Study hard. Ask for help. Be patient. Don't give up. Be proud. Always smile.
Renee Campbell '12, MS, Management (Human Resource Management specialization)
Here are some of the questions most often asked by new students.
How long it takes you to complete degree requirements depends on various factors:
Ask an advisor to help you develop a plan for completing your degree efficiently and quickly.
UMGC requires you to provide proof that you meet the admission requirement of a high school diploma (or its equivalent). Unless you have at least 24 term hours of transferable college credit, you must provide transcripts from a regionally accredited or state-approved high school (or GED equivalent) showing graduation.
Final course grades must be posted by your faculty member in MyUMGC, typically beginning 72 hours (three days) after the last day of class. You can view your grades in the MyUMGC Student Center. Military students need to check both their MyUMGC and military portals. It can take 24–48 hours for grades to post in military portals after they’ve been posted in MyUMGC.
Credit for previous experience can be earned in the following ways:
If you are interested in experiential learning, you should work with an academic advisor to determine how such credit may advance your degree progress.
If you took a prerequisite course at another institution and that course has not yet been evaluated for transfer, the system will not recognize the prerequisite as having been met. Once the prerequisite course has been evaluated and entered into the degree plan, you should be able to register for the desired course.
If you took a placement test, the placement test grade must be posted in MyUMGC before you can register.
Contact an academic advisor if you still have trouble after all your transfer credit has been entered into your degree plan and your placement test grade has been posted.
You must have official copies of transcripts sent to UMGC from all the institutions you have attended. In some cases, we may ask for additional documentation, such as a syllabus and/or course description, to evaluate credit for possible transfer. Note that if you have taken placement tests (CLEP/ DSST/ACT/PEP/Excelsior), your score report is required to complete an official evaluation. Students are advised to contact the organizations listed here to request transcripts from placement tests.
The transfer credit evaluation is an automatic process which begins with the final official transcript or document has been received.
Transfer credit evaluation is sometimes referred to as a Degree Audit, Degree Plan, Degree Progress Report, Official Evaluation, Course Evaluation, or Academic Advisement Report.
If you studied abroad, you must request a course-by-course evaluation from an approved international credit evaluation agency and have the evaluation sent directly to Admissions at UMGC.
Before you can decide which course to take next, you need to determine how many requirements you have already met. If an official evaluation of your transfer credit has not yet been completed, you can get a tentative review of your transfer credit from an advisor to help with course selection.
Once the official evaluation is complete, you can review your Academic Advisement Report (which includes your program requirements, your transfer credits and how they have been applied, and what requirements remain) via MyUMGC. As you complete courses at UMGC, the program is updated to reflect your progress.
You also have access to an interactive Student Planner, through MyUMGC, that allows you to identify courses you wish to take. Through the planner, these courses can be submitted to your advisor for review to ensure appropriate sequencing. You can then register for your selected classes right from the planner.
Note that not all courses need be taken in a specific order, but a sequence is provided to ensure that prerequisites are met. If you want to modify the sequence, you should review prerequisites for the courses you want to take carefully.
A drop means that the course will not appear on the student's transcript, and the tuition and non-application fees will be fully refunded. Students taking courses through UMGC are permitted to drop a course within a designated timeframe, listed in the Academic Calendar.
A withdrawal means that students will receive a "W" grade for the course and will be responsible for all fees and all or a portion of the tuition. After the drop period has passed, students taking courses through UMGC are permitted to withdraw from a course until 65 percent of the course has been completed (see the Academic Calendar for specific withdrawal deadlines and applicable dates). Please refer to the withdrawal policies in Asia and Europe for specific information about the timeframe to withdraw from course offerings in the overseas divisions.
You can drop or withdraw from a course through MyUMGC, but you should be aware that doing so may affect your financial aid and your academic progress status.
If you are receiving financial aid, you should contact the Financial Aid Office to find out how dropping a class may affect your aid. If you are receiving tuition assistance or veterans benefits, you should contact Military and Veteran Advising to find out how dropping a class may affect your benefits.
You can request an exception to the university's drop and withdrawal and refund policies if you feel there are extenuating circumstances. In such cases, complete the Request for Exception Form. Requests for exceptions are reviewed by the Office of the Registrar.
Registration for the next term generally opens four months before the term's first session. Registration at ArmyIgnitED.com/app/ opens 60 days before the first day of class.
You should directly contact the institution granting the credential for information about qualifications and criteria. Courses at UMGC can provide content for some of these programs, but the completion of a UMGC degree does not grant an external certification.
You can submit a request to change your program to an academic advisor. However, you should first discuss the change with an advisor to see how it may affect your degree progress. Army students must make this change in the ArmyIgnitED portal, but should contact a military advisor first.
In many cases, a degree plan is required in order to receive financial aid. In order for us to complete your degree plan, you must submit official transcripts for all colleges/universities you have previously attended. Note that if you have taken placement tests (CLEP/ DSST/ACT/PEP/Excelsior), your score report is required to complete your degree plan. Students are advised to contact the organizations listed here to request transcripts from placement tests.
Students using veterans benefits must also have a degree plan by the beginning of their third term to continue receiving benefits. For us to complete your degree plan, you must submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities you have previously attended.
Military students using tuition assistance must have a degree plan by the end of their first term to continue using tuition assistance. For us to complete your degree plan, you must submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities you have previously attended.
Yes, LIBS 150 is one of the general education requirements you must complete (unless you are pursuing a second bachelor's degree). We recommended that you take it as one of the first courses in your program to improve your knowledge of the resources of the UMGC Library.
No. Your UMGC EmplID is unique to UMGC. To locate your UMGC ID, log in to MyUMGC. Your Student ID appears in the upper right corner of the screen underneath your name. ArmyIgnitED has a separate EmplID that UMGC does not recognize.
No. If you’ve already earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree, the military will not pay for another bachelor’s or master’s degree. The military will only pay for one of each.
Yes. If you have already earned a bachelor's or master's degree, you may use your veterans benefits to pay for a second bachelor's or master's degree if you have benefits remaining. To find out how much of your veterans benefits you have remaining, please contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs at 1-888-442-4551 or visit http://www.va.gov/.
For details on what to submit, visit https://www.umgc.edu/military-and-veterans/. Information can be sent to admissions@umgc.edu or by FAX to 240-684-2153 (Army students using ArmyIgnitED do not need to submit this documentation).
All updates from UMGUC take 24–48 hours to post in military portals.
Submit all your official transcripts, including Joint Services Transcripts or Community College of the Air Force transcripts, to UMGC. Note that if you have taken placement tests (CLEP/ DSST/ACT/PEP/Excelsior), your score report is also required. Students are advised to contact the organizations listed here to request transcripts from placement tests.
After the degree audit team completes an official evaluation, you can receive your agreement from your SOC.
Renee Campbell '12, MS, Management (Human Resource Management specialization)