You are a "transfer student" if you have earned or intend to earn at least one postsecondary credit and want to "transfer" that credit to another institution (sometimes called the receiving institution).

Yes! Many students find their careers by taking "general education" courses first. General education includes a wide range of traditional knowledge and skills and is part of community college transfer programs and university bachelor’s degrees. The community colleges in Idaho have developed a package of these traditional courses called a "GEM". See the GEM search page for more information.

It depends on the career or major you are thinking about. For some programs you are advised to complete one of the GEMs, then transfer to a university. For other programs, completing an associate’s degree is beneficial. In all cases, the best advice is to speak with an academic advisor or counselor about the details of the major you have in mind.

If you are a High School student who plans to start at a community college and finish at a University, you should know about GEM courses and General Education requirements. There are three transfer degree programs which include the GEM: the Associate of Arts degree (AA) which includes the GEM, the Associate of Business degree (ABus) which includes the GEM-B, and the Associate of Science degree (AS) which includes the GEM-S. Be sure to visit the High School Portal to learn more about Dual Credit and how your exam credit will transfer!

GEM (General Education Matriculation) courses are universally accepted across all state institutions in Idaho. However, GEM courses may change, please check with your Idaho institution advisor prior to registering for a course. All data should be verified with your college or university advisor.