Policy 3.21

Chapter 3 - Educational Policies

3.21 Transfer Credit

Policy
It is the policy of Minnesota West Community & Technical College that all students be provided with a clear statement of Minnesota West’s transfer policy, a fair credit review and an explanation of why credits were or were not accepted, a copy of the formal appeals process, and a review, on request, of eligibility for financial aid or scholarships. Transfer information can be found under Student Information & Policies.

Procedure

1. Any student wishing to transfer credits to the College must provide an official transcript sent directly to the campus Student Services Office from the previous college(s) attended. Student copies of transcripts will not be evaluated.
   
   
2. The student’s declared degree goal will be used as the transfer evaluation base. If the student changes his/her degree goal, the student is responsible for seeking information on the application of credits toward the new degree goal.
   1. The student should make an appointment with the program advisor.
      1. A copy of the official transcript should be present when meeting with the program advisor.
      2. The student’s assigned program advisor will review any technical credits to ascertain their validity within the student’s major study.
   2. If the transcript contains general education courses, the campus registration clerk will forward a copy of the official transcript to the College Registrar for review. The College Registrar will verify applicability of transfer credits and respond back to the campus registration clerk.
3. Once the entire evaluation is complete, the Campus Student Services department will send the student a listing of the total number of credits accepted for transfer.
   
   
4. Transfer credit will be accepted by the College according to the guidelines listed below:
   1. College level course work at a college accredited by one of the regional associations of colleges and schools, or by a comparable international college or university will be considered for transfer
   2. Minnesota West will accept credits from colleges and universities outside the United States based on an evaluation by a professional evaluation service.  Students are required to provide an original transcript and an English translation to Minnesota West, plus must submit documents to and pay for a catalog match evaluation from Education Credential Evaluators, Inc. or World Education Services or another educational credentialing evaluator.
   3. College level course work from non-regionally accredited institutions, including distance learning providers and freestanding professional schools recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), will be considered on a course-by-course basis through a petition process.  Petition must include a course syllabus or course outline and instructor credentials.
   4. Generally transfer of technical credits shall be allowed for courses that have been completed within five years prior to the transfer application. General studies and general education credits shall have no transfer time limit. Specific accrediting agencies may impose stricter transfer standards. See the transfer specialist for details.
   5. Credit achieved through military training shall be evaluated for transfer as specified in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services (ACE).
   6. Credit achieved through experiential learning processes shall be evaluated according to published national standard guidelines established by the American Council on Education, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning, or other similar national organizations.
   7. Course work awarded through Credit by Examination and Competency Based Education shall be considered for transfer on an individual basis.
   8. Credit given for College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or Advanced Placement (AP) tests requires submission of an original score report.
5. Grades earned prior to transfer will be evaluated according to the following standards:
   1. All college courses in which a student has received a grade of A, B, C, or D shall be considered for transfer evaluation. P grades shall be accepted as earned credit. If a transfer course is from a college that is a member of the Minnesota State colleges and universities system and the course is part of the sending institution's Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC), grades of less than "C" will be accepted in transfer.  For non-MnTC courses and courses from a school that is not part of the Minnesota State system, courses with grades less than a "C" will not be accepted in transfer from that school if the student's cumulative GPA at the originating institution is less than 2.0.
   2. Transfer credit grades shall not be used in computing the student’s grade point average at the College.  However, a separate non-published grade point average will be calculated for the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum which will include all home credit and transfer credit grades.  A 2.0 grade point average is required for completion of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
   3. Courses approved for transfer must be comparable in nature, content and level and match at least 75% of the content and goals of the course syllabus for which the student is seeking equivalent credit.
   4. The number of transfer credits granted per course shall not exceed the number granted by the originating institution.
   5. The conversion of quarter to semester hours shall normally be 1.5 quarter hours for each semester hour.
   6. When a student transfers in courses and later successfully repeats an equivalent course at the College, only the grades and credit from the College will be considered.
   7. Students who wish to appeal a transfer of credit decision may use the established appeals process. (See Student Services for details.)
6. Students transferring between Minnesota State institutions should be aware of the following principles that have been unilaterally agreed to within the Minnesota State educational organizations:
   1. Comparable treatment: The provisions of this policy shall be applied uniformly to all students who transfer between Minnesota State institutions.
   2. Transfer of credit: Once a student has been admitted to a Minnesota State college or university, courses earning credit shall be considered for transfer. Developmental courses may be used to satisfy pre-requisites but will not transfer.
   3. Student appeals: There shall be a two-level process through which students may appeal transfer decisions made by a college or university regarding courses completed within the Minnesots State system. See the campus registration clerk for more details.
   4. Comparable or equivalent courses: Minnesota State colleges and universities shall accept for transfer courses comparable or equivalent to specific courses offered at the receiving Minnesota State institution.
   5. General Electives: Minnesota State colleges and universities shall accept for transfer as general or “free” electives occupational/professional courses that are not comparable or equivalent to specific courses taught at the receiving institution, up to 24 quarter or 16 semester credits. A Minnesota State institution may accept credits beyond this limit if they contribute to an educationally coherent program for an individual student.

Related Minnesota State Policies & Procedures
Minnesota State Policy 3.21 - Undergraduate Course Credit Transfer
   Minnesota State Procedure 3.21.1 - Undergraduate Course Credit Transfer
Minnesota State Policy 3.37 - Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
   Minnesota State Procedure 3.37.1 - Minnesota Transfer Curriculum
Minnesota State Policy 3.39 Transfer Rights and Responsibilities

Approved by: Ron Wood, President
Date: July 1, 2003
History & Revision:
Revised May 6, 2005
Revised March 2012 - added International Evaluation requirements.
Revised February 7, 2014 - added links MnSCU Policies & Procedures
Revision July 25, 2017 Minnesota State