The University of Missouri-Kansas City abides by the Coordinating Board of Higher Education articulation agreement between Missouri public institutions. The agreement with CBHE states that students who have earned an associate of arts degree from a Missouri institution that requires, at minimum, the general education core outlined by the CBHE, and a 2.0 GPA, will be admitted with junior standing and considered to have completed the lower-division general education requirements. This does not exempt the student from meeting the requirement for foreign language or any specialized lower-division degree requirements specified by the academic unit. Particular programs within the University require a higher GPA and/or specific prerequisite courses to be completed before admission.

Courses taken at a community or junior college not culminating in an associate's degree, courses taken at a community or junior college beyond the associate's degree, and courses/degrees transferred from an institution outside the State of Missouri without an articulation agreement with UMKC will be evaluated for applicability to any particular degree program on a course-by-course basis. Regardless of the number of hours transferred from a community or junior college, at least the final 30 hours must be earned at UMKC.