Transfer Student FAQs

Students should receive an email two business days after they are admitted and then will be getting a letter in the mail the following week

Once all application documents are received, such as transcripts, an admission decision is normally made in 6-8 business days.

Students can reach out to the Office of Admissions by e-mail at Admissions@MissouriState.edu or call 417-836-5517 or 1-800-492-7900

Request transcripts to be sent electronically through the Clearinghouse or Parchment. Mailed transcripts will be received, but it takes longer for them to arrive and your application will be processed at a slower rate.

We would love to assist you from your first semester at your current school through your transfer to MSU! Ideally, you will work with the Office of Admissions and advisors/transfer specialists prior to your transfer.

Early conversations ensure you are pursuing the most appropriate community college degree and completing courses that will not only meet requirements at your community college but will also transfer and help meet degree requirements for your intended MSU major.

Transfer and Commuter Student Programs, Veteran Student Services, Adult Student Services, TRiO and the Center for Academic Success and Transition are all services available to help with the transition to Missouri State University.

• Transfer and Commuter Student Programs are run by the Office of Student Engagement and provide programs and events for students to get connected to campus. 
• Veteran Student Services and Adult Student Services are available to veteran students and students married, with children or older than 22.
• TRiO programs help eligible, underrepresented students overcome social and cultural barriers to higher education.
• The Center for Academic Success and Transition coordinates activities and student services focused on academic support, beginning with student transition into the university through graduation.

Earning college credit in high school is a wonderful opportunity. We suggest taking classes that will help meet a general education requirement or a degree requirement for a specific major. You can use the Transfer Equivalency Search to view how courses will transfer to Missouri State from your dual credit program.

One of the quickest ways to raise your GPA is to retake a course. You can repeat a course and the most recent grade will replace the previous grade in the calculation of your GPA. This works with transfer coursework if the courses are available as an exact match. However, your original grade will remain on your transcript.

MSU awards credit for undergraduate courses that have been completed through a regionally accredited institution. Credit is not awarded for remedial/preparatory courses.

View a full description of the Undergraduate Transfer Policy.

The online course equivalency guide shows how courses at your current or previous institution will transfer to MSU. If one of your courses is not included in this list, please email Transfer@MissouriState.edu to determine the MSU equivalency.

Your official evaluation of credit is completed once you apply to the university and have your official transcript(s) sent directly from each college through which you’ve earned credit. Your official evaluation of credit is available on My Missouri State.

Once grades are posted at the transfer institution, request to send an official transcript to Missouri State Admissions. The transcript can be sent electronically through National Student Clearinghouse or mailed to the Office of Admissions.

If currently enrolled, send a transcript at the time you apply and after each semester until you transfer.

Transfer Degree Plans are intended to guide community college students on courses to take before transferring.

Two plus Two plans have been created to help students map out a sequenced pathway from start to finish.

You can also use the online course equivalency guide to help you choose courses with the consultation of an advisor at your current school.

Before taking a summer class at another institution, visit with your academic advisor at Missouri State to make sure the course will transfer back correctly. You can also use the Transfer Equivalency Search to view course equivalencies from other colleges and universities. Check with the other institution to find out if the course is available during a particular semester.

Once grades are posted at the transfer institution, request to send an official transcript to Missouri State Admissions. The transcript can be sent electronically through National Student Clearinghouse or mailed to the Office of Admissions.

MSU has expanded scholarships for our transfer students! We offer automatic transfer scholarships based off your admission application to the University and cumulative transfer GPA, as well as competitive scholarships. The automatic Transfer Academic Scholarship requires a minimum 3.25 GPA and at least 24 hours of transferable credit ($1,500/year). The automatic Transfer Excellence Scholarship requires a minimum 3.50 GPA and completion of your community college degree ($2,500/year). These may be renewable for an additional two years!  Get the full details and renewability criteria.

• June 1^st (Fall semester) and December 1^st (Spring semester) scholarship deadline.

• While your high school dual credit courses transfer, and the high school dual credit grades are calculated with your overall/cumulative GPA, the GPA from those high school dual credit courses are not calculated into the GPA requirement for transfer scholarships. Only courses completed after high school graduation are calculated into the transfer GPA requirement for scholarship purposes.

Donor funded scholarships are privately donated funds given to MSU students each year. You must be admitted to MSU to complete the scholarship application. MSU’s Donor Scholarship Application deadline is March 1^st. These are scholarships for the following academic year.

MSU's priority processing deadline is February 1. It is recommended that you complete the application at least two to three weeks before February 1 to be considered for maximum aid. You want to meet this deadline to be considered for all types of aid. If you did not originally include Missouri State’s federal school code on your FAFSA, you can go to the FAFSA corrections menu on the FAFSA website and add our school code (002503) to your application then submit the correction. You will need your FSA ID for this option. You can contact our financial aid office if you have specific questions related to FAFSA and your application to Missouri State University.

Each MSU department and academic program has a specific transfer advisor to help you lean about program requirements, review your transfer credit and ease your transition to MSU.

If you know your major, contact the transfer advisor in that specific degree.

If you are trying to decide among several major options and have not declared a major, contact the transfer advisor for undeclared students or call 417-836-5258.

If you are a nontraditional, adult student contact AdultStudentServices@MissouriState.edu or call 417-836-4126.

Yes. Prospective students are welcome to make an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss how courses at their current institution will transfer to Missouri State. Please bring an unofficial transcript or list of courses you've taken so the advisor can assist in mapping out a plan moving forward.

You can schedule an advising appointment for registration as soon as you're admitted to Missouri State. The spring semester schedule is available on February 1 and the fall semester schedule on September 1, so it is important to make an appointment to discuss courses with an academic advisor as soon as possible.

MSU values transfer students! While many four-year institutions require transfer students to register after freshmen, at MSU you will register at the same time current MSU students are registering. MSU follows a registration sequence based on the number of completed credit hours, which includes dual credit and transfer credit hours.

You may apply to MSU nearly a year prior to your transfer. While MSU admits students through the first week of classes in the fall and spring semesters, it's recommended to apply by the beginning of your last semester at your current school.

1. Complete the online admission application.
2. Request that your official transcript(s) be sent directly from each college/university through which you've earned credit to Missouri State's Office of Admissions. The transcript(s) can be sent electronically through National Student Clearinghouse or mailed to the Office of Admissions. If currently enrolled, send a transcript at the time you apply and after each semester until you transfer. 

Once you're admitted to Missouri State, you will receive a copy of the Admitted Student Checklist for Transfer Students. The checklist will provide several tasks to be completed before the start of the first semester. Before registering for MSU courses, you will need to activate your account, complete an online orientation, and schedule/meet with your MSU academic advisor.

Students who are not married, under 21 and have earned fewer than 27 hours of transferable credit after high school are required to live on campus. If you have completed 27 hours of transferable credit after high school, you are not required to live on campus.

Certain exceptions are considered related to the University Housing Policy for married students, students with children or students who have other circumstances that would qualify for an exception. You may review the Exceptions to the University Housing Policy.

One of many options transfer students interested in living on campus have is to live in Kentwood Hall. Kentwood Hall is a recently renovated historic six-story building that houses only transfer students and provides a living-learning community. Discover more information about Kentwood Hall.

Yes. Transfer students wanting to live on campus are encouraged to look into Kentwood Hall as an option. Kentwood Hall is a recently renovated, historic, six-story building that houses transfer students and provides a living-learning community.

Yes. Commuter meal plans are a great way to save time, money and your parking spot. Commuter students are able to choose from a traditional meal plan for the dining halls, BoomerMeals that can be used at any dining location on campus or a combination of the two.