A-052.1 Transfer Credit Appeals Procedures & Definitions
Code: A-052.1
Date: December 2018
Approved: Connie J. Gores
Transfer Credit Appeals Procedures & Definitions
University Level Petition/Appeal
The student petition form can be used to appeal your initial transfer evaluation.
Substitutions or Waivers for major, minor, and LEP/MnTC requirements must be approved via the student petition form. Courses taken for an intended major are evaluated by the department and equated via the petition process.
This form must be filled out by the student and signed off by the academic advisor, department chair and academic deans. Students must properly fill out the form as well as attach proper documentation. This could include syllabus, course description, and a copy of a transcript. Once the petition is signed, the Deans Office will send the petition to the Registration and Records Office for processing. If the petition is denied, the rationale for the decision will be provided. Students will be notified of the appeals decision in a timely manner by the Academic Dean’s Office and the Registration and Records Office.
The Petition e-Form link is located on the Registration and Records webpage or on students' DARs reports.
System Level Appeal
Students not satisfied with the college or university transfer appeal decision may submit a transfer appeal to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs using the system level transfer appeal form in eServices. A student shall exhaust all steps in the transfer appeal process at the college or university prior to appealing at the system level.
- Students may submit additional documentation such as transcripts, course syllabi, course outlines, course descriptions, etc.
- Upon receipt of the system-level transfer appeal, there must be a review by System Office transfer staff. The review must be based on course descriptions, course outlines, learning outcomes, and/or other relevant information. The transfer staff shall submit a recommendation to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs.
The Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs shall make a final determination regarding disposition of the transfer appeal. The decision of the Senior Vice Chancellor is binding on all college and university parties.
Definitions
Comparable or Equivalent Course
A course from a sending college or university that meets a specific program course requirement at the receiving college or university.
Course Outline
The document approved by the college or university curriculum committee that communicates information about a college or university course.
Credit for Prior Learning
Academic credit awarded for demonstrated college- and university-level learning gained through learning experiences outside college or university credit-bearing courses and assessed by academically sound and rigorous methods and processes.
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) - External Assessments
Assessment methods and processes at the colleges or universities of Minnesota State that could result in credit for prior learning achieved and assessed through a nationally recognized third-party assessment agency or organization, regionally or nationally accredited postsecondary institution, or noncredit instruction. Students demonstrate a level of proficiency that is recognized through curriculum, instruction, program or a standardized exam. CPL external assessment types may include, but are not limited to, AP, IB, CLEP, and other national standardized assessments, world languages seals and certificates, industry recognized credentials, licenses, and certifications, and noncredit instruction in programs such as registered apprenticeships, continuing education, and customized training.
Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS)
An electronic database tool that produces a report available to students reflecting his or her progress toward completion of an academic program.
Developmental (Remedial) Level Course
A course numbered below 100 (or below 1000 in four digit numbering systems) designed to prepare students for entry into introductory college-level courses.
MnTC Goal Area
Any of the 10 subdivisions of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum: (1) Communication, (2) Critical Thinking, (3) Natural Sciences, (4) Mathematical and Logical Reasoning, (5) History, Social and Behavioral Sciences, (6) Humanities and Fine Arts, (7) Human Diversity, (8) Global Perspective, (9) Civic and Ethical Responsibility, and (10) People and the Environment. Each goal area has its own definition and list of competencies. A description of the goal area definitions and competencies can be found in Minnesota State Operating Instructions 3.21.1.1.
Military Courses
A curriculum with measurable outcomes and learning assessments that service members are required to successfully complete based on their military occupation.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC)
Curriculum comprised of general education courses, goal area definitions, and competencies that transfer between Minnesota public colleges and universities.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Agreement
The agreement first developed in 1994 by faculty representatives of Minnesota public colleges and universities outlining the conditions by which students transfer their completed general education courses and credits to meet lower division general or liberal education requirements at any public college or university in Minnesota. Excerpts of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Agreement can be found in Operating Instruction 3.21.1.1.
Nationally Accredited College or University
A college or university that is accredited by a national accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Official Transcript
An official transcript is typically marked as such and carries security enhancements. It is sent directly from a former institution to SMSU and must be delivered in a sealed and untampered envelope.
Receiving College or University
The college or university to which a student is transferring courses or credits.
Regionally Accredited College or University
A college or university that is accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Sending College or University
The college or university from which a student is transferring courses or credits.
Transfer Agreement
A formal agreement between two or more educational entities identifying the courses and credits within a program that transfer to a specific academic program using the system transfer agreement template, or the transfer pathway map for DARS encoding, or equivalent evidence of course transfer encoded in DARS.
Transfer Appeal
A documented request submitted by a student for review of transfer decisions regarding how courses or credits were or were not accepted for transfer to meet graduation, program/major requirements or electives.
Transfer Information System
A web resource (as of revision date 04/23/18, Transferology®) that provides students with course equivalency and course relationship information, and identifies how courses transfer to specific programs and majors at colleges and universities.
Transfer Pathways Associate Degrees
Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degrees that transfer to designated baccalaureate degree programs at Minnesota State universities.
Transfer Student
A transfer student is someone who has previously earned credits at a post-secondary institution or via credit for prior learning opportunities.