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-state transfer courses taken within approved modules of lower-division course work and apply them toward degree requirements. New Mexico’s colleges and universities have developed transfer guides, consistent with requirements of state law (21-1B, NMSA 1978), to assist students who plan to transfer. Additional information about how previous college course work transfers to CNM and how CNM courses and programs transfer to other New Mexico colleges and universities is available at cnm.edu\transferout.

Because not all CNM courses are designed to transfer to other colleges and universities, students planning to transfer from CNM to a two- or four-year college or university in New Mexico should meet with an academic advisor. Advisors can assist students in choosing which CNM classes will best meet their educational plans.

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.

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 General Education Common Core

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’s website (hed.state.nm.us).

Transferable Courses Fulfilling the General Education Common Core

During the 2005 New Mexico Legislative session, Senate Bill 161, consistent with requirements of state law (Chapter 224 of the Laws of New Mexico, 1995 as amended) was signed into law to further enhance and facilitate the articulation of general education courses among New Mexico’s colleges and universities. In accordance with policies established by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, designated general education courses successfully completed at any regionally accredited public institution of higher education in New Mexico are guaranteed to transfer to other New Mexico public institutions.

A Core Matrix of approved courses guaranteed to transfer and meet general education requirements at any New Mexico college or university can be found on the New Mexico Higher Education Department website at hed.state.nm.us. Courses are listed by institution.

The course prefix and number that appear in parenthesis next to many of the institutions’ internal course prefixes and numbers is the New Mexico Common Course Number. It serves as a single reference point for courses taught throughout the state that share substantially equivalent content. Courses bearing this designation are part of a statewide equivalency table that cross-references the institutional course and number with the universal “common course number,” creating an easy one-to-one match.

Students may find the New Mexico Common Course Number listed in crosswalks, degree outlines, transfer guides and in course descriptions in college catalogs and websites. The common course number “connects” equivalent courses at multiple institutions, ensuring students that the course will transfer to the receiving institution and meet degree requirements as if it were taken on that campus. The New Mexico Common Course Number has an alpha prefix that identifies readily to the subject area. The four digits in the number represent the specific course in that subject area with each digit having significance as demonstrated below:

Students who have decided on a major and/or an institution at which to complete their studies should obtain a transfer guide or catalog and consult with an academic advisor at that particular institution to determine the most appropriate course selections. Students enrolling for the first year of study at a New Mexico college or university and considering possible transfer into a certificate and/or degree program at another institution are encouraged to take the courses approved for transfer during their freshman and sophomore years of study.

Transfer Credit Appeal

All New Mexico public postsecondary institutions are required to establish policies and practices for receiving and resolving appeals and complaints from students or from others regarding the transfer of course work from other public institutions in the state. CNM’s appeal process is as follows:

• For arts and sciences course evaluations, complete a Re-Evaluation of Transfer Credit form, available at the Records Office, Admissions Offices or online at cnm.edu.
• For career and technical course evaluations, file a written appeal with the appropriate academic dean’s office providing the prefix/number of the course(s) in question, term and year the course was taken, the name of the course and the course description from sending institution’s catalog.
• If the request is denied, the student may continue the appeal process to the executive vice president of Academic Affairs and must do so no later than 30 days following the notification of denial
• The executive vice president’s office, in concert with the appropriate school and/or content area, will review applicable materials and render a final decision.
• If the course or courses in question are part of a state-approved transfer module, the student may make further appeal to the Higher Education Department in Santa Fe by contacting:

Deputy Secretary for Academic Affairs Higher Education Department
2048 Galisteo St.
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100

If a student’s articulation appeal is upheld at that level and the student was required to repeat the course, the receiving institution shall reimburse the student the complete cost, including tuition, books and fees of each course the student was required to repeat at the receiving institution.

General Education Requirements