Transfer and Acceptance of Credit- Undergraduate

Policy Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to specify conditions for transfer and/or acceptance of credit into an ETSU undergraduate degree program.

Policy Statement
I. Transfer or Acceptance of Undergraduate Credit
1. Credit earned at other institutions of higher education may be transferred as equivalent to ETSU courses or as electives. Courses that have no direct ETSU equivalent will be transferred as either lower division or upper division general elective credit and may, as appropriate, be applied as elective credit toward the student’s degree.
2. In order to have the credit from a non-regionally accredited institution or non-accredited international institution considered, the student must file a petition with the appropriate academic department. Credit will be recorded on a student’s record only after the appropriate academic department(s) and dean have reviewed the course(s) and determined it to be equivalent in content to an ETSU course(s) and approval is issued by the Vice Provost for Enrollment Services.
3. ETSU will accept courses taken in fulfillment of a Tennessee Transfer Pathway (TTP) at a Tennessee community college.
4. Credit earned in remedial or developmental courses is not transferable for college-level credit.
II. Prior Learning Credit for an Undergraduate Degree
1. Credit for prior learning will be based on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges principles and policies related to the transfer of credit and the Recommended Standards in Prior Learning Assessment Policy and Practice of Tennessee Public Colleges and Universities (August 7, 2012).
2. ETSU will review for possible credit evidence of prior learning as provided through standardized exam scores, training provided by non-collegiate institutions, or experiential learning. Sources of prior learning assessment include, but are not limited to:
1. ACT/SAT credit for first-year English
2. Advanced Placement Exams (AP)
3. Cambridge exams
4. College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
5. Dantes – Subject Standardized Tests
6. International Baccalaureate Exams
7. Service in the armed forces
C. Departmental course challenge exams, for which a fee is charged, may be available for undergraduate courses. To be eligible, admitted or enrolled students with satisfactory academic standing, as determined by the appropriate academic department, may request a comprehensive challenge examination. Students may not take the challenge exam in a course previously taken for credit. A grade of “P” for pass (satisfactory performance) or “F” for fail (unsatisfactory performance) is determined by the academic department and entered into official records.

D. ETSU will recognize prior learning assessment (PLA) credit awarded by another Tennessee public institution. PLA credit must be applicable to the degree or certificate the student has declared.

E. ETSU may award credit for experiential learning in approved degree programs. This credit is based on well-documented activities and experiences at the appropriate educational level and is evaluated based on clearly developed outcomes for the courses or program for which credit is awarded.

F. ETSU will reference the Joint Services Transcript (JST), DD-214, and/or transcripts from the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) and Coast Guard Institute (CGI) when awarding credit to students who are veterans or military service members. ETSU will use the American Council on Education (ACE) for awarding credit for military experience, educations, and/or training obtained during military experience.
1. If military experience, education and/or training are equivalent to a course offered by ETSU, the credit will be applied for the equivalent course. Otherwise, appropriate course credit will be granted for elective credit.
2. Military veterans and service members have the opportunity to request that excessive credits applied to transcripts which may affect their financial aid eligibility be removed from the transcript.
F. Specific programs allow credits that bridge the gap between a student's prior experience and an advanced degree. ETSU will award senior institution credits upon successful completion of identified program requirements. These credits are not ETSU instruction credits. ETSU approved bridge program criteria are published in the undergraduate catalog. Requirements include proof of graduation from an accredited program and/or licensure or eligibility for licensure in a discipline.
Authority

SACSCOC Position Statement for Transfer of Academic Credit

Definitions

Experiential Learning

Process supports applying knowledge and conceptual understanding to authentic situations.

Military Service

Training and experiences gained during service that applies to undergraduate credit.

Prior Learning

Assessment

Evaluation of skills and knowledge acquired outside the classroom for the purpose of recognizing competence in stated course learning outcomes.

Policy History

Effective Date: March 24, 2017
Procedures
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions evaluates undergraduate credit based on historical precedent, course descriptions and titles, current articulated program information, and/or review by the appropriate ETSU college dean and faculty. Students may be required to submit documentation (e.g. syllabus) prior to transfer credit being approved.
1. The transcript analyst in the Office of Admissions reviews the student’s transcript and compares it with the equivalency table in the student information system.
  1. If there is an equivalent course, the course is equated and loaded as transfer credit on the student’s record.
  2. If there is no equivalent course, the transcript analyst reviews the catalog for the transfer institution.
    
    If there is an equivalent course, the course is equated and loaded as transfer credit on the student’s record.
    
    If, after a review of the catalog for the transfer institution, the course is determined not to be equivalent, the transcript analyst loads the credit as elective on the student’s record.
  3. Once the credit has been applied to the student’s record, the student can view the course equivalencies in the automated degree audit function.
2. A student may contact the department for a review of the elective credit.
  1. If approved as equivalent credit, the department chair notifies the Office of Admissions.
  2. The transcript analyst updates the student record and changes the credit from elective to the approved equivalent credit.
  3. Once the credit has been applied to the student’s record, the student can view the course equivalencies in the automated degree audit function.
3. For general education transfer courses not listed as equivalent on the equivalency table, a student may submit a request for review by the General Education Review Committee using the General Education Course Review Form.
  1. The committee chair works with college deans and department chairs as needed to determine course equivalence.
  2. If approved as general education credit the committee chair notifies the Office of Admission.
  3. The transcript analyst updates the student record and changes the credit from elective to the approved equivalent credit.
  4. Once the credit has been applied to the student’s record, the student can view the course equivalencies in the automated degree audit function available in the student information system.
4. Credit earned from a non-regionally accredited institution or non-accredited international institution may also be reviewed.
  1. In order to be considered, the student must file a petition with the appropriate academic department.
  2. The transcript analyst awards credit on the student record in the student information system only after the appropriate academic department(s) and dean have reviewed the course(s) and determined it to be equivalent in content to an ETSU course(s) and approval is issued by the Vice Provost for Enrollment Services.
Procedure History

Effective Date: March 24, 2017
Related Form(s)

Application for Academic Credit Earned at Non-Regionally Accredited Collegiate Institutions, available in the Office of Admissions

Scope and Applicability

First Column	Second Column
Primary	Secondary
Academics	Students

Responsible Official	Responsible Office
Provost	Undergraduate Admissions