how to make sure your course credits transfer

How to transfer credit hours to a new school?

Step 1: Predict Eligibility. Some schools have online tools to help you understand how many of your credit hours may transfer. It’s just one of the ways that some schools are looking to help you with the transfer process, like this online transfer calculator. Step 2: Apply to the School.

Can you earn credit for previous work experience?

There may be additional options to earn credit for your previous work experience or background. Not all programs provide these options, but some schools will work with you to apply real-life experience to classroom credit.

Does military training count as credit?

Your Military Training Could Count as Credit. Ask your school if they have a way to offer credit for your military experience. Some will and some won’t, but it’s worth asking. The schools that do offer credit to military members will likely need the courses to be verified with a JST (Joint Services Transcript).

What is PLA in college?

PLA is one way for a school to put a value on your experience, previous learning, and current knowledge. Consider it like a standardized review of your on-the-job experiences knowledge, one that could lead to transfer credits awarded to you, shortening the time and tuition it takes to earn your degree. Franklin University is one school that offers ...

How long does a STEM course last?

STEM courses (science, technology, engineering, math) typically expire within 10 years because the course content must be updated to meet new, current standards of knowledge. (For example, computer science changes rapidly and a course from 2005 would be mostly obsolete.)

1. Research schools

As with any college search, you should always start by researching the institutions that you are interested in to find the one that is right for you.

2. Understand the transfer policies

Once you have identified a list of schools that you will be applying to, it is important that you understand the transfer credit policies at each institution.

3. Gather transcripts and other required materials

Now, it’s time to apply to your chosen programs. From your research, you should understand the required materials that you will need to submit with your application. Of course, these requirements will vary by school, and sometimes even by program.

4. Work with an admission counselor

Finally, in order to successfully transfer your college credits and complete your bachelor’s degree, take advantage of the help that admission counselors can offer throughout the process.

Do you need to keep copies of syllabi?

It is also worthwhile to keep copies of the syllabi or course outlines for each course that you take. Papers that you wrote or tests you have taken can also be useful supporting documents. Use the Search by Courses to review the course offerings per institution attended.

What are the issues when applying for admissions?

One of the major issues when applying for admissions and transferring from one school to another is getting credit for courses that you have taken previously. If you plan ahead, you can avoid some of the pitfalls.

What to do if you haven't gotten credit for a course?

If you haven't gotten credit for a course or the credit has been given to a general elective rather than a specific course that will count towards your degree, many schools enable you to appeal these decisions . This is when having all of the supporting documents for your courses will be the most useful. Be prepared when you meet with someone, have all of your supporting documents in hand and know your reasons for why a decision should be changed.

What is the chance of losing credit in college?

Bad news for transfer students: according to the National Center for Education Statistics, you have a 70% chance of losing some or all of your previously earned credit during your college transfer (costing you thousands of dollars in lost credit). This is largely due to broken transfer policies that you have no control over.

Can you control what colleges accept transfer credit?

This is largely due to broken transfer policies that you have no control over. While you unfortunately can’t control what transfer credit colleges accept, you can control which college you transfer credit into.

Can you transfer credits to another college?

While you unfortunately can’t control what transfer credit colleges accept, you can control which college you transfer credit into. By making the right choices early on, it’s absolutely possible to transfer from one college to another without losing a single credit.

Why do students change schools?

Students change schools for a variety of reasons, such as needing to relocate, pursuing a different career path, or choosing to graduate from a more prestigious institution. In other cases, students may have dropped out of school before completing their degrees and now want to pick up where they left off.

How many transfer credits do colleges accept?

Colleges commonly accept between 15 and 90 transfer credits, so it’s worth shopping around to find a college that will accept all your transfer credit. This may mean choosing something “less impressive” than the college you had in mind. If that’s the case, examine your priorities.

Will my credits transfer?

CollegeTransfer.Net offers " Will My Credits Transfer " - a free online service to answer the most common transfer question about prior coursework and academic credits completed or may contemplate. If you have accumulated course credits and are considering transfer, then run the "Will My Credits Transfer" service to see which schools will accept the courses you have taken or plan to take. Take a few minutes and compile your online transfer transcript - and then let the system tell you which schools may be your best target in seconds. Our service searches millions of course equivalencies and will present a detailed transfer map you can save, share and refresh as you continue your path to a degree.

When do transfer students see their report?

Typically transfer students don't see this report until the end of their first semester, making it difficult to question or appeal articulation decisions. It is a good practice to meet with the academic departments in advance, and get into writing any commitments on how transfer credits will be handled.

Can you transfer credits to a four year degree?

Depending upon how selective the school and department are, they may still not grant transfer credit for some courses because of academic reasons. Finally, many colleges and universities have a cap on the number of credits they will allow to transfer to a four-year degree.

What is a statewide transfer agreement?

There are statewide transfer agreements and transfer policies that govern public colleges and institutions by state. There are various forms of statewide agreements that provide full transferability of associate degrees, enabling students to transfer and place in junior status.

