Social Sciences

AGSC stands for the Alabama Articulation and General Studies Committee. The AGSC was established by the Alabama Legislature in March 1994 through Act 94-202 to improve and simplify the transfer of coursework among Alabama’s public colleges and universities.

To fulfill this mission, the AGSC developed and implemented a statewide general studies and articulation program designed to facilitate the transfer of coursework between Alabama’s public two-year and four-year institutions. The program provides a consistent statewide framework to help students transfer college credit and continue their education toward a bachelor’s degree.

The AGSC continues to serve as the statewide oversight and monitoring body for Alabama’s articulation program. Its members work on an ongoing basis to review, maintain, and improve the program and address issues related to statewide transfer and articulation policies. The AGSC also considers and helps resolve student appeals involving the transfer of coursework under the statewide articulation program.

Learn More About the AGSC & Alabama Transfers.

In November 2022, STARS was rebranded as Alabama Transfers, marking a new chapter in Alabama’s statewide transfer initiative. During its 28 years as STARS, more than 1.6 million transfer guides were obtained by community college students preparing to transfer to Alabama’s public four-year universities.

From 1994 through 2022, STARS stood for Statewide Transfer & Articulation Reporting System. STARS was a web-based database designed to provide guidance and direction to prospective transfer students throughout Alabama. It helped students understand which courses to take at their community college and how those courses would transfer toward a degree at an Alabama public university.

Through the STARS System, students attending Alabama’s public two-year colleges could obtain an individualized Transfer Guide/Agreement based on their chosen major and university. When followed correctly, the guide provided a clear pathway through the first two years of coursework and helped protect students from losing valuable college credit when they transferred.

Today, Alabama Transfers continues that same mission—with an expanded vision for the future. What began as STARS has evolved into a comprehensive statewide resource dedicated to helping Alabama students make every credit count as they move from community colleges to Alabama’s public universities.

Once submitted, an Official Transfer Guide must be honored for four years by all Alabama public universities that offer the specified major.

There is one important exception. If a recognized accrediting body, regulatory agency, or other governing organization requires academic or curricular changes that apply to all students—both native students and transfer students—in a particular field of study, those requirements must be followed. In such cases, transfer students and native students must be treated equally and comply with the new academic requirements.

For example, changes resulting from a federal or accreditation mandate may require institutions to modify degree requirements for all students, regardless of whether they began their education at that institution or transferred from another college or university.

If it has been more than four years since you obtained an Official Transfer Guide, your previously earned credits should still be evaluated and transferred in the same manner as credits earned by other students in the same degree program at the receiving university.

However, if more than four years have passed, we recommend returning to the Alabama Transfers website and obtaining a new Official Transfer Guide for your major. A current guide can help ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about course requirements and how your credits will apply toward your intended degree.

An Official Transfer Guide applies to the specific major listed on the guide. If you decide to change your major, you should obtain a new Official Transfer Guide for your new major to ensure you are following the appropriate course requirements.

While many majors have similar requirements in Areas I–IV, requirements can vary, particularly in major-specific coursework. Be sure to consult with your academic advisor or counselor at your current institution before making changes to your course plan.

Get a New Official Transfer Guide.

If you have questions or concerns, or you feel your transfer guide isn't being honored, please contact us for assistance.

Transfer Guides are protected by the AGSC Transfer Agreement, which guarantees the transferability of major-specific courses among all public universities in Alabama. If a university refuses to honor your Transfer Guide, please contact us.  We will help you work through the issue/problem.

Changes to the general education curriculum at The University of Alabama are moving forward and are expected to be in place by Fall 2025. Transfer students who follow the official Alabama Transfer Guides will still be on track. For example, earning 12 credit hours in Area II and another 12 in Area IV will satisfy UA’s general education requirements in Humanities/Fine Arts/World Languages/Literature and History & Social/Behavioral Sciences. These 24 hours of credits will fully count toward the transfer student's degree at UA (just as they do now).

Still have questions?

If you’re a transfer student—or the parent of one—and have more questions, you're encouraged to contact the Office for General Education in the Office of Academic Affairs. Dr. Erik Peterson (elpeterson@ua.edu) and his team are available to assist with any questions about the updated curriculum.

