While there is no guarantee that courses taken at a community college will be accepted for credit after transferring to a four-year institution, knowing the criteria colleges use in granting credit can keep you from having to make up a lot of coursework.

For Maryland students, there is a useful Web site called ARTSYS (www.artweb.usmd.edu) that indicates which community colleges are approved for credit at many four-year colleges in Maryland. There are a few caveats about the system, however: Not every Maryland college participates, and not every approved course will help a student meet all requirements for graduation.

As Goucher College, registrar Pat Kelly explains it: Some courses will be approved for transfer credit as electives but might not meet the requirements for a student's major or minor coursework.

"As far as transfer work goes," she says, "a student should take courses that are similar in content and scope to courses at other institutions." Survey and foundation courses, such as Introduction to Sociology or Calculus I, are almost always approved, she says.

Community college students who are planning to transfer to a four-year college should choose courses that are compatible with the academic programs offered by the colleges they wish to attend. Many restaurant management courses, for example, won't be accepted at a liberal arts college.

Most colleges require a grade of C or above to grant transfer credit for a course. If there is uncertainty about whether a particular course should be approved, the registrar often will request a course syllabus to see how it compares with comparable classes offered at the four-year college.

Also, keep in mind that most colleges grant a maximum of 60 transfer credits toward a degree.

In Maryland, Kelly says, some of the community colleges have what are called articulation agreements with some of the four-year colleges, meaning that the schools agree ahead of time on what community college courses will best prepare students to continue in four-year programs. The four-year colleges agree to recognize those courses and grant transfer credit for them.

"The community colleges here in Maryland do a great job," she says.

For community college students who are unsure what their future plans are, the safest approach is to follow a general education curriculum, Kelly says. College advisers can guide students in selecting courses that are most likely to satisfy the requirements of four-year institutions.