Do you get credit for courses you already took?

Getting credit for the courses you have already taken will impact cost and time to complete your degree. The older your credits are, the more likely you will have some issues. Retain of all your transcripts and college catalogs, as they will come in handy when you have to finally sit down and negotiate your transfer circumstance.

How many steps are there in the evaluation process?

At most schools, the evaluation process is usually three steps. The first is performed by admissions, where they maintain a database of prior courses already evaluated called course equivalencies. Sometimes this database is shared with other departments, and sometimes it is standalone.

What is the second process of a course?

The second process is performed by the academic departments and faculty, who must approve any new course that is brought forward for acceptability and mapped to the comparable course. The third is generally called articulation.

Choose Community Colleges Strategically

Some students believe that they have to settle academically when it comes to attending a community college, and others may not know that all community colleges are not created equally.

Monitor Grade Point Averages Closely

Some community college transfer agreements with four-year universities are conditional and depend upon the grades that students earn at the college level. Also, universities that do not have transfer agreements with community colleges assess the level of rigor and the grades received for each community college course taken by its transfer students.

Open Communication Lines With Admissions Officers at Four Year University

When a community college student transfers to a university to complete their four-year degree, that university’s name is the only one that appears on their degree. This is one reason why universities are strict about the courses that are eligible for transfer as well as the grades that one must have achieved in those classes.

Conclusion

According to recent statistics, every year a percentage of community college students lose so many transfer credits that they indefinitely postpone their academic goal of getting a four-year degree. However, this situation can remedied in some cases with some careful investigative planning about community college transferable credits.

Is NCU an online university?

Once you get your acceptance letter, the number of semester credit hours that will be accepted in transfer will be documented, giving you a good idea of what classes you'll need to prepare for moving forward. NCU may be an online university, but the resources and support are anything but remote.

Is college a small task?

Being a college student is no small task. After you spend months working on applications and choosing the right school, many changes take place that can throw you off course. Needless to say, life happens, but that reality can lead you to discovering other opportunities that better suit your needs.

Can you get a C or D in college?

Having a "C-" or a "D" can potentially be approved depending on the college's flexibility, but in most cases, they will be denied. Any classes that offer a PASS/FAIL grade will require further approval by a professor to ensure that you actually did pass the class.

How many credits do you need to transfer to a community college?

Only So Many Credits Are Accepted. When transferring from another university, on average, 60 credits from a community college or two-year college will be accepted. If there is a combination of the two, up to 90 credits can be accepted, but incoming students are expected to complete a minimum amount of credits, between 30-60, ...

What does a transcript show?

Your transcript will show you every class you've enrolled in, followed by the amount of credits you've earned for each class and overall term (quarter, semester).

Is NCU online?

NCU may be an online university, but the resources and support are anything but remote. Our friendly staff and faculty members are dedicated to making sure that your educational path is one that best honors your past, present, and future.

Can you transfer real estate credits to another state?

For example, if you take a course that has real estate classes, those credits may not transfer from a college in one state to a college in another state because the real estate laws are different for each state. Additionally, each school has its own policy for which credits it will accept.

Can you transfer credits from an unaccredited school?

If you choose an unaccredited school to transfer to, or you are shifting away from an unaccredited school, some or all of your credits may not transfer. Check to see if the school you’re transferring into has a grade requirement to transfer a course’s credit. For example, a course may transfer only if you received a “B” or higher.

Do credits transfer if you take a course?

If it’s for a course that doesn’t change its curriculum, the credits often transfer, even if it was years since you took the course. If the course curriculum changes over time because the information is updated, your credits may not transfer. For example, computers have come a long way in the past 10 years—those credits may not transfer.

Can you transfer math and science credits?

If you focused on a course of study based on math and science, but are now changing to social studies, some of the math and science credits may not transfer. You can look at the courses you completed and the courses offered at the new school to get a good idea of how many may transfer. However, the only way to know for sure is to start ...

How many credits do you lose at a college?

If you have 60 credits toward your bachelor’s, but the college you want only accepts credits for specific classes, you may “lose” those credits at your new school. In other words, you’ll have to make up some of those credits. In most cases, they’ll be different courses.

Do you have to repeat classes at a school if you don't have credits?

For every credit a school doesn’t accept, you’ll have to add more time to get your bachelor’s degree. You may even have to repeat classes that the school does not accept, especially if the class curriculum updates from year to year.

Do you have to repeat classes if you don't accept credit?

For every credit a school doesn’t accept, you’ll have to add more time to get your bachelor’s degree. You may even have to repeat classes that the school does not accept, especially if the class curriculum updates from year to year.

Research Schools.

Understand The Transfer Policies.

• Once you have identified a list of schools that you will be applying to, it is important that you understand the transfer credit policiesat each institution. Having a firm grasp on what credits a particular college may accept can help you save time and money in the long run. For example, if you know that one school will likely only accept a handful...

See more on regiscollege.edu

Gather Transcripts and Other Required Materials.

Work with An Admission Counselor.