Classes in community college for credit?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

Hello, can I, as an international student take online classes from a local community college ( say, Washtenaw community college) for transfer of credit after confirming enrolment in the University of Michigan, or do I have to wait for the summer after freshman year to do so?

I will be joining the LSA in fall 2020, so I was planning to take introductory sociology and psychology courses online from Washtenaw community college before I join UMich, so is this possible? And how many credits would you advise me to take this summer? (Courses of my interest run for 14 weeks)

And are classes taken online easier as compared to those at Michigan?

2

You can take courses at WCC, and they MAY count for credit (but you need to check with your adivisor to confirm). WCC courses are typically easier.

3

Thank you so much for your reply! How many credits would you recommend taking over the summer? I’m planning to take several 101 courses in the humanities area.

4

@DarkHorse05

I don’t have a recommendation, to be honest. I think the ROI is not going to be as good as you think it will be. Credits may not transfer, unless you work with academic advising. Even if they do, they are very unlikely to take care of distribution, major, or other requirements. For example, it is very unlikely you will get out of the First Year Writing Requirement.

5

https://admissions.umich.edu/apply/transfer-students/transfer-credit

Don’t do anything without speaking to them. You will be wasting your time. Use the calculator that is there and it will help tell you what transfers.

Math and science do NOT transfer easily. Michigan is very tough on that. Also summer classes are double speed. Don’t expect them to be easy. Take 2 classes at the most.

6

I’ve gone through the transfer classes that the LSA accepts through WCC. I’m not planning to take any math or science courses. As of now, I’m planning to take Introductory Psychology, Sociology or Philosophy ( courses which are deemed transferrable by the LSA) in the summer.

I also wanted to ask if the CLEP tests would be a better alternative to online CC classes ? ( UMich LSA accepts CLEP credits for general chemistry, psychology and sociology.)

7

Are you a freshman? Were you awarded any grants? Students who take any classes before enrolling in a 4-year college may be considered transfers and become ineligible for freshman grants. Ask U of M for permission to take classes at the community college.

8

^^^^ this. Email them and discuss

9

Also remember that tuition increases once you are considered a junior. When we attended admitted student day they commented that some students end up choosing to NOT use all their AP credit to limit the amount of credits they start with order to delay reaching the point of increased tuition. Depending on your major and your requirements, coming in with a too many credits may not help you graduate as early as you think, but will push you into junior status earlier than you want. As others have stated I would check with the school.

10

@PrdMomto1. Yep… This is exactly what happened to us. My son “can” graduate this fall. So a semester ahead. But he wants to do a minor. He will also have a certificate(3 classes or 9 credits) in something that I think helped him land his latest internship, so I guess it all helps

But when he was a sophomore and we started paying for junior status (think 2nd semester), I was like “Really”! In engineering you don’t graduate earlier due to senior projects etc but you might be able to do more while your there. It’s truly amazing what you can do at Michigan if you have a good plan going in. Hint… Meet with your advisors more then once.

11

Thank you! I wish to maximise credits before I come in so that I can pursue a minor too! (Or potentially take some masters level courses later on!)

I do not have any grants and will be full-pay, so that is not a concern for me, as addressed by comments above.

May I ask you how many credits your son had taken before joining UMich as a freshman?

12

@darkhorse. Honesty don’t remember. He had some AP credits and also took 2 summer classes after freshman year sophomore summer year

13

You should still get permission from the college. If you do anything to impact your ability to enter as a freshman (meaning they can’t count you in their freshman stats) it may impact your admission status.

14

Thank you so much! I’ve addressed this question to the concerned department at UMich. Would you happen to know what possible effects might taking these classes have on my admission status?