You can also stay informed by visiting the official UA General Education website: https://provost.ua.edu/built-by-bama/

Dual enrollment courses are taught by college faculty—either on the college campus, at your high school, or online. When you complete these courses, the credits apply toward high school right away and toward college later on.

Will these dual enrollment courses transfer later to another institution in the state?

If you plan to take dual enrollment courses in Alabama, check our list of AGSC-approved courses for universities and community colleges. If these courses are required for your chosen major, they're guaranteed to be accepted at all of Alabama's community colleges and public universities.

How do I get more guidance on dual enrollment?

Start by contacting your high school's counseling office to determine your eligibility and the associated costs. We've also provided links to each four-year and two-year institution's dual enrollment information page here.

As a transfer student, you may choose to graduate under the degree requirements outlined in your Official Transfer Guide or, if beneficial, under the most current catalog requirements at the university you attend. The choice is yours.

The exception is when a change in degree or academic requirements is mandated by an external accrediting, regulatory, or governing agency, such as the State Department of Education, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), SACS, NCATE, or CLN. In these circumstances, the new requirements apply equally to all students—both native and transfer students—enrolled in the affected program at the university.

It depends.

If you follow your Official Transfer Guide, your coursework and graduation requirements will align with the requirements established for other students in the same degree program at the receiving university.

However, each university establishes its own minimum number of transferable credits required to classify a student as a transfer student. If you have fewer credits than that institution’s threshold, you may still be classified as a first-time student. This can occur, for example, when a student has earned only a few college credits through dual enrollment while in high school.

You will receive credit for approved transfer coursework, but the way those credits apply toward your bachelor’s degree may vary. In some cases, a course may count toward a specific Area I–V general studies requirement rather than toward a major or degree-specific requirement. The receiving university makes the final determination regarding how approved transfer courses apply to its degree requirements. However, if a course is approved and listed on your Official Transfer Guide, the receiving institution must award degree credit for that coursework in an appropriate manner.

For courses that are part of a required sequence, we strongly recommend completing the entire sequence at the same community college or university whenever possible. This can help ensure that you complete the courses in the appropriate order and avoid potential issues with course sequencing when you transfer.

Some Areas of the Official Transfer Guide do not require specific courses. Instead, they allow you to choose from a list of AGSC-approved courses that can satisfy the requirement.

Because you have options, the guide may list more courses than you actually need to complete. Before selecting a course, be sure to check how it will apply at your intended transfer university. The way an approved course applies toward your degree may vary by university and major.

Some courses offered by a community college may not have an exact equivalent course at a particular four-year university. However, these courses can still provide valuable knowledge and contribute toward your overall education.

Rather than losing those credits when you transfer, the receiving university may accept them as Area Core or Elective credit. This means the university does not have a direct course equivalent, but the approved coursework will still count toward the appropriate Area I–V requirement or as elective credit, as specified on your Official Transfer Guide.

In other words, your course may not have a one-to-one equivalent, but you can still receive degree credit for the coursework you completed.

Each Alabama public university determines how it will award and apply Advanced Placement (AP) and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit. Policies may vary from one institution to another.

To make this information easier to find, Alabama Transfers provides an AP & CLEP Credit page with links to each institution’s current AP and CLEP credit tables. These resources can help you understand how your exam credit may apply toward your degree.

View AP & CLEP Credit Information.

Yes. Your grades can affect several important aspects of your transfer and degree completion.

First, your grades may affect your eligibility for admission to your desired university and to certain upper-level majors or academic programs. Each institution and program may establish its own admission requirements.

Second, your pre-transfer coursework and GPA remain part of your academic record at the receiving university. The university will determine how your transfer GPA is incorporated into its policies for calculating your overall or graduation GPA.

Third, if your grades do not meet the receiving university’s minimum requirements for transfer credit, you may not receive credit for those courses and may be required to retake them. Each university determines how it handles D grades for transfer coursework. However, the policy must be applied consistently to both native and transfer students at that institution.

Congratulations on completing your course requirements! You have taken an important step toward transferring and completing your degree.

However, completing an Official Transfer Guide does not guarantee admission to a university, a specific major, or a particular academic program. You must still meet the admission requirements established by your desired university and, when applicable, the requirements for your intended major or program.

For information about admission requirements, visit the website of the university you plan to attend. For convenient access to admission information and other helpful resources, visit our Participating Institutions page.

View Participating Institutions.