Transfer from Middlesex College

You can transfer without an Associate’s Degree, but colleges and universities prefer applicants who have earned a degree. Colleges want to admit students who show the potential to succeed and to graduate.

Not only will you save money by completing two years at Middlesex before you transfer, but many scholarships are only available to students who have an Associate’s Degree.

The answer is … NO and YES.

NO – A student may always apply to another college/university for admission but if that student has too few completed college credits, then their application will not be given the same consideration as is given to a TRUE transfer applicant. The applicant will be considered with all the other freshman applicants and at that competitive level, high school grades and SAT scores strongly affect the answer. If the student is accepted to another college and has earned college credit,  those completed colleges credits will be evaluated by the receiving college/university for transferability.

YES– A TRUE transfer applicant does need to have a minimum number of completed college credits at the time an application is filed. The number of completed credits will vary from as few as 12 to as many as 60 credits. Applying for admission under transfer status affords the student certain additional considerations not offered to freshman applicants. If earning a degree is not your goal, you should plan to attend long enough to complete at least 30 college credits before you apply to transfer. This does not include basic skills coursework.  Most four-year colleges will waive the SAT requirements for transfer students who have earned more than 30 college credits. And some (though not all) will not require high school transcripts either. The admission decision will be on your college work alone.

While some competitive colleges do ask all applicants (even transfers) to submit SAT or ACT test scores, most colleges and universities do not require these tests once a student is qualified to apply as a transferring student. The number of completed credits will vary from as few as 12 to as many as 60 credits in order to be eligible for exemption from test score submission. Students who are applying with only a few college credits completed will, more than likely need to submit these test scores and if they have not taken one of these tests, must do so to be considered for admission.

Most four-year colleges require a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or “C” to be eligible for transfer. Certain colleges and certain majors will require higher minimums for admission consideration. These include, but are not limited to: All teaching certification programs in New Jersey (3.0); Business (2.5+); and Pharmacy (3.7+). Rutgers, the State University, and The College of New Jersey require a minimum 3.0 for admission consideration. Each college in the state and out of state sets its own admission criteria.

Most four year institutions require a minimum grade of “C” for a course to be considered for transfer. Generally, “C” grades are accepted by colleges unless the intended major specifically requires higher grades in specific courses. Some colleges require no grades lower than B- in major courses. A grade of “C” does not in itself disqualify a student from being accepted to a four year institution. A strong GPA and appropriate courses are important for a successful transfer.

Colleges and universities will vary in their policies regarding the transferability of courses. Generally, most all colleges do accept the credits earned for courses taken during the MCC Wintersession with one exception, Rutgers – New Brunswick Campus.

Rutgers – New Brunswick, specifically the School of Arts & Sciences, has announced specifications for the transferability of courses in certain departments. These specification speak to the length of time a class must meet and the location where the class is presented. Not all Rutgers – New Brunswick courses are affected by these requirements. Specific course transferability details can be found on NJ Transfer.

It is best to file your applications at the very beginning of your last full term/semester before the intended transfer. If you hope to begin at the next college for the Fall term, you should be filing the application at the very beginning of the Spring term. Likewise, if you are applying to begin at the next college for the January term (Spring) then you should be filing your applications by mid-September of the Fall term. Colleges that announce that they have rolling admission mean that they will continue taking applications until they fill up. However, you should still apply early to be sure that your intended major is not full.

Our students have transferred to colleges and universities across the nation, including prestigious schools like Columbia University, NYU, UPenn, Rutgers,  The College of New Jersey, as well as local universities such as Montclair State University, Seton Hall, Kean, Monmouth and more!

MCC students have successfully transferred to colleges in every state including Alaska and Hawaii.