Transfer Credit

The University of Michigan School of Public Health is excited to welcome transfer students to our bachelor's degree programs. We value the unique experiences, perspectives, and skills that our transfer students bring to the program and are dedicated to help students find and follow their passions at Michigan Public Health. The guidelines and information provided here will help you determine which credits will transfer. 

Transfer Credit Equivalency

To determine how your current or previous college-level coursework may transfer use one of the Transfer Credit Equivalency databases. 

Please note that the transfer credit equivalency database is not comprehensive. This database only includes courses that have been previously evaluated by the University of Michigan. Courses not included in the database will be evaluated during the review of your application. In some cases you may be required to submit additional documentation in order for the course to be evaluated. 

Guidelines for Transfer Credit

  • For all transferable credit earned outside of the University of Michigan, only courses with a grade of C or better will be accepted. All courses taken at the University of Michigan-Dearborn or the University of Michigan-Flint will transfer regardless of grade.
  • Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits may be transferred without a maximum. Only IB credits may count toward the prerequisite courses.
  • Maximum of 60 credits from a regionally accredited college or university may be transferred to count toward the 120 required for a bachelor’s degree. Students who have completed an associate’s degree that required 62 credits may transfer 62 credits.
  • Maximum of 12 credits may be transferred to count toward the 45 required public health credits.
  • Repeated courses will only transfer credit once.
  • Students will be awarded the number of credit hours earned at the other U.S. institution. Note that we use semester credit hours (i.e., 1 quarter hour is equal to 2/3 semester hour). 

Types of Transfer Credit

Upon evaluation of your academic credentials, you can expect to receive one of the following types of transfer credit.

Equivalent Credit: Courses granted equivalent credit have descriptions that closely match the descriptions of courses taught at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. These courses will appear on the University of Michigan transcript with a U-M course number assigned (e.g., CHEM 130; ENGLISH 125).

Departmental Credit: Courses granted departmental credit have descriptions that do not match a specific course in a department at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, but are recognized as credit earned in a specific department. The course is assigned a three-digit departmental number (e.g., CHEM 101X; ENGLISH 202X). The first digit indicates the course level: 100, 200, 300, 400, etc. The third digit represents how many courses transferred in that department as departmental credit. The "X" denotes that departmental credit has been granted.

Interdepartmental Credit: Courses that cover a broad range of topics within a general area of study transfer as interdepartmental credit. These are courses that, because of the scope of their subject material, cannot be assigned to any individual academic department. The course is assigned to a interdepartmental category and is assigned a three-digit course number (e.g., INTERHUM 101X, INTERSS 202X, INTERNS 301X) The first digit indicates the course level: 100, 200, 300, or 400. The third digit represents how many courses transferred as that interdepartmental credit at the same level. The "X" denotes that interdepartmental credit has been granted.

For additional information or to schedule an individual advising appointment, please email [email protected].

Essay Writing Tips

The points below are not intended to be answered one by one throughout your essays. Rather, they are meant to help guide you and keep you on track as you write.

Statement of Interest and Qualifications

In this essay, you are encouraged to consider the academic and extracurricular factors that have influenced your decision to study public health. While you can expand on your extracurricular involvement in this section if it is relevant, consider doing so only if it adds new information to your application. Additionally, focus on conveying your understanding of the field of public healt. Below are some questions to ask yourself as you write your statement of interest and qualifications:

  • What has prepared you to be successful as a public health student? 
  • What has made you want to study public health at this point in your academic career? 
  • What do you understand about the field of public health so far, and what do you hope to learn through the undergraduate program?
  • Is the information that I’m sharing through my essay providing new context to the reader that they haven’t already learned about in other parts of my application?

Reflective Essay

In the reflective essay, you are encouraged to share the personal motivators that have shaped your interest in studying public health. This essay gives you the opportunity to share the non-academic components of yourself as an applicant, as well as how you would contribute to a diverse and inclusive community at the School of Public Health. Consider the following:

  • Are there any social identities that have impacted your decision to pursue public health?
  • Have certain relationships in your life contributed to your interest in the field?
  • How do your personal values and beliefs connect to the field of public health?