Transfer and Returning Student Resources

Group of three students wearing backpacks walking through PSU's campus, away from the camera

Exploratory Transfer Advising Guide

Transfer Advising Guides are for planning purposes only. This Advising Guide does not replace the need for regular and timely meetings with your assigned Pathway Advisor. 

Visit the  Exploring/Changing Majors web page for more information and advice for choosing a major at Portland State University.

Course Suggestions

Take advantage of the opportunities and programs available at your community college to assess your interests and explore various majors. This is a list of suggestions to help you. For more information on how other courses may transfer, visit Transferology, a web-based advising system. 

PSU CoursePCC CourseClackamas CC CourseMt Hood CC CourseChemeketa CC Course
Take a career planning courseCG 140HD 140 or HD 208 HD 110  or HD 208CG 110
Take a course on transferring to universityCG 225Not OfferedHD 225CG 225
Take introductory courses in areas that interest youVariesVariesVariesVaries
Talk with a career counselor about your goalsCareer CounselingCareer CounselingCareer CounselingCareer Counseling

Notes and Benchmarks

  1. If you are considering a major in engineering, computer science, the sciences, health, business, or the arts, it is best to explore those courses early and to review their transfer guides or talk to a PSU advisor. Those majors have a lot of lower division requirements, and it is important to assure that the right courses are taken.
  2. When applying for admission, if you have not decided on your major, you will select a Pathway (see below for details). If you transfer with 90 or more credits, you will need to declare a major within your first term at PSU.
  3. Students interested in transferring to PSU should also take courses to satisfy the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science requirements (see below).

Degree Snapshot

180 total credits are required for a bachelor's degree at Portland State. A minimum of 62 credits of those must be upper-division (300/400-level). This will be comprised of credits towards the specific degree you choose (B.A., B.S., B.M., B.F.A.), general education, your major, and electives. The number of credits required for majors varies widely, so be sure to review the requirements for the majors that interest you. Majors requiring a high number of credits (all engineering programs, computer science, business, health, the sciences, and programs in the arts) may not have as many electives, so it is best to explore those programs early.

Courses taken to meet BA or BS requirements are great options for courses to be taken at community colleges in advance of transfer! 

Learn more about General Education and degree requirements below.

Pie chart showing breakdown of total credits required for a bachelor degree in four areas: Major Requirements, General Education Requirements, Degree Option: BA/BS, and elevtives
Pie chart showing general proportion of credits required to earn a Bachelor Degree from each of four areas: Major Requirements (~30% of total credits), General Education (~25% of total credits), BA or BS Degree Option (~20% of total credits), and electives (~25% of total credits).

Choose to complete a BA or BS

Bachelor of Arts Requirements

A minimum of 23 credits (may be more depending on foreign language placement), as follows: 

Minimum Credits Required Additional Information
Two years college-level language proficiency (completion of a minimum of 3 credits in 203 or a more advanced level course OR language waiver1) Students with no prior experience in a certain language will complete 101-103 and 201-203 in that language.
10 credits minimum in arts & letters A minimum of 3 of the 10 credits must be in fine & performing arts
10 credits minimum in sciences and/or social sciences A minimum of 3 of the 10 credits must be in science or mathematics, excluding Math 100 or lower

1) Students who are proficient in another language may waive these language credits through a non-credit exam or TOEFL score; in that case, 4 additional credits must be earned in arts & letters (i.e., student will need 16 credits in arts & letters, of which 4 must be in fine & performing arts) in order to earn the 28 total credits required.

More information on the B.A. language requirement can be found on the World Languages & Literatures website.

Bachelor of Science Requirements

A minimum of 23 total credits is required, as follows:

Minimum Credits Required Additional Information
One year of science courses (10 credits minimum) Two courses (6 credits minimum) must include a lab or field work component. Courses may, but do not need to, be taken from the same science department.
3 credits minimum in college-level mathematics/statistics Excluding remedial math (100 or lower)
10 credits minimum in arts & letters and/or social sciences  

To find courses that fulfill each of the categories for your BA or BS requirements, use the current PSU Bulletin. The information can be found in the Undergraduate Studies section, specifically part 4 of the Undergraduate Degree and Credential Requirements

Other Academic Requirements

Race and Ethnic Studies Requirement

Beginning with the 2022-23 catalog, all Portland State undergraduate students must fulfill the Race and Ethnic Studies requirement (RESR) to earn their bachelor's degrees. The new requirement, approved by Faculty Senate in Spring 2021, ensures students are equipped with an understanding of how historically rooted and ongoing racism affects institutions in Oregon, the U.S. and the world. Students who entered PSU prior to Fall 2022 should check with their academic advisor if they are using an older catalog that does not include this requirement. 

Students entering PSU with fewer than 90 college credits:

  • Students will satisfy the requirement by completing two RESR-designated courses (a minimum of 3 credits each) with a central focus on race, ethnicity and systemic oppression.
  • One course must focus on the U.S. experience; the second course must center the experiences of groups under European and U.S. colonialism and imperialism beyond the United States.
  • One of the courses taken must be taken within the School of Gender, Race and Nations or be cross-listed with one of the SGRN units: Black Studies (BSt), Chicano/Latino Studies (ChLa), Indigenous Nations Studies (NAS), or Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WS).

Students entering PSU with 90 or more college credits:

  • Students will satisfy the requirement by completing one RESR-designated course (a minimum of 3 credits each) with a central focus on race, ethnicity and systemic oppression.
  • The course taken by transfer students does not need to be offered within SGRN or cross-listed within one of its units. 

The courses taken to fulfill the requirement may also fulfill major, minor, University Studies, Honors and/or elective requirements.

RESR Designated Course List about this content

University Writing Requirement

2 Composition courses, starting with College Writing 121 (or equivalent)

 

Second Language Proficiency for Admission 

Students who graduated, or would have graduated, from high school in Oregon in 1997 or later must have two years of second language at the high school level, or two terms at the college level, to meet admission requirements, even if they choose to pursue a Bachelor of Science.

PSU Bulletin about this content

General Education Requirements

All universities have a general education curriculum included as part of the baccalaureate degree requirements. The goal of general education curricula is to assure that all graduates have a common set of coursework designed around the university's educational goals. Students have the option of University Studies or University Honors for completing their general education requirements at PSU. 

Did you know you can transfer to PSU at any time? Your general education requirements will depend on how many credits you transfer to PSU before your first term of classes.

University Studies

The University Studies option involves taking courses outside of your major that are linked by a common theme, as well as a Capstone project in your senior year which addresses a current challenge in the Portland area. Seeing complex issues such as sustainability or immigration from multiple angles better prepares you to solve problems in work and life. You will learn how to think critically, communicate clearly, adapt to new situations and work with people unlike yourself — all highly valued skills in the workplace. 


https://www.pdx.edu/university-studies/transfer-students

Credits Transferred University Studies Requirements to complete
0 - 29 Freshman Inquiry:
UNST 1X1, 1X2, 1X3
30 - 74 Two Sophomore Inquiry Courses:
UNST 211 - 299
75 - 89 One Sophomore Inquiry Courses:
UNST 211 - 299
90- 134 Three Upper-Division Cluster Courses (12 credits) and Senior Capstone
135+ One Senior Capstone (6 credits)

University Honors College

Honors serves high-achieving, academically motivated students from diverse ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. Students will take coursework that prepares them for a final thesis project, which takes the place of a senior Capstone course.

The thesis is a substantial creative or research project and represents a valuable opportunity for Honors students to work closely with a faculty advisor from their major department and explore a topic of great interest. All Honors students enjoy priority registration, 24-hour access to a dedicated student lounge and computer lab, personalized guidance from an Honors adviser, support from Honors writing tutors, student-led community events, and career and graduate-school focused enrichment workshops.

Transfer Students must apply to the Honors College and are expected to have a cumulative college GPA of 3.25. Application information is available on the Undergraduate Admissions website. 

Explore PSU's Pathways

If you aren't ready to declare a major, you will select a Pathway that best matches your academic interests. Pathways group similar majors together so that students have the opportunity to explore majors. Review the Pathway description and majors on the Pathway pages that interest you most.

Once you choose a Pathway, you will be assigned an advisor who will help you to evaluate your skills, interests, values and abilities, and determine how they align with the many majors available at PSU.

You must declare a major by the time you reach 90 credits, or within your first term if you transfer to PSU with 90 or more credits. After that point, the exploratory option in each Pathway will no longer be available; however, you can still change your major. If you have more than 90 credits, talk to your advisor early in your first term!

Explore Pathways about student wearing a backpack is walking through library bookshelves

Transfer Process

1) Explore PSU programs

2) Plan your transfer

3) Apply for admission

4) Prepare for your first term

  • Confirm your enrollment
  • Review New Student Checklist and sign up for myNextSteps
  • Sign up for Orientation - this is where you will register for your first term classes
  • Request updated official transcripts from current college
Student standing in front of a window with "Welcome" written in multiple languages

Undergraduate Admissions
 

tel: (503) 725-3511

email: admissions@pdx.edu

campus location:  ASRC 101

Undergraduate Admissions about this content
Two individuals talking on a bench in the PSU Park Blocks

Transfer & Returning Student Resource Center

tel: (503) 725-2136

email: transferstudents@pdx.edu

campus location:   FMH 342

TRSRC Home about this content
Overhead view of student and advisor engaged in a card-sorting activity

Find a Pathway Advisor
 

tel: (503) 725-3822

email: advising@pdx.edu

Pathway Advising about this content