Michigan Transfer Agreement logoThe Michigan Transfer Agreement

The Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) is designed to help students transfer from one of Michigan's community colleges to a four-year college or university in the state. The MTA replaced the previous MACRAO Transfer Agreement beginning in the fall of 2014.

NOTE: Students who were pursuing the MACRAO Transfer Agreement guidelines had until the end of the summer semester of 2019 to complete those requirements. More information about the former MACRAO Transfer Agreement is available on this page.

Participating Michigan Colleges and Universities

A list of all of the Michigan colleges and universities that participate as sending or receiving MTA institutions is available on this page.

For details on how each institution has implemented the Michigan Transfer Agreement, visit MITransfer.org and search for the college or university. Participating schools will have a link called "Michigan Transfer Agreement" under the "Transfer Information" heading; that link will take you to their website for their MTA information.

MTA Details

If you're unsure about which academic program to pursue or about which four-year college or university to transfer to, the MTA is an place to start when selecting community college courses. The MTA requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of college-level credit which will fulfill most, if not all, of the lower-division general education requirements at participating four-year colleges or universities. These 30 semester hours must include:

  • One course in English Composition
  • A second course in English Composition or one course in Communications
  • Two courses in Social Sciences (from two different academic disciplines)
  • Two courses in Natural Sciences including one with laboratory experience (from two different academic disciplines)
  • Two courses in Humanities or Fine Arts (from two different academic disciplines; studio and performance classes are not eligible)
  • One course in College Algebra, Statistics or Quantitative Reasoning

Each course used to complete MTA requirements must be completed with a grade of 2.0 or higher.

Student Responsibilities

Many Michigan colleges and universities participate in the Michigan Transfer Agreement, but it is the responsibility of the student to understand how the MTA fulfills general education requirements at their preferred transfer institution.

Some participating colleges and universities may require you to complete additional courses that cannot be satisfied with the courses listed within the categories of this agreement. To learn about a specific institution’s requirements, you should contact your college counselor or academic advisor.

You should also check on your community college’s policy regarding the review of your transcripts in order to determine whether or not the MTA requirement have been satisfied. Some community colleges automatically indicate that you completed the MTA on your transcript if you complete an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree, though not all institutions do this. If you're not planning to complete an Associate degree, you may be required to request a review of your transcripts in order to have the MTA notation added.

When your four-year transfer school receives your community college transcripts they will apply the courses to your bachelor’s degree requirements provided the "Michigan Transfer Agreement Satisfied” notation is included.

For more details, check with your community college or four-year college or university academic advisor. If you're still in high school, your school counselor may also be able to assist you.

History of the Michigan Transfer Agreement

In 2012, the Michigan Legislature included language in that year's community college appropriations bill that focused on improving the ability to transfer core college courses between institutions. It proposed reviewing and revising the then-current Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (MACRAO) Transfer Agreement, which had been used since the early 1970s. The bill created a state committee that included five community college representatives, five individuals from the state's public universities, and four legislators (two from the House and two from the Senate). The legislation required an interim report in March 2013 and a final report by September 2013. 

Following the state committee’s final recommendations, MACRAO was charged with developing an implementation plan and a means for which the MTA could be revised in the future. MACRAO’s Board of Directors created an MTA Ad Hoc Committee that began meeting in August 2013 to spearhead the implementation process of the MTA. MACRAO submitted its required report to the state legislature on the status of the implementation process in March 2014.

The Michigan Transfer Agreement began to be used by students in the Fall 2014 semester.

Supporting Documents