Transferring to Four-Year Colleges

Five of the 16 technical colleges, Chippewa Valley, Madison, Nicolet, Milwaukee Area and Western, have Liberal Arts Transfer programs, providing the first two years of a bachelor's degree at many four-year universities.

Students at all 16 technical colleges can transfer at least 30 credits from a core set of 11 courses, such as Psychology, Sociology and Algebra/Trigonometry, directly into 4-year University of Wisconsin institutions. The Universal Credit Transfer Agreement (UCTA) between the Wisconsin Technical College System and the University of Wisconsin System allows for roughly a year's worth of credits to be seamlessly applied toward a bachelor's degree.

All technical colleges have transfer agreements with four-year private colleges and universities in the University of Wisconsin System. These agreements may contain course-to-course equivalencies, while others provide for a total program transfer. You can view the details for transfer agreements by each technical college or see how actual courses transfer.

You can explore credit transfer between the Wisconsin Technical College System and the UW System at the Transfer Wisconsin website. Transfer Wisconsin also includes agreements from the College of Menominee Nation and the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College.

A brand new agreement with Wisconsin's private colleges includes more than a dozen popular introductory courses such as chemistry, psychology, and speech. Under the agreement, specified technical college credits will count toward requirements for a bachelor’s degree at a private college, provided the student earned a grade of “C” or better within the last ten years. Technical college students must also meet the admissions requirements of the private college.

 

Important: To optimize your credit transfer, it is highly recommended that you talk to an admissions counselor or credit transfer advisor while planning your credit transfer.

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Transferring Credits into the Technical Colleges

If you have attended another postsecondary institution, you may be able to transfer credits into your Wisconsin technical college. You may also be granted credit for skills and knowledge you've acquired if they are equal to your chosen technical college's curriculum. This "advanced standing" or "credit for prior learning" may be based on previous coursework in high school or college, work experience, Youth Options, Youth Apprenticeship, military training, independent study, apprenticeship or other courses.

Important: Check with a college advisor for specific information and approval of credit transfers into your technical college.

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News about credit transfer

New transfer agreements are being developed regularly. See the latest news on credit transfer.