Transfer Students FAQ

Applying as a transfer

Am I a transfer applicant?

Yes, if you have enrolled at a college since finishing high school. College credit earned while still in high school — dual enrollment, AP, IB — does not make you a transfer student (first-year requirements).

How do I apply?

Use the same online application: no fee, no essay. Send official transcripts from every college you have attended.

What are the deadlines?

Fall: priority February 1, final August 1. Spring: priority November 1, final January 2. Earlier is better for housing, registration and scholarships, and a few cohort programs admit only once a year.

How are transfer applications reviewed?

Mostly on your college coursework rather than your high school record. Test scores are not needed (for transfer students).

Can I start in the spring?

Yes. Most programs admit transfer students for both fall and spring.

I was a Porter student before. Am I a transfer?

You apply through readmission. If you took courses elsewhere in between, you are reviewed as a returning transfer student and need at least a 2.0 on that outside work.

How credit transfers

Will my credits transfer?

Courses from regionally accredited institutions with a grade of C-minus or better generally transfer. Developmental and remedial courses, and grades of D or lower, generally do not (transfer credit).

How will each course count?

As a direct Porter equivalent, as general elective credit, or as no credit. Upper-division major courses often go to a department chair for a syllabus review first.

Can I see how my credits will transfer before I apply?

Yes. Run your courses through the transfer credit preview tool, or email unofficial transcripts to transfer@uwporterfalls.edu for an informal, nonbinding credit map.

How long does the official evaluation take?

Most evaluations come back within three weeks of your official transcripts arriving; students with an associate degree from a partner college often hear within one week. Results appear in MyPorter.

A course came in as an elective but matches a requirement. Can I appeal?

Yes. Send the syllabus and coursework to the department that teaches the Porter course — early, before you register for the course you are trying to place out of (transfer credit evaluation).

Does my associate degree cover general education?

A completed transfer-oriented associate degree can satisfy most or all of Porter’s general-education core, and a statewide agreement moves general education as a block from Wesconsin two-year colleges.

I am at a Wesconsin technical college. Is there an agreement?

Porter has articulation agreements with all 16 Wesconsin Technical College System districts. A completed matching associate of applied science degree guarantees admission to the matching bachelor’s program with credit mapped in advance (technical college transfer).

What about AP, CLEP or military credit?

AP, IB Higher Level, CLEP and Cambridge A-Level exams earn credit at published scores, and military training on a Joint Services Transcript is evaluated against recognized guidelines (military training credit).

Finishing your degree

How many credits do I need to take at Porter?

At least 30 of your final credits, plus a minimum in your major, must be earned at Porter. Transfer, exam and prior-learning credit do not count toward this residency requirement (the residency requirement).

Can work experience or a certification earn credit?

In select programs, yes: approved professional certifications and licenses, a reviewed portfolio of workplace learning or a departmental challenge exam can earn credit. Like exam credit, it does not count toward the residency requirement (transfer credit).

Can I take a summer course somewhere else later?

Yes, but get it pre-approved on a prior-approval form first. A pre-approved course is guaranteed to count as expected; one taken on spec might not.

Can I still earn the associate degree I left unfinished?

Often, through reverse transfer: Porter sends your transcript back to your former college, which awards the degree if the requirements are met.

Who helps me plan the rest of my degree?

A transfer adviser builds a degree map with you at transfer orientation, using your evaluation and your degree audit.

Money and housing

Are there transfer scholarships?

The Transfer Momentum Award pays $1,500 a year, renewable to a maximum of three years, for a 3.3 transfer GPA and at least 24 transferable credits. Students admitted by February 1, 2027 are reviewed automatically.

Can I apply for Foundation scholarships?

Yes. The Foundation scholarship application is open to incoming and continuing students from December 1, 2026 to March 5, 2027 and matches you to more than 180 donor-funded awards (scholarship deadlines).

Do I need a new FAFSA?

Your aid does not move with you. Add Porter’s school code, 009399, to your FAFSA; see the financial aid FAQ.

Do transfer students have to live on campus?

No, but transfer students who apply for housing by May 1 are guaranteed a space. Overlook Hall houses upper-class and transfer students in semi-suites (Overlook Hall).

When is my enrollment deposit due?

For fall 2027, May 1, 2027 if you are admitted by April 15; students admitted later have two weeks from the date on the admission letter (enrollment deposit).

Getting started

Is there a transfer orientation?

Yes — a separate one-day session before each fall and spring term that skips the “how college works” material and focuses on your credit evaluation, a degree map and campus logistics (transfer orientation).

Can I visit as a transfer student?

The March 6, 2027 Ironclad Preview Day has a separate transfer-student track, and weekday visits run year-round.

What should I do in my first week?

Run your degree audit, and appeal any course that landed in the wrong place with its syllabus. Ask for an adviser who works with transfer students regularly, and check the residency rule against your remaining terms (your first semester).

How do I meet other transfer students?

Through the welcome reception at transfer orientation and the regular transfer student meetups.

Who is my contact?

Jun Park, Porter’s re-entry and transfer counselor, at (715) 555–0152 or transfer@uwporterfalls.edu.