Systemwide General Education
About Systemwide General Education
Systemwide General Education is a framework developed by the Kansas Board of Regents to provide a consistent set of hours and discipline groupings for students to take at any of the state universities in Kansas. There are seven discipline areas that students must take a specific amount of hours of coursework within, totaling 34-35 hours of credit. Once all credit has been earned within these disciplines, a notation is placed on the students transcript that they have completed the Systemwide General Education requirements.
KU Core 34
At the University of Kansas, Systemwide General Education (SGE) is called the KU Core 34. The shift to utilizing the Systemwide General Education framework will begin with the incoming class of Fall 2024. The distribution of hours across discipline buckets at KU is as follows:
| KU Core 34 Discipline Areas | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| English | 6 hours |
| Communications | 3 hours |
| Math and Statistics | 3 hours |
| Natural and Physical Sciences | 4-5 hours; must include a lab |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6 hours in 2 different disciplines |
| Arts and Humanities | 6 hours in 2 different disciplines |
| US Culture - Institutionally Designated Area | 3 hours |
| Global Culture - Institutionally Designated Area | 3 hours |
FAQs
Freshmen and transfer students starting at KU in the Fall 2024 will follow the KU Core 34. If you have previously taken coursework from the University of Kansas as a non-degree seeking student, please confirm your catalog year with your academic advisor.
Each course will be evaluated and determined if it meets a KU Core 34 discipline area requirement. If it is approved through the transfer credit evaluation process, then the transfer credit will be posted appropriately to the corresponding general education degree requirements.
Students entering KU in Fall 2024 who complete an Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Fine Arts (AFA), or an Associate in Science (AS) from a regionally accredited Kansas public college, Kansas public university, Kansas public community college, will have completed all general education requirements for the KU Core 34 when enrolling in an undergraduate degree program. This also applies to Metropolitan community college in Missouri.
Additionally, students entering KU in Fall 2024 who hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. institution will have completed all general education requirements for the KU Core 34 when enrolling in an undergraduate degree program.
Transfer students starting in Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025 will have one calendar year to opt-out of the KU Core 34. For example, if you started at KU in Fall 2024, you will have until the summer 2025 term to determine if you need to change your catalog year to follow the previous KU Core general education requirements.
Please note: This decision does not need to be made right away. Schedule an appointment with an academic advisor to discuss which option will be best for you.
| Transfer Start Term | Deadline to Update Catalog Year to 2023-2024 |
|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | July 25, 2025 |
| Spring 2025 | December 18, 2025 |
| Summer 2025 | May 15, 2026 |
By "Opting Out" of the KU Core 34, you are choosing to follow the Fall 2023-Summer 2024 catalog year requirement term. This includes the KU Core and major requirements in place under the previous catalog year. After speaking with an academic advisor, transfer students can complete the Change of Catalog Year form to opt out.
By "Opting In" to the KU Core 34, you are choosing to follow the Fall 2024-Summer 2025 catalog year requirement term. This includes the KU Core 34 and major requirements in place under the current catalog year. To select this option, you will need to update your catalog year.
Starting for students admitted Fall 2024, 3 hours of credit for ENGL 101 or MATH 101 will be awarded for the corresponding ACT or SAT score.
3 hours of ENGL 101: Composition credit will be given for ACT score of 27+ and SAT score of 630+ on the English/Verbal section
3 hours of MATH 101: College Algebra credit will be given for ACT score of 26+ and SAT score of 610+ on the Mathematics section
For current students who update their catalog term to Fall 2024 to follow the new KU Core 34, please email transfercredit@ku.edu to have your ACT or SAT scores posted for credit if needed. Learn more about credit for prior learning.
Transfer coursework without a direct KU equivalent will be assigned a transfer code. The transfer codes will be updated starting Fall 2024 to match the KU Core 34 system wide general education model. Courses previously evaluated under the old transfer codes will transition to the new codes without a loss of credit.