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Undergraduate Admissions

  • MassTransfer Pathway

    The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education created and implemented a statewide transfer pathway called MassTransfer in 2009, replacing Joint Admissions, the Commonwealth Transfer Compact, and the Tuition Advantage Program.

    MassTransfer streamlines the transfer process and maximizes transfer credits within the Massachusetts public higher education system. It also provides students with a clear plan to complete a portable general education transfer block (the Gen Ed Foundation). Financial and other benefits are available to qualified students.

    Learn more about how the MassTransfer program can benefit you.

  • Gen Ed Foundation

    The 34-credit MassTransfer Gen Ed Foundation provides any Massachusetts public higher education student who completes the requirements with the benefit of satisfying the general education requirements at any other Massachusetts public higher education institution. The receiving institution is limited to adding no more than 2 general education courses upon transfer.
     
    Worcester State has elected to add the maximum general education courses (6 credit hours) in order to align with NECHE (formerly NEASC) standards. The 2 courses must be 1 capstone experience course and 1 Liberal Arts and Sciences Curriculum (LASC) content-area course.

    The Gen Ed Foundation consists of:

    • 9 credits in behavioral and social sciences
    • 9 credits in humanities and fine arts
    • 7 credits in natural or physical science (including 1 lab course)
    • 6 credits in English composition/writing
    • 3 credits in mathematics/quantitative reasoning

    Each of those academic disciplines is defined by the institution(s) from which you are transferring credits. For example, although a 4-year state university may classify history courses under humanities, a community college may classify that same course under social sciences. Therefore, the community college history course will fulfill 3 of the 9 behavioral and social sciences credits in the Gen Ed Foundation regardless of where the student transfers.
     
    Completing a Degree Via MassTransfer
    Massachusetts community college students who enroll in and complete approved associate degrees linked with approved bachelor degrees programs under MassTransfer are provided with several benefits (each based on the final cumulative GPA):

    • 2.0+ GPA upon completion of an approved MassTransfer associate degree
      • No application fee
      • No application essay
      • Automatic satisfaction of most or all general education requirements (due to completion of the MassTransfer Gen Ed Foundation)
      • Guaranteed transfer of at least 60 credits (including D/1.0 grades and better)
       
    • 2.5+ GPA upon completion of an approved MassTransfer associate degree
      • All of the above benefits
      • Guaranteed admission to linked bachelor degree programs  
       
    • 3.0+ GPA upon completion of an approved MassTransfer associate degree
      • All of the above benefits
      • 33% tuition waiver (based on annual in-state tuition rate of $970)