineering through Fulton Schools, education through Mary Lou Fulton, and popular paths in psychology and nursing-related study. If you use UPI Study credits for gen eds, you free up space for the harder upper-division classes in your major. That matters in majors with sequenced requirements, where missing one class can delay everything. Transfer credit works best when you map it to your degree plan early.

ASU’s general transfer standard is usually a 2.5 GPA, but some colleges want more. W. P. Carey and engineering can be more selective, especially if you’re trying to enter a specific major. UPI Study course grades don’t affect your college GPA the same way a transcript from another college does, but the registrar still reviews the credit for applicability.

ASU accepts students for fall and spring, and many undergraduate applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. That said, you should apply early if you want time for transfer credit evaluation and financial aid steps. Finishing UPI Study courses before the deadline gives the registrar more time to review them. That can keep you from losing a semester to paperwork.

ASU Online typically admits students for fall and spring, and some programs also offer other start dates. Transfer students usually have the same main entry terms as freshmen, but program availability can vary. The key is checking your specific major, not just the university calendar.

ASU uses rolling admission for many undergraduate applicants, so there isn’t one single deadline for every student. Fall and spring entry both exist, but priority timing matters for financial aid, housing on campus, and transfer credit review. If you’re applying as a transfer, submit early enough for transcripts and ACE/NCCRS evaluations to post before registration opens.

Yes. ASU has a long transfer pipeline, especially from Arizona community colleges, and a large share of students come in with prior college credit. That makes it easier to fit outside credits into a degree plan, especially for gen eds and electives. It’s less forgiving in some majors, though, where prerequisite chains are tight.

For transfer students, SAT and ACT scores usually aren’t the focus if you’ve completed enough college work. Freshman applicants can be reviewed with test scores or other admission factors depending on the program and GPA. ASU’s transfer review is much more about your college transcript than standardized tests.

Yes, ASU has orientation for new students, and online students usually complete a virtual version. Transfer students get guidance on registration, advising, and degree planning. It’s worth doing early because it helps you place transferred credits correctly.

ASU is both. ASU Online is fully online, while the Tempe campus and other Phoenix-area campuses offer the in-person residential experience. The university does have dorms on the Tempe campus, but online students usually don’t use them unless they also enroll on campus.

ASU offers merit-based aid, need-based aid, and some transfer-specific scholarships, plus college-based awards in certain programs. Online students may also qualify for federal aid if they meet eligibility rules. Transfer students should check both the main financial aid office and their college, since awards can be different by program.

Most students finish a single course in 2–4 weeks studying a few hours per day. There are no deadlines. You can go faster if you already know the material, or spread it out over a couple of months if you're working full-time. The self-paced format means your schedule decides the timeline, not a semester calendar.

ACE (American Council on Education) and NCCRS (National College Credit Recommendation Service) are organizations that evaluate non-traditional coursework and recommend it for college credit. They're the same bodies that evaluate military training and CLEP exams. Over 2,100 US universities have policies to accept credits from ACE/NCCRS-evaluated sources. The recommendation doesn't automatically mean a specific university will take every course — each registrar evaluates independently — but it's the standard credential for this type of transfer.

Once you pass a course, you can request an official transcript through the UPI Study portal. Transcripts are processed within a few business days and sent directly to your university's registrar, or provided as a PDF for you to submit yourself. The transcript lists completed courses, credit hours, grades, and the ACE/NCCRS recommendation reference.