Transfer Credit Evaluation Information

Transferable Lower-Division General Education Common Core

Students who have not yet selected either an academic focus or the institution where they wish to graduate are advised to take courses during their freshman year outlined in the Lower Division General Education Common Core:

For students enrolled at any public institution in New Mexico, the following courses are guaranteed to transfer to any other New Mexico public college or university and apply toward associate and baccalaureate degree program requirements. Students should consult with an academic advisor about which specific courses fit these categories. Students preparing for careers in engineering, health sciences or other profession-related fields are advised that some of this course work may not transfer toward general education requirements but in most cases will apply toward elective requirements.

Lower-Division Transfer Modules

Students who have selected a field of study but have not yet selected the college or university where they wish to earn a bachelor’s degree are advised to take courses during their freshman and sophomore years outlined in one of the Lower-Division Transfer Modules. For students enrolled at any public institution in New Mexico, these courses are guaranteed to transfer to any New Mexico university and apply toward bachelor’s degree program requirements. Students should consult an academic advisor about which specific classes fit these categories. Lower-division transfer modules presently exist for: business, engineering, biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences, teacher education, early childhood education and physical sciences. Copies of these Transfer Modules may be obtained from the State of New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Transcript Evaluation & Career Technical Courses

Traditional Credit

Credits earned at other postsecondary institutions may be transferred and applied toward program requirements in accordance with the following CNM transfer credit guidelines.

• An official transcript from each institution attended must be sent for evaluation to CNM Records Office, 525 Buena Vista SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
• Credit for general education courses earned at regionally accredited postsecondary institutions will be evaluated automatically upon receipt of the official transcript (for admitted and currently enrolled students only). Courses with D or better grades earned at public New Mexico institutions will be considered for transfer credit; courses from institutions outside New Mexico and private institutions in New Mexico must have C or better grades to be considered for transfer credit.
• International transcripts: students must provide an official course by course evaluation by an approved member of the National Association of Credential Evaluators.
• To receive credit for Career and Technical courses, the student must complete the Request for Evaluation of Career and Technical Education Coursework form and submit it to [email protected]. An interview and/or demonstration of competence may be required before the decision regarding credit is made. Demonstration of competence is required for all Career and Technical transfer credit more than 10 years old.
• Remedial and upper-division courses are not generally transferable.

Additional Transcript Information

Hard-copy transcripts are considered official when they arrive in a sealed, stamped, official envelope with the seal and any other security feature intact. Electronic transcripts are considered official when received from a secure site formally linked to the sending institution or testing service. Academic records received in any other condition, such as transcripts that arrive in an unsealed envelope, that you email or upload yourself, or that are printed from the school portal, are not considered official.

New Mexico Public Institutions

To help students transfer course credits among New Mexico's colleges and universities, the state's public institutions of higher education are required to accept in-transfer courses taken within approved modules of lower-division course work and apply them toward degree requirements.

New Mexico's colleges and universities have worked together to produce guides to assist students who plan to transfer before completing a program of study. Course modules are designed to help students select courses carefully so that they may transfer with little or no loss of credit. However, planning for transferring course credits is the student's responsibility. Responsible transfer planning includes early and regular consultation with the intended degree-granting institution to assure that all pre-transfer coursework will meet the requirements of the desired degree. For additional information refer to the CNM Catalog or contact the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Out of State/Private Institutions

CNM encourages students to submit for evaluation official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions they have attended to CNM Records Office.

General education courses completed outside New Mexico or at private institutions in New Mexico must be regionally accredited and have grades of C or better to be considered for transfer credit.

International transcripts and Career and Technical courses are accepted for evaluation at CNM provided all CNM transfer guidelines are met.

Credit for Prior Learning

Students may be allowed to establish credit for courses based on learning gained through life and work experience, prior training, and/or specialized testing.  Because opportunities to establish such credit vary by option or program, students interested in Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) should contact their school advisor to find out which options are available for their program or consult the CPL website.

Options for earning credit for prior learning include:

• Credit by Exam
• Industry Certifications or Licensures
• Military Training and Occupations
• Programs completed through CNM Ingenuity
• Community Partnerships
• Workplace Learning

Transfer Among New Mexico Higher Education Institutions

To facilitate the transfer of students and course credits among New Mexico's colleges and universities, the state's public institutions of higher education are required to accept in-transfer courses taken within approved modules of lower-division course work and apply them toward degree requirements. Several transfer guides have been developed through collaboration of New Mexico's public post secondary institutions, consistent with requirements of state law (21-1B, NMSA 1978). Students wishing to prepare for possible transfer into a degree program at another institution are advised to take these courses during their freshman and sophomore years.

New Mexico's colleges and universities have worked together to produce guides to assist students who plan to transfer before completing a program of study. Course modules are designed to help students select courses carefully so that they may transfer with little or no loss of credit. However, planning for effective transfer with maximum efficiency is ultimately the student's responsibility. Responsible transfer planning includes early and regular consultation with the intended degree-granting institution to assure that all pre-transfer coursework will meet the requirements of the desired degree. For additional information refer to the CNM Catalog or contact the New Mexico Higher Education Department.