Colleges Accepting 90 Transfer Credits

If you already have substantial college credit, the right school can make the difference between finishing efficiently and repeating work you have already done.

Some colleges publicly state that they may accept up to 90 transfer credits toward a 120-credit bachelor’s degree. Other schools use different models, such as percentage caps, course-by-course evaluations, competency-based programs, or unusually high transfer ceilings.

The important distinction is this: credits accepted are not always credits applied to your degree. A school may accept a course but apply it only as an elective, leaving major, upper-level, general education, residency, or capstone requirements unfinished.

For a fuller explanation, see Accepted Credits vs. Applied Credits.

Policies last checked: July 30, 2026. Transfer policies and degree requirements can change. Always request an official transfer evaluation before enrolling.

Already have credits?
Use the Credit to Degree finder to narrow your options based on your credit total, degree interest, timeline, and credit sources.

Colleges with a clear 90-credit transfer pathway

The schools below have current official information supporting a 90-credit transfer limit or a closely related high-credit pathway. They are not interchangeable. The best fit depends on how your prior coursework applies to a specific degree.

Southern New Hampshire University

Documented transfer position: Up to 90 transfer credits toward a bachelor’s degree.

SNHU is one of the clearest examples of the standard 90-out-of-120 model. Its official prior-learning page says the university may accept up to 90 credits toward a bachelor’s degree, equal to 75% of the program.

SNHU also publicly names Sophia Learning and Study.com among commonly transferred course sources. That does not mean every course from those providers will apply to every degree. The university still evaluates how each credit fits the selected program.

Best fit: Students seeking a broadly available online university with a straightforward public transfer limit.

Important catch: A 90-credit maximum does not guarantee that only 30 credits will remain. Major, general education, grade, and course-equivalency requirements still apply.

Review SNHU’s official prior-learning and transfer information

University of Maryland Global Campus

Documented transfer position: Up to 90 credits toward a 120-credit bachelor’s degree.

UMGC’s online Business Administration and Management program publicly lists 120 total credits and the ability to transfer up to 90. UMGC is especially relevant to military-connected students and working adults because of its long history serving those populations.

The degree still includes major, business core, general education, and elective requirements. A student whose prior coursework does not satisfy those categories may need more than the mathematical minimum of 30 remaining credits.

Best fit: Working adults, military-connected students, and students seeking a public online university.

Important catch: The published transfer ceiling is not a promise that every accepted credit will satisfy the chosen major.

Review UMGC’s official program and transfer information

Thomas Edison State University

Documented transfer position: Up to 90 semester hours from community or junior colleges, and up to 90 semester hours from ACE- or NCCRS-recommended learning toward a bachelor’s degree.

TESU is built for students bringing credit from multiple sources. Its current undergraduate catalog states that transfer credit from four-year institutions may fulfill degree requirements except for two required TESU courses: SOS-1100 and the capstone.

This can make TESU a strong option for students with community-college credit, four-year college credit, military learning, exams, or approved non-collegiate learning. The policy is generous, but it is also detailed. Credit limits vary by source, and the university decides how each course applies.

Best fit: Students with a large or mixed collection of prior credits who are comfortable planning carefully.

Important catch: TESU is not a simple “bring 90 credits and take ten courses” promise. Source limits, degree requirements, grades, course age, SOS-1100, and the capstone can all affect the final plan.

Review TESU’s official transfer-credit policy

Golden Gate University

Documented transfer position: GGU’s bachelor’s transfer policy allows up to 90 units from all available sources and requires at least 30 units of GGU coursework.

GGU is unusual because adult business students may compare two different structures.

Standard Business, BS: This is the clearer fit for a student trying to transfer a large number of units into a traditional bachelor’s degree. Under the published bachelor’s policy, up to 90 units may transfer, subject to evaluation and degree applicability.

Business, BS (Accelerated): This is a 90-unit bachelor’s degree rather than a 120-unit degree. Because bachelor’s students must complete at least 30 units at GGU, its practical transfer ceiling is about 60 units. That may still be attractive to students prioritizing total speed or total cost, but it is not a 90-credit-transfer pathway.

Best fit: Business students comparing transfer maximization with a shorter accelerated degree structure.

Important catch: These are two distinct strategies. The standard degree may make better use of a high credit total; the accelerated degree may be faster for a student whose credits fit its requirements.

Review GGU’s official undergraduate transfer policy
Review GGU’s accelerated Business, BS requirements

A high-transfer option for students with more than 90 credits

Excelsior University

Excelsior publicly emphasizes generous transfer policies and directs prospective students to determine how many credits can apply to their chosen program. Its current public page does not present one universal transfer maximum for every bachelor’s degree, so it is safer to treat Excelsior as a high-transfer option rather than promise a specific number.

Excelsior may be worth investigating when you have credits from multiple colleges, military learning, college-level exams, certifications, or other evaluated sources.

Best fit: Students with very large or varied credit histories who want a school to evaluate how much can apply.

Important catch: The number of usable credits depends on the program. Ask for the remaining requirements in writing rather than relying on a general transfer-friendly reputation.

