Transfer of Credit

Transfer Credit from Other Institutions

Transfer of Credit Handbook

All transfer credit is granted at the discretion of the institution. The College reserves the right to reject any course that is contrary to the College’’s Mission. Transfer credit is not considered in the computation of the Aquinas GPA (grade point average). Only courses taken at regionally-accredited institutions (in traditional format or by distance learning) with a minimum grade earned of “C” will be evaluated for transfer credit. Vocational, technical, developmental, and remedial courses will not be considered. The amount of transfer credit accepted will be determined by program directors in accordance with degree requirements of the College. In all programs except the Associate of Science-Nursing (ASN) program, science courses must have been completed within the last ten years to be transferable. In general, to be transferable for the ASN program, all required science courses must have been completed within five years of starting the ASN program. The ten-year limitation of lower-division science courses for the RN to BSN program may be waived if, at the discretion of the program director, the student has been actively involved in the practice of nursing. Once a student starts attending Aquinas College, he must complete all of the coursework required for his degree at Aquinas College. Should special circumstances arise that require a student to take a course(s) at another institution while attending Aquinas, he must obtain a signed transfer agreement from his program director, providing written confirmation that the credit will be accepted. Failure to obtain such an agreement might prevent the course(s) from being transferred.

Transfer Credit – Extra-Institutional Learning

Aquinas College acknowledges that learning experiences can occur in settings other than traditional classes and thus warrant college-level credit. All credits gained through the following programs are recorded as transfer credit and not considered in the computation of the Aquinas GPA (grade point average). Students may earn up to a maximum of 30 credit hours toward an associate degree (including standardized exams and PLA) and 60 hours toward a baccalaureate degree (30 hours maximum through standardized exams and 30 hours maximum by PLA). The request for Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) must be signed and submitted to the Office of the Registrar within the first semester and must be completed six months prior to graduation.

• AP (Advanced Placement) – Registrar’s Office maintains a list of accepted exams and course equivalencies. For credit to be awarded, a minimum scaled score of 3 is required on the College Entrance Examination Board’s Advanced Placement tests. Credit awarded is based on ACE (American Council on Education) recommendations. The grade is recorded as “CR” on the student’s transcript.
  AP Exams Currently Accepted for Credit
• CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) – Registrar’s Office maintains a list of accepted exams and course equivalencies. Generally, a minimum score of 50 is required. Credit awarded is based on ACE (American Council on Education) recommendations. The grade is recorded as “CR” on the student’s transcript.
  CLEP Exams Currently Accepted for Credit
• PLA (Prior Learning Assessment) for Professional/Certificated Courses – PLA credit for professional or certificated courses is for those students who wish to create a rationale for the possible acceptance of coursework taken for professional or certificated courses. Students must get approval from the Dean of the appropriate school to apply for this credit and will be required to follow the policies and procedures outlined in the Documented Learning Portfolio-I manual. Students should be aware that credit given by Aquinas College for PLA might not be transferable to other institutions. Credit is transcripted as “PLA Credit” with the course title and number of credits awarded.
• PLA (Prior Learning Assessment) for Experiential Learning – PLA credit for experiential learning is college-level learning earned without the benefit of a college or university setting. Students must get approval from the Dean of the appropriate school to apply for this credit and will be required to follow the policies and procedures outlined in the Documented Learning Portfolio-II manual. Students should be aware that credit given by Aquinas College for PLA might not be transferable to other institutions. Credit is transcripted as “PLA Credit” with the course title and number of credits awarded.
• Military Credit – Students being certified to the VA for benefits must submit an official military transcript for evaluation. Credit will be awarded if equivalent to Aquinas course content and necessary for student’s degree. All credit awarded is based on the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) and recorded on the transcript as “CR.”
• Computer Competency Exam – Aquinas College offers a competency examination for students who believe they have the required knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access to meet the objectives of CPU 115, Introduction to Computers. Students who have taken computer courses above the 100 level are not eligible for the competency examination. Permission to take the test must be obtained from the student’s advisor. Students must pass the examination with a score of 70% or higher to be awarded 3.0 credit hours and a grade of “P.” If student fails to pass the competency exam, it is important that he remember to register for the CPU 115 course as soon as possible. Students should be aware that credit given by Aquinas College for the Computer Competency Exam might not be transferable to other institutions.