How Transfer Credit Decisions Are Made
Over half of students graduating with bachelor's degrees have earned credit from more than one source. An increasing number of students attend more than one institution and wish to transfer credit from one institution and apply it toward a degree at another. Several issues are involved in transfer of credit.
First, it is the college or university granting the degree that makes decisions about whether transfer credit will be accepted, and then how that credit may or may not be applied to specific degree programs. These decisions are made with regard to the quality of the educational experience, the comparability of the nature, content and level of the course to the courses offered at that institution, and appropriateness to the degree being sought.
One factor used in determining whether credit will be accepted is accreditation. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) defines accreditation as the primary means by which colleges, universities and programs assure quality to students and the public. Accredited status is a signal to students and the public that an institution or program meets at least minimum standards for its faculty, curriculum, student services and libraries. Different types of institutions are accredited by different agencies, based, in part, on their educational goals and objectives. For more information about accreditation and a directory of accrediting agencies see www.chea.org.
Many institutions decide to accept credit from an institution which is accredited by the same or an equivalent accrediting agency. Typically community colleges as well as four year colleges and universities are accredited by one of six regional accrediting commissions. This is often called "regional accreditation." Most colleges who are regionally accredited accept transfer credit from other regionally accredited colleges and universities.
Other institutions, such as career or vocational colleges, faith based institutions, and technical institutions are often accredited by other agencies using a different set of standards. Some hold no accreditation. Colleges must then try to evaluate credit from a non-regionally accredited institution based on the comparability and appropriateness to its degrees and the student's educational goal. Additional information such as a detailed course outline or syllabus or may be needed to make a determination.
Some types of credit, such as developmental or technical courses, even from a similarly accredited institution may not be accepted in transfer. Some credit may not transfer simply because the institutions and their educational goals and objectives are very different.
Credit earned through exams such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or College Level Exam Program (CLEP) may be evaluated as transfer credit. Like transfer credit, the first decision is whether the credit is accepted.
Once a student's transfer credit has been accepted, it must then be evaluated to determine whether it is applicable to the student's degree. For example, while a student's transfer credit in an engineering course may be accepted, it may not apply to that student's intended major in advertising. In a university setting, the applicability of credit, including transfer credit, may be made at the college level, such as the College of Business within a particular university.
While it may seem to be a complicated process, institutions have policies and procedures in place which are used to make determinations about transfer credit. Much of this information is available on-line. Institutions often make available information about the acceptance of transfer credit from other institutions in their area. Questions about transferability of credit to any specific college or university can be addressed to their Office of Admissions.
JoAnn Moseman, M.A.
Academic Transfer Coordinator
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