Review Excelsior’s official transfer-credit information

Transfer-heavy alternatives that are not simple 90-credit schools

These schools may still be strong degree-completion options, but their policies should not be described as a universal “accepts 90 credits” promise.

Western Governors University

WGU uses a competency-based model and evaluates transfer credit against the requirements of the selected program. Its official guidance says transcripts are reviewed course by course, and prior coursework may clear lower-division or other requirements when it aligns.

WGU also says transfer credit must be evaluated before the student begins the program. It does not award additional transfer credit after the program starts.

Best fit: Independent students who want competency-based education and may progress quickly through material they already know.

Review WGU’s official transfer guidance

University of Maine at Presque Isle

UMPI, particularly its YourPace programs, is often considered by adults seeking a flexible and potentially low-cost completion path. Its transfer process is based on course equivalency and degree applicability rather than a simple public 90-credit headline.

Best fit: Self-directed students who value a public university and flexible pacing.

Important catch: Confirm the institutional, major, and upper-level requirements for the exact YourPace degree under consideration.

Review UMPI’s official transfer-credit guidance

Charter Oak State College

Charter Oak is a public adult-serving college with multiple prior-learning pathways. Its official site currently lists agreements with providers and exams including AP, CLEP, DSST, Study.com, Sophia, and StraighterLine.

This makes Charter Oak relevant to students with alternative or non-collegiate learning, but provider acceptance does not by itself establish how many credits will apply to a particular degree.

Best fit: Students with community-college, exam, military, Sophia, Study.com, or other approved non-collegiate credit.

Review Charter Oak’s official non-collegiate credit policy

Purdue Global

Purdue Global’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration uses 180 quarter credits. The program page explains that one semester credit equals 1.5 quarter credits, so its numbers should not be compared directly with a 120-semester-credit degree.

Purdue Global also offers transfer, military, and prior-learning evaluation pathways. Its public example shows how a particular community-college graduate received 94 quarter credits, but that is an individual example rather than a universal transfer guarantee.

Best fit: Students considering a large online university with military and prior-learning pathways.

Review Purdue Global’s official business program information

Which schools should you compare first?

You have about 60 credits

Compare schools where your credits can cover a meaningful share of the degree, but do not focus only on a 90-credit ceiling. A shorter degree structure or competency-based format may matter more than the maximum advertised transfer number.

You have about 75 credits

You are in a strong position, but degree fit becomes critical. Ask each school to show how many credits satisfy general education, the major, upper-level requirements, and electives.

You have about 90 credits

Start with schools that publish a clear high-credit pathway, such as SNHU, UMGC, TESU, or GGU’s standard bachelor’s structure. Excelsior may also be worth an evaluation, especially when the credits come from multiple sources.

You have more than 90 credits

A high transfer ceiling matters, but applicability matters more. TESU and Excelsior may deserve closer examination, particularly when your credits include four-year coursework, military learning, exams, or approved alternative sources.

The questions that matter more than the headline transfer limit

Ask every school for answers to these questions:

• How many of my credits will you accept?

• How many accepted credits apply to this exact degree?

• Which credits satisfy the major?

• Which credits satisfy general education?

• How many upper-level credits remain?

• Is a cornerstone, capstone, internship, or final project required?

• How many credits must I complete at your school?

• Are there limits based on where the credits came from?

• Can I take additional outside courses after enrolling?

• What is the estimated total cost after transfer?

• What is the realistic timeline to graduation?

The most useful document is the school’s official transfer evaluation or degree audit. For help reading one, see What Is a Transfer Credit Evaluation?.

The bottom line

Yes, there are colleges that may accept up to 90 transfer credits toward a bachelor’s degree. SNHU and UMGC publish especially clear 90-out-of-120 pathways. TESU offers a highly flexible but more complex transfer model. GGU provides both a traditional high-transfer business pathway and a separate accelerated degree structure. Excelsior may be worth considering when you have an unusually large or varied credit history.

The best school is not necessarily the one advertising the largest transfer number. It is the school that applies the most of your existing work to the degree you actually want while leaving the fewest costly or unnecessary requirements.

Find My Degree Completion Options

Frequently asked questions

Does accepting 90 credits mean I will have only 30 credits left?

Not necessarily. Your credits must satisfy the degree’s general education, major, upper-level, elective, residency, and capstone requirements. Accepted credits that do not fill those requirements may not shorten the degree.

Can a college accept more than 90 transfer credits?

Some schools and programs may apply more than 90 credits, especially when credits come from four-year institutions or when the school uses a specialized degree-completion model. The exact limit and remaining requirements depend on the program and source of credit.

Are Sophia Learning and Study.com credits accepted?

Policies vary. SNHU currently names Sophia and Study.com among commonly transferred course sources. Charter Oak lists agreements with both providers. TESU evaluates approved ACE- and NCCRS-recommended providers under its policies. Always confirm that the specific course will apply to the intended degree before taking it.

What is the fastest way to finish with transfer credits?

The fastest route is usually the program that applies the largest number of your existing credits to required parts of the degree—not merely the program with the highest advertised transfer cap.

Should I enroll before receiving a transfer evaluation?

Avoid committing based only on an estimate. Request an official evaluation or degree audit, compare remaining requirements and total cost, and get important promises in writing.