Frequently Asked Questions

KU Core 34 is KU’s general education requirements that align with the Kansas Board of Regent’s systemwide general education policy. Students will earn 34 (hence the name) or 35 credits in general education courses.  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.  

*Will be redefined by the KBOR Math Pathways initiative and take effect in 2025-26 or 2026-27.

The list of courses included in the KU Core 34 curriculum are located here. Updates are coming soon to classes.ku.edu, credittransfer.ku.edu, and kucore.ku.edu to note courses included in the KU Core 34 curriculum. 

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. The change of catalog year form will be available in Fall 2024. Students should meet with their academic advisor to discuss the options. Advisors will assist with documenting the decision to change your catalog year. 

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. 

Contact the Office of the Registrar for additional information.  

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. By doing so, you will move into different academic catalog and will be required to follow all degree requirements of that catalog year. 

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. 

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.  

In limited cases students may be able to satisfy a KU Core 34 and degree requirement using one course. Opportunities for this are designated in the catalog.  

Yes. Please see our petition page for more information and to learn about the process. 

Yes, students can seek approval for experiences to count for KU Core 34 credit. However, students must seek approval in advance of completing the experience. Once approved, the experience will be aligned with an asynchronous course students will complete. Here are more details and the pre-approval form. If approved, there will be a $50 fee to process the course credit. 

The KU Core Curriculum is KU’s general education curriculum adopted in 2013 for KU undergraduates. Students enrolled at KU before fall 2024 have or will complete the KU Core Curriculum requirements. Students who enroll at KU starting in fall 2024 or after will complete the requirements of KU Core 34. 

KU Core is designed to yield fundamental skills, build a broad background of knowledge, generate capacities and opportunities for blending and creating ideas, strengthen an appreciation of cultural and global diversity, and cultivate ethical integrity. Students may complete the KU Core Curriculum through coursework, experiences, and approved sequences. In total, the KU Core Curriculum includes 36 credit hours. Most goals require the completion of multiple courses to fulfill the goal.  

KU Core Curriculum Goal 

• Goal 1: Critical Thinking & Quantitative Literacy 
• Goal 2: Communication 
• Goal 3 Breadth of Knowledge 
• Goal 4: Culture & Diversity 
• Goal 5: Social Responsibility & Ethics 
• Goal 6: Integration & Creativity 

Courses taken to satisfy degree-specific requirements can often simultaneously be used to achieve KU Core learning outcomes. Double-check with your academic advisor and department for confirmation. 

Each learning outcome can be achieved either by taking an approved course, participating in an approved  educational experience, or completing an approved combination of courses and/or educational experiences. Students should work with their academic advisors to determine how they will meet the goals and learning outcomes of the KU Core. 

Experiences approved for the KU Core include certain study-abroad programs, service-learning opportunities, and internships. Approved experiences are posted on the KU Core website. Students may choose from this list with confidence that the experience will satisfy the requirements of the KU Core curriculum.  

Yes, students can seek approval for experiences to count for KU Core credit. However, students must seek approval in advance of completing the experience. Once approved, the experience will be aligned with an asynchronous course students will complete. Here are more details and the pre-approval form.  

Beginning in Fall 2024, all courses in the KU Core or KU Core 34 curriculum will count for a singular goal. 

Yes. Some transfer courses satisfy KU Core requirements. The Credit Transfer website lists courses taken at other institutions that may transfer to KU. The charts on that page indicate whether a course is equivalent to a course that meets a learning outcome of the KU Core. If a transfer course is equivalent to a KU course that meets a KU Core requirement, then the transfer course may be considered to satisfy the same requirement. 

The UCCC will only review petitions that fall under certain circumstances. These circumstances include:  

• Courses transferred into KU with a general designator (such as BIOL N) and the student believes the course fulfills and aligns with a KU Core goal.  

• KU courses classified as a special "topics" course. 

• Study abroad experiences outside of those offered by KU's Office of Study Abroad and Global Engagement (SAGE). Click here for an approved list of courses and programs. 

• Individual educational experience meeting the guidelines for pre-approved educational experiences. Click here for more information on pre-approved educational experiences. Click here for more information on proposing an individual educational experience. 

Existing KU courses (outside of topics courses), that do not already have a Core designation, will not be reviewed by the committee. Departments decide to propose courses to fulfill KU Core goals, and the committee cannot override those decisions. 

Additionally, the UCCC will not adjust their petition review timetable or meeting schedule to review petitions.  

Typically, it takes 6-8 weeks from petition submission to receiving an answer from the UCCC. 

Questions about these circumstances may be directed to kucore@ku.edu. 

Schedule a meeting with your academic advisor and create a plan to fulfill the KU Core goal.  

Yes, students can make the decision to “opt-in,” which means they 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. The change of catalog year form will be available in Fall 2024. Students should meet with their academic advisor to discuss the options. Advisors will assist with documenting the decision to change your catalog year. 

The list of courses included in the KU Core 34 curriculum are located here. Updates are coming soon to classes.ku.edu, credittransfer.ku.edu, and kucore.ku.edu to note courses included in the KU Core 34 curriculum. 

All units within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences may submit courses to be reviewed by the UCCC for inclusion in KU Core 34 curriculum.

The Kansas Board of Regent’s (KBOR) provided a subject-based framework that the UCCC used to determine the courses and goals that could be included in the KU Core 34 curriculum.  

KBOR allowed institutions to use an institutional designated area to emphasize institutional priorities.  The UCCC was committed to ensuring KU’s general education curriculum helped fulfill KU’s mission and values. To prepare our students to work and live in a global community, the UCCC believed it was paramount to preserve the US and Global Culture goals (4.1 and 4.2 in the original KU Core.) 

To comply with KBOR’s systemwide general education framework, courses were added, removed, or moved to a different goal in the KU Core 34 curriculum. 

Courses Removed 

• Professional school courses were removed UNLESS they appeared in a KBOR required list of courses included in the Kansas Systemwide Transfer portal or are in the School of Music 

• 400 level and above courses were removed. Departments may have the opportunity to renumber courses and resubmit them to the UCCC to be evaluated for KU Core 34.  

• KU Core Goal 1.1 courses that did not satisfy a different goal were removed. 

Courses Added 

• Systemwide Transfer courses required by KBOR were added. 

• Labs associated with courses in the Natural & Physical Science goal were added to meet the laboratory requirement of the systemwide general education framework. 

Courses Moved 

• Oral and written communications courses. KBOR designated the courses that could be included in these subject areas. 

• KBOR designated which goal a course fulfilled based on its subject. 

• Systemwide Transfer courses required by KBOR were moved to the goal assigned by KBOR. 

• Courses and experiences in Goal 5.2 were moved to capstone experiences 

Cross-listed Courses 

• Courses with subject designations in separate goals cannot be cross listed except for US & Global Culture goals. 

Beginning in Fall 2024, all courses included in KU Core or KU Core 34 will only count for ONE goal. The UCCC worked with departments to select the goal their course would satisfy. 

The University Core Curriculum Committee is revising the criteria for inclusion in KU Core 34 and the nomination process. Please check back for more information. 

In spring 2023, University Governance voted to require a capstone experience for all students who earn a bachelor's degree at KU. Essentially, this KU degree requirement takes the place of Goal 6, which is not included in the KU Core 34. 

Please visit the KU Core Decertification webpage for more information.