A-052 Transfer Credit and Trasfer Credit Appeal Policy

Code: A-052
Date: January 27, 2014
Approved: Connie J. Gores
Date Effective: August 1, 2014
Revised: February 2016
Approved: Connie J. Gores
Revised: December 2018
Approved: Connie J. Gores

Southwest Minnesota State University
Policy
Transfer Credit and Transfer Credit Appeal

General Criteria for Transfer of Credit

1. Transfer Credit will only be evaluated for currently active degree-seeking students.
2. Transfer Credit will only be evaluated when an official transcript from the sending institution has been provided.
   1. Transcripts from institutions within the Minnesota State System may be retrieved electronically without action from the student. Any institution outside of the Minnesota State System will have to order an official transcript to be sent.  
3. College Credit courses taken from nationally accredited post-secondary institutions will be transferred subject to the following considerations:
   1. The mission of the institution from which credits would be transferred.
   2. The comparability of the course with University-level course work. Course outcomes must meet 75% of the receiving course outcomes to be considered equivalent.
   3. The appropriateness of the course work in meeting SMSU baccalaureate degree requirements.
4. National and Regional accreditation will usually serve as the primary criterion for determining the transferability of course work from another institution. The secondary criterion for determining accreditation for college and universities is recognition by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
   1. Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) is the official university electronic system that provides for the evaluation of a student’s academic record by tracking transfer credits program.

Transfer Requirements for Requests That Meet the General Criteria

1. Degree Standards:
   1. All credits from documented Bachelor’s Degrees or Associate of Arts Degrees will be accepted for transfer and will waive SMSU MnTC/LEP requirements.
   2. Transfer of completed MnTC areas from a partnering Minnesota State School will be considered complete at SMSU.
   3. Credits from all other Associate degrees are evaluated on a course-by-course basis.
2. Grade Standards:
   1. Courses with grades that earn credit from other post-secondary institutions will transfer.
   2. Majors and minors may have higher GPA requirements and may require that transferred courses be repeated to achieve a higher grade. The transferred course will count toward total credits.
3. Course Credit Standards:
   1. Transfer credit limits and Credit Life:
      1. There is no minimum or maximum amount of transfer credit that can or will applied when transferring.  
      2. Transfer credits do not expire.
      3. If application status becomes inactive, transfer credit will need to be reapplied upon readmission.
   2. Credit Level:
      1. 100-200 level courses will not be accepted towards the upper division graduation requirement.
      2. Petitions are available to allow 100-200 level courses to replace a 300-400 level course in the student’s major or minor.
   3. Quarter vs. Semester Term Credit:
      1. SMSU operates on the Semester Credit Term System. Courses transferring from Quarter Term Systems will be reduced by .6667 percent.
      2. i.e. 6 quarter term credits = 6 * .6667 = 4 semester term credits
   4. Developmental/Remedial and non-sectarian religion courses:
      1. “Developmental/Remedial courses” designed to prepare a student for entry into college level courses do not transfer.
      2. A maximum of four semester credits of non-sectarian courses in religion will be accepted for transfer.
4. Additional Standards:
   1. International Transfer Credit:
      1. International Credit will be evaluated after an official, translated transcript has been received along with translated syllabi for each course. Credits will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Courses without translated syllabi will be deemed as general elective credit.  
      2. If further evaluation is required by the major program or a specific licensing, that will be addressed after admission to SMSU.
   2. Articulated Courses & Programs:
      1. Credits taken as part of Articulation agreements or Minnesota State Transfer Pathways will be accepted for transfer as defined in the articulated agreement. Bachelor of Applied Science Degree (BAS) programs are defined by articulated agreements.
      2. Articulated courses in the DARS Transfer Tables will transfer.
   3. Credits from specialized institutions, military training or industry-based education programs will be granted general elective credit and must be petitioned directly to academic departments for transfer evaluation to majors, minors or programs.
   4. Nationally recognized examinations and evaluations such as CLEP, IB, DSST, and AP will be recorded as transfer credit.  
   5. Technical/Vocational Institutions, Specialized Proprietary Institutions, Military Training or industry-based education programs:
      1. Credits deemed as technical may be considered for transfer. These credits will be transferred subject to the following considerations:
      2. A maximum of 16 semester credits will be transferred as a package of lower division technical electives.
      3. Technical credit courses with direct equivalency to SMSU courses will be transferred on a course-by-course basis over and above the technical college 16 credit package.
      4. BAS degree seeking students with a completed AS or AAS degree will be allowed 42 technical lower divisions credits as a package.
   6. Non-accredited Institutions:
      1. The university generally does not accept credit from non-accredited institutions.
      2. Students have the right to appeal to Academic Departments through the petition process by providing additional evidence demonstrating that the courses from the non-accredited institution meet standards of quality and comparability.

Student Transfer Credit Appeals

If a student is not satisfied with the university transfer decision, the student may appeal a transfer decision at the university level and at the system